trex8 wrote:Do higher cycle costs outweigh higher weight costs over the lifetime of the frame or vice versa? I guess it depends on lots of variables but overall can one say its usually less one way or other?
Do you mean do higher cycle costs out weigh the potential revenue earned by having an aircraft that can carry more payload or fuel or both?
Of course it all depends on the mission the aircraft is going to be sent out on. If the airline realises that it isn't ever going to reach max take off weight why but an aircraft certified for a higher weight.
As for what makes sense it's a case by case basis. Airlines do their math and figure out what they need. But I would say that if the aircraft can be filled up it's generally the case that the revenue earned out weighs the cost of the higher certified weight. I mean the manufacturers also do their math. If they're going to sell aircraft with higher weight they need to be sure there are airlines out there that would want the aircraft.
