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Aviation History
1985
1985 - 0008.PDF
AIR TRANSPORT Airbus reports end-year progress TOULOUSE Airbus Industrie's A320 design is evolving, reports Harry Hopkins. The 66- tonne specification has already moved on to a 72- tonne proposal. With the centre-section fuel option, this should push the 1989 range with V.2500 engines up by approximately 1,000 n.m. to 3,000 n.m. with the specification 164 passenger load; this compares with a 1988 range of 1,750 n.m. with the original weight and CFM56-4 engines. Weight saving since design initiation has topped 850kg. Aluminium/lithium ingots have been sent to Airbus part ners for study—with the pros pect of further weight saving in sheet metal. In the cabin, current think ing on configuration proposes either the original lin wider tourist seat with a typical 19in aisle, or a standard seat and a less constraining 24in aisle—which would allow passengers to get past the present size of service trolleys and possibly speed up disem barking. One customer is even interested in a twin-aisle version of a five-abreast configuration. In the cockpit, Airbus accents the provision of centralised system mainten ance on the A320—integrated with the flight recording system; this reflects concur rent Boeing thinking. Coloured CDU displays for the FMS are being explored. Direct lift control and active control technology remain under study. Trials of the pilot's side- arm controller (sidestick) will continue, and careful note will be taken of how pilots use these controls—and also the throttle levers which, with full authority digital engine control (FADEC), will not movewithautothrottleactivity related to the nominal lever datum. The throttle sectors are detented at the TOGA, MCT, and CL positions for FADEC operation. ECAM, now with a primary engine instrument CRT display—as with the 757 and 767 EICAS—is vigorously supported against the other Boeing concepts of strict pilot Dutch charter operator Martinair is the first airline to operate the Airbus A310 Convertible. The aircraft entered commercial service at the end of 1984 "need to know". Airbus defends ECAM as an aide- memoire and necessary prompt of systems status. Throughout, Airbus insists that digital flight control channels and associated monitoring channels are both to have dissimilar hardware and software. In the A320, Airbus is to replace the control columns by sidesticks, the basic flight instrument layout by two side-by-side -CRTs, and all mechanical flight control links by a fly-by-wire concept that integrates a range of automatic functions. By October 1986 all of this should have become an aircraft, to fly at the end of February 1987 when it will all be put to the test. A range of progressive weight options is now increasingly common in manufacturers' offerings— and Airbus is no exception. "Advanced" and "improved" are the words that go with change. The general trends are in lowering the empty weight, increasing the fuel weight and raising the maximum take-off weight— with obvious benefits to maximum payload and the range associated with it. The A300-600 has been in service since April 1984, start ing on Saudia's routes, and 14 aircraft are now in the hands of two operators. The A310 started operation with Swiss air and Lufthansa a year before that, with 12 operators now using 45 aircraft. Total flying hours of all A300 vari ants are 2-25 million, and A310 hours are over the 75,000 mark. The A300-600 will continue to follow A310 development; the weight reduction programme is calculated to contribute an economy of 2,000kg in basic weight and the MTOW is programmed to increase by 5,500kg to 170-5 tonnes. This will then give the 1986 improved -600 a range of 4,200 n.m. with a 200 n.m. diversion under IFR rules, carrying 267 pas sengers. With 345 on board the range will still be in excess of 3,700 n.m. The A300-600 philosophy has been to derive benefits from, and achieve much commonality with, the A310 series; 63 per cent of line replaceable units are identical and 11 per cent are similar. A three-frame insertion aft of the number 3 doors and a two-frame rearward displace ment of the rear bulkhead has made room for 16-20 more seats. But, against this stretch, it is the use of the A310 tailplane, cockpit and flight control design, and other features that have contributed much to weight economy. The A310-300—the exten ded range version—takes this marque of Airbus a stage further at the end of 1985. Additional fuel capacity in the tailplane will facilitate centre of gravity manage ment—so reducing cruise trim drag by use of a weight and balance system. Together with wing-tip fences, pylon leading-edge modification and improvements to aerofoil geometry, sealing, and para site drag, this will generally offer a total cruise drag reduc tion of 4 - 5 per cent. Its block fuel per seat concedes only 2 per cent to that of the much greater-capacity improved A300-600 over a 1,000 n.m. stage, when fitted with the 1987 P&W 4050 and 4156 engines respectively. The A310-300 weight reduction programme will exceed its 1,200kg target, and the MTOW will be 150 tonnes—an 8 tonne increase on the top weight option of the -200 series. Carbon brakes \ and radial tyres will be fitted. At entry into service with Swissair in November 1985 the IFR range with a 218 passenger load will be 4,600 n.m.—and only 200 n.m. less with a full 265 passenger load. FLIGHT International, 5 January 198i
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