Can a plane have 5 engines?

Question

if so what model(boieng 747,757)(airbus 380)

thanks

Answer 1

I dont think there are currently any with 5 engines the most is probly a 747 with 4 or a dc 9 with 3

Answer 2

5 engines i havent heard of the most jet engines that i know of being on a single plane is the B-52s 8 but the AN-225 has 6 stage III engines. 5 is something that you will proly never see A) because 4 is usually enough thrust for most commercial/cargo planes B) 5 is just an odd number you cant put 3 on one wing and 2 on the other C) even mounting one in the tail (seen in the dc-10 md-11 and L-1011)  is uneconomical with the efficiency of todays engines you have less fuel burn and can produce about the same if not more thrust that you could with 5 engines a couple of years ago.

Answer 3

yes an airplane can have 5 engines. they can also have more. germany built a bomber in WW l that had 12 engines in six pods. the B36 in its second model had 10 engines, 6 turning and four burning(six piston engines and four jet engines), the jets were used for take offs only though.

Answer 4

Only in really odd circumstances like the 747 carrying an extra engine for an emergency field repair on another airplane.  Just an illustration of the flexibility of the Great Silver Bird.

There have been 3-engine and 5-engine airplanes in the past, but they are relatively rare.  The Ford Trimotor, Stinson Trimotor, Boeing Trimotor from the 1930s and the Boeing 727 from the 1960s are the most common examples.

The German Zwillig glider towing aircraft from the 1940s was actually two Heinkel HE-111s spliced together, but it did have five engines.

In most cases throughout history, the number of engines on airplanes has been determined by the power requirement of a design and the available horsepower of engines.  Some early airliners had one engine, and got caught in the CAA rules changes in the 1930s, when airliners were required to have at least two engines.

The simple solution was to add two to the original one, one under each wing, resulting in the various trimotor designs that were common for a while.

As for the types you asked about, the 747 has 4 engines, the 757 has two, and the Airbus 380 has 4.  Almost all airliners have an Auxiliary Power Unit (APU) to generate electricity, run the air conditioning, and other functions.  The APU is an engine, but it does not propel the airplane, so you count it only if you are trying to muddy the waters.

You can learn all about this from a few trips to the library.  Just ask the librarian for help finding information about aviation and aircraft history.  The amount of information available is HUGE!!

Good luck!

Answer 5

The B52 bomber in the US air force have 8 engines

Answer 6

the trend today is towards larger engines and less of them on a plane. Thus you see huge airplanes with 2 huge jet engines. This is because of the sophisticated computerized controls in todays craft which allow an airplane to fly safely with only one engine running on just one wing of the plane. A feat not possible before.

In the 1930's and 40's prop driven planes often had 5 engines with 2 on each wing and one on the nose cone of the main body.

Answer 7

they could but most have even numbers of engines or have one in the tail because if they have 3 on one wing and 2 on the other a plane would not have balanced thrust

Answer 8

The 747 can have 5 engines. Of course the fifth isn't running but its still there. Although rare they do use an extra mount installed, on the wing, to transport engines. It is much more cheaper than putting it on a transporter. Here's a picture:

http://www.airliners.net/open.file/24051...

Answer 9

Odd numbered were ususally testbeds for something.  4 on the normal airframe and one mounted on the nose, for instance.

Answer 10

I know of no currently operated aircraft that has 5 engines; however, theoretically, it is possible to do so as long as the engines are placed so that the fuselage is balanced.

Incidentally, the "Spruce Goose",made by Howard Hughes several years ago, had 6 engines.

Answer 11

The Boeing 747 has five engines -

4 Main Engines

1 Jet engine in the tail (APU)

Answer 12

Yes.

Answer 13

Well, there no planes in service that have 5 engines, but it is possible for instance you can put 2 on each wing and one on the nose.

Answer 14

The Key word here is "can", and the answer is yes

Answer 15

I worked for UAL for a number of years and I can assure you that some of our planes were fitted with a dummy pylon to transport a spare engine. The pylon was inboard of the number 2 engine between the engine and the fuselage. IT was strictly for transport and except for being bolted to the wing had no connection at all.  It was used for transport when no other method was available.  The fan blades were removed and a cover was installed over the core engine intake to prevent air from causing the core to windmill.  The exhaust was also covered.

Answer 16

It can but no reason to. It is cheaper and more efficient to have 2 big ones. Mounting of the engines and the engines themselves create alot of drag.

Having only 2 engines means there is less to go wrong and will mean better reliability. Having more engines means there is more of a chance the aircraft is grounded due to the engine or systems dealing with the engines malfunctioning.

Modern airliners can fly just fine on 1 engine if the other fails.

Answer 17

ther are no commercial airplanes with more than 5 engines although the air force has a plane with more than 5 like the b-52 it has 8 look at the pic..

Answer 18

Avrifan hit it on the head again.  The APU, standard in most commercial jet aircraft is a 5th engine even if not used for propulsion.  So the answer to your question, as stated is yes.

To say a 747 will carry an extra engine for an emergency field repair on another airplane is ridiculous.  In this instance, a replacement engine would be carried by a ramp loading aircraft not slung from the wing.  And a spare engine would also not be used for propulsion if that were the criteria.

Answer 19

An airplane can indeed have five engines, although no aircraft currently in production do not, as far as I know (none of the ones you name has five engines).

If an aircraft has five engines, one of them will be mounted along the center line of the aircraft laterally, since this is by far the easiest way to balance the thrust from an odd number of engines.

Answer 20

can they have 5? Sure, but it's rare.  I can not think of any currently flying aircraft that does.  Even historically, it's rare.

    The only example I can think of is a glider tug produced by Germany during World War II.  It was created by taking 2 twin engine bombers and joining them together by a central wing, which had a 5th engine mounted on the center line.