Update – Airbus lndustrie A320

The engine chosen by Ansett to power its new airliner, the 25,000lb CFM56, shares a common core with the General Electric F101 series, which has been specified for the B-18 bomber for the USAF, and the F110 series as used by the F-16, F-15 and F-14 fighters in service with the USAF and the US Navy. This family of engines has accumulated some two-million flight hours and has also been used by the Cammacorp organisation in the United States to re-engine more than a hundred Douglas DC-B’s (producing the Super 70 series) and thus extending the life of this type for some considerable time. It is also being used to re-engine a large number (400+) of the USAF KC-135 tanker fleet to extend their useful life into the 21st century. It was also chosen for the Boeing 737-300, thus Ansett’s 737-300 and A320 fleet will have basically similar engines.

The CFM56-5 offers a fuel burn rate 13% below that of the earlier CFM56-2. More than 8000 cores have already been built and other potential applications for the series include the Airbus TA11, at present on the drawing boards, and various Boeing E-3 and E-6 military derivatives.

It is anticipated that at least two of the new A320’s of the Ansett order will be delivered as freighters and a number may well be managed and operated by Corsair, the Ansett affiliate based in Seattle in the United States. It has even been suggested a couple may operate in the People’s Republic of China.

Corsair is owned by TNT, News Limited and Mr Leslie Hong, who is the company president and who was involved in the sale of four ex-Ansett DC-9’s to the US Navy some time ago. Corsair operates three Boeing 727’s in the United States, one being the former Bloodstock aircraft VH-LAP and it is also expected to operate or lease out a number of the Fokker 50’s that Ansett has on order.

The A320 is an all-new 150 seat short to medium range airliner embodying the latest technology and offering new standards of passenger comfort and unprecedented fuel savings and cargo-carrying capability.

The A320 is able to carry a full passenger load over a distance of 3500km (1900 nautical miles) in the standard version, or 4800km (2600 nautical miles) in its higher take-off weight option version. First flight of the prototype with 25,000lb CFM56-5 engines is due in 1987 while the V2500-powered aircraft will fly a year later. The A320 is to start service in 1988 following certification.

The first entry by Airbus Industrie into the single-aisle market is a major step by the consortium in attempting to offer a family of aircraft to the airline industry to meet all requirements. Although much smaller than the A300 and the A310, it is still designed to carry the LD3 containers under the floor and the fuselage has been designed, if the aircraft is used in the all-cargo configuration, to take mini LD3’s on the main deck. These are LD3’s with less than full height specifically designed for this purpose.

The fuselage is 19cm (7. 5in) wider than that of today’s more commonly used narrow body aircraft permitting wider seats and wider aisle. The Flight deck introduces state-of-the-art avionics including an integrated cockpit with FBW (fly-by-wire) controls, and side-stick controllers (refer photograph of cockpit) and CFRP fin and tailplane.

The side-stick controllers replace the traditional control column, giving the pilots an uninterrupted view of their instruments and, in the A320, a pull-out work table is fitted in front of each pilot. Experience with the A300 and A31O has enabled the manufacturers to use low-bleed air conditioning electrical signalling for improved engine control and monitoring, CRT displays and digital equipment on the flight deck. The wing design is new but is based on research conducted to produce advanced supercritical aerodynamics to reduce fuel burn. Reduced fuel consumption is also due to aerodynamic fine-tuning of the engine compressor, three-dimensional aerodynamic analysis and design of the engine blades, vanes and compressor shroud to minimise air losses and the addition of full authority digital electronic control.

Other advances include the selective use of aluminium-lithium alloys, composite materials, centralised maintenance data recording systems and carbon brakes. In June 1985 major elements for the first A320 began to leave various factories throughout Europe in the consortium’s Super Guppy fleet and final assembly of an engineering prototype commenced in the following months.

As with the A300 and the A310, each Airbus Industrie partner performs a somewhat similar role. On the A320 Aerospatiale in France is responsible for the front fuselage, wing centre section, engine pylons and final assembly of the aircraft. British Aerospace in the United Kingdom is responsible for the wings. MBB in West Germany is responsible for the rear fuselage, fin and fuselage centre section; and CASA in Spain for the tailplane, undercarriage doors and rear fuselage panels.

