Airbus A320 family
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British Midland Airbus A320, wing span 123 ft 3 ins (37.6 metres)
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The Airbus A320 family from the smallest (A318) to the largest (A321)
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The flight deck of the Airbus A320, using digital fly-by-wire for primary flight controls, side-stick controllers in place of the usual control columns, and six large electronic displays.
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The Airbus A320 is a short to medium range commercial passenger aircraft manufactured by Airbus Industrie. It is the best-selling passenger aircraft in the world (at 2003) and was the first airliner with a
fly-by-wire flight control system, where the pilot controls flight surfaces through the use of electronic signals rather than mechanically with pulleys and
hydraulic systems.
History
After the initial success of the A300, Airbus targeted the market segment that was occupied by the 1960s designed Boeing 727. Airbus designed an aircraft with a fuel burn of only around 50% of the 727.
The A320 first flew in 1984 and was commercially launched in 1988. Unlike the earlier Airbus A300, it sold strongly from the outset and has been the fastest-selling airliner in the world for several years.
Technology
The new-technology items introduced include:
- the first fully digital fly-by-wire flight control system in a civil airliner
- the first civil airliner to use sidesticks instead of control columns
- 2-man crew (compared to 3-man crew of the 727)
- fully featured glass cockpit rather than the hybrid versions found in A310, Boeing 757 and Boeing 767
- the first narrowbody airliner with a significant amount of the structure made from composites
- centralized maintenance diagnostics systems allowing the technicians to do diagnostics of aircraft system items from the cockpit
- the first narrowbody airliner with a containerized cargo system
All these features make the A320 family economical airliners to operate.
Variants
The A320 has given rise to a family of aircraft which share a common design but are a little smaller - the Airbus A319 or a lot smaller - the Airbus A318 or a little larger - the Airbus A321. Passenger capacity is between 100 to 220. They compete with the Boeing 737 family and the Boeing 757-200. All have the same pilot type-rating.
Technically, the name "A320" only refers to the original mid-sized aircraft,but it is often informally used to indicate any of the A318/A319/A320/A321 family. All variants are ETOPS rated.
A320 series
The A320 series has two variants i.e. the A320-100 and A320-200. The A320-200 is the definitive version as very few A320-100 were produced. A320-200 features winglets and increased fuel capacity over the A320-100 for increased range, other than that changes were minimal.
Typical range with 150 passengers for the A320-200 is about 2900 nautical mile (5,400 km). It is powered by two CFM International CFM56-5 or IAE V2500 with thrust ratings between 25,5000 to 27,000 pounds (113 kN to 120 kN).
A319 series
This is shortened, minimum change version of the A320. With virtually same fuel capacity as the as A320-200,and fewer passengers, the range with 124 passengers in 2-class configuration extends to 3,900 nautical miles (7200 km), the highest in its class. The A320 and A319 are the most popular variants of the A320 family.
It is powered by the same types of engine as the A320. JAA certification and service entry, with Swissair, took place in April 1996.
A319CJ series
This is the corporate jet version of the A319. It incorporates extra fuel tanks which are installed in the cargo compartment giving a range of 6,500 nautical miles (12,000 km). Upon resale the aircraft can be reconfigured as a standard A319 by removing its extra tanks, thus maximising its resale value.
Seating is up to 39 passengers. DaimlerChrysler are among its users. The A319CJ competes with other corporate jets such as Boeing 737-based BBJ and Bombardier's Global Express. It is powered by the same types of engines as the A320.
A321 series
This is a lengthened, minimum change version of the A320. The wing area is slightly enlarged and the undercarriage is strengthened, with higher thrust variants of both CFM56 and V2500. It is cheaper to operate than a Boeing 757. Type certification was awarded in December 1993 by the JAA.
Typical range with 186 passengers for the A321-100 is about 2,300 nautical miles (4,300 km). It is powered by two CFM International CFM56-5 or IAE V2500 with a thrust rating of 31,000 pounds (138 kN).
The A321-200 has extra fuel capacity bringing the range with 186 passengers up to about 3,000 nautical miles (5,500 km). The A321-200 is powered by two CFM International CFM56-5 or IAE V2500 with a thrust rating of about 33,000 pounds (147 kN).
A318 series
The smallest member of the A320 family is derived by shrinking the A319. Its passenger capacity is 109 in 2-class configuration. It is designed as replacements of early series Boeing 737 and Douglas DC-9. The A318 is available with a variety of different maximum takeoff weights (MTOW) ranging from a 59 tonne, 2,750km/1,500nm basic version to a 68 tonne, 6,000km/3,250nm version. The lower MTOW enables it to operate regional routes economically whilst sacrificing range and the higher MTOW allows it to complement other A320 families on marginal routes. It is powered by 2 CFM International CFM56-5 or Pratt & Whitney PW6000 with thrust range of between 21 600-23 800 pounds thrust. Launch customers Frontier Airlines and Air France took deliveries in 2003.
External links
- details on the Airbus family of aircraft
- History and pictures of the Airbus A319, A320, and A321
- Aircraft-Info.net - Airbus A320