"Old Geezerr" wrote in message
news:vrpeladlnv969kesh6egihqtho9bb9fb0q@4ax.com...
>
> What are the hourly operating costs?
Six engines of 51,600 pounds thrust each consume 15.9 tons per hour for a
cruise flight, about the same as a 747's fuel burn per pound of thrust per
engine. That'd be about 4,700 gph and at $6.00 per gallon, that $28,266 per
hour in fuel alone. Using the rule of thumb that we used with C-5s when I
was in the USAF (fuel costs are a third of operating costs), that would come
out to about $85,000 per hour at least, considering that Russian engines
traditionally have poor fuel economy and the plane's sheer size presents its
own unique maintenance problems. Keep in mind also that it first flew in
1988 and is getting up in years.
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