The history of the A320 dates back to 4 June 1981 when Airbus Industrie announced its intention to launch a new generation airliner. Two days later Air France announced it was signing a preliminary contract for twenty-five aircraft with an option for a further twenty-five. The airliner was initially planned in two variants, a 130 seat model 100 and a 160 seat model 200. These models were known in the early stages as the SA-1 and SA-2 respectively. However, these plans were later abandoned and only one airframe is now to be produced on present plans. The variation in models relates to the fuel capacity, there being a long-range version available in addition to the normal short to medium-range model.

The A320 appears to have been influenced by a requirement circulated some years ago by Delta Airlines in the United States for an aircraft with 150 seats having half the fuel burn of the Boeing 727-100. Length has now been set at 37. 41m (122ft 8%in) with a wing area of 125. 8m2 (1354 sq ft) and an aspect ratio of 9. 45:1. As noted above two different maximum take-off weights are available, the model 100 having wing fuel only whereas the model 200 has additional centre section fuel for increased range.

Airbus Industrie points to five main areas as contributing to reduced costs for the new airliner. These basically are the wide use of composites in the structure to reduce weight and thus save fuel; the advanced stage reached in the development of the high by-pass engines to reduce fuel burn and save on maintenance; digital computers that reduce maintenance and spares; fly-by-wire controls that save weight and reduce maintenance and spares; and the advanced wing design. A considerable amount of the development work on the wing was performed at the British Aerospace wind tunnel at Weybridge in England. With input from the RAE at Farnborough, the aspect ratio was increased from 8 to 9. 4 whilst root thickness chord ratios were increased and new aerofoils were evolved to provide low drag and good buffet performance. A lot of work was also carried out on aerofoil and planform design and thus the A320’s high lift system was developed. This comprises a single but very efficient leading-edge slat along almost the whole span and a single-slotted trailing-edge flap system that is continuous across the span inboard of the ailerons.

Structural design principles used in other Airbus Industrie types have been used in the A320, the objective being a service life of 60,000 one-hour flights without the need for major repair. Extensive corrosion protection is used and the use of composites is estimated to have saved at least 850kg (1,8751b) in weight. Carbon brakes are expected to triple the number of landings per set of brakes. Hydraulic power is provided by three independent systems and the APU, located in the tailcone, is a new Garrett GTCP 36-300 unit. Hot-air anti-icing is provided only for the engine intakes and the wing leading edges outboard of the engine pylons.

The use of side-stick controllers, combined with computerisation of the aircraft’s control functions, gives the cockpit a new look from any commercial aircraft seen in operation today. The flight deck incorporates six identical colour cathode ray tubes, these being 18. 4cm (7. 25in) square. Each pilot is provided with one primary flight display on which is displayed the complete flight parameters and a navigation display, together they make up the electronic flight instrumentation system centred between the two-man crew. The other CRT’s provide engine and warning displays as well as system displays which are part of the electronic centralised aircraft monitoring system that displays information for the crew either for check purposes or, on an advisory basis, should corrective action be required. At the top of the main flight deck panel is the flight control unit which permits the crew to dial in the required heading, speed, altitude and vertical speed.

The Ansett Transport Industries parent companies, Thomas Nationwide Transport and News Corporation, are in the process of building a worldwide aviation operation to support, with knowhow”‘1 and the latest equipment, other operator’s short to medium terry needs. With their large order and options on the A320, we could expect to see some of these aircraft appearing in the colours of other Pacific airlines who approach or are approached by Ansett for operational assistance. Ansett has always been interested in diversifying and extending its area of operations and this could be just such an opportunity.

Ansett A320 Skystars will be configured in a mixed first/ economy class layout for 140 passengers and Ansett expects to take delivery of its first aircraft in mid-1988 and for it to enter service during July that year.

In the range of aircraft being developed in the 150-seat short to medium haul bracket, Airbus Industrie estimates the market to require a total of 4150 aircraft worldwide up to the year 2004. Boeing at present has the 737-300 and McDonnell Douglas the MD-80 however the A320 seems to provide the best possible economic/operational formula available, with a stated 15% better direct operating cost per seat than its competitors’ modernised derivatives of old-generation narrow-body twins over a 930km (500 nautical mile) sector. Future competition will come from Boeing’s “1992” Propfan airliner and future possible derivatives of the McDonnell Douglas MD-80 family.

The advantage in the near future of a completely new design must auger well for the sales success of an aircraft that is sure to become a very important part of the Australian scene in the decade ahead.