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Ansett's first A320 was its third to enter service, VH-HYA. HYA is seen here on a pre-delivery flight over southern France, wearing the French test registration F-WWDR. (Airbus)
In Australian Service — Airbus A320
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Airbus A320
The A320 has established an enviable reputation since its arrival in Australia. It will continue to be an important part of the Ansett Australia domestic fleet leading into the next century.
For an aircraft company which did not exist before 1970, Airbus Industrie has made a significant impact on the international aviation arena. Its extremely successful A300, which first flew in 1972, spearheaded the company’s drive for sales competing against the established US aviation giants. The A310 followed later to further extend the product line. The latest A330 and A340 have evolved to complete a varied and formidable product line. The biggest seller in the Airbus family is the midsize A320, an aircraft which has sold in substantial numbers since the launch of the project in March 1984. It was a pacesetter in offering full authority computer-driven fly-by-wire controls, sidestick controls instead of the conventional control column, a cockpit with large screen fully integrated displays and gust load alleviation.
The Airbus A320 stems from designs which were initially mooted and investigated over 20 years ago. These projects were discussed, discarded, designed and refined to arrive at the A320 in use today. A number of European alliances were formed to provide input into several concepts until the definitive A320 evolved some years later.
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