Airbus to drop bombshell

[chris]

I've read that Airbus is planning to replace its mid-range aircraft (A320) with a totally new plane. Reportedly the new one will use most of the improvements realised from recent developments like A380.

Light-weight is one important benefit.

Hard to believe the A320 is so old as it is - but probably more to do with it being cutting edge when it was introduced. The replacement for the bread-and-butter Airbus model won't be arriving soon - reportedly 10-15 years away, and then dependant on the engine manufacturers as well so it seems.

[Frank N. O.]

Why is this a bombshell? The A380 is getting around production so they have nothing more to develop have they? Wait a tick, did they give the go-ahead to the Dreamliner competition, A350 right?

On-topic with simulators, isn't it true that the Airbusses with fly-by-wire doesn't react to controls like a normal plane but more steered by the joystick with the computers moving all controls like needed, and that some actually have made a FS add-on that simulates this?

Btw what do you think of the new Air Canada livery suggestion? Part bare polished metal to get rid of a few hundred pounds of weight to save money? The one I saw looked stunning indeed.

Frank

[chris]

Indeed, the modern Airbus aircraft (anything non A300/A310) have you using a side-stick, and the computer translates what you want to do into reality - though you do still have the pedals on the floor.

It means the pilot can get away with some rather extreme flying without crashing, like flying with extremely high angle-of-attack below the reference speed and even turning in such conditions. In another non fly-by-wire plane you may very well stall and crash doing that.

Now that's not a normal flying procedure for the A320, but it has been demonstrated. They do have other useful features made possible by the fly-by-wire controls, like the plane holding a desired pitch angle for you automatically and so on. As on Concorde, ramming the throttle levers forward to the stops signals to the plane you don't wish to land, and are going around. So it gives maximum power and climbs quickly for you.

I do believe there are a few payware addons for FS that do simulate the unique Airbus control systems.

Concorde SSTSim is half-way between the modern Airbus approach and a more traditional non fly-by-wire plane, as the real aircraft is. (It used analogue fly by wire with mechanical backup).

[Frank N. O.]

Speaking of A320, iFDG just released one, America 3000 livery, very nice looking, animated everything, including special thrust reverses (different than the ones seen on Boeings at least). A quick spin around SF showed it to be very manouvreable.

Frank

[VulcanB2]

Hi,

The Airbus is flown on different parameters as well. Instead of pitching at 3 degrees/sec when you rotate, you pitch at 1.4g (IIRC). It also varies the control surface movement so at a low speed, if you just pull the stick right back, it will pull at 3g (the limit). If you pull straight back at high speed, it will still only pull 3g, and use less control input to do it.

The benefit of the fly-by-wire system on the Airbus is that it is great for terrain avoidance. Regardless of speed, the procedure is pull back to the stall and hold it there. It has one of the greatest angles of climb of any jet. To do the same manouver on your own would usually result in a stall and you'd sink. It automatically winds in full power and will hold the required attitude automatically to maintain the climb at the stall.

The other automatic feature is the gust dampening. If you encounter gusty conditions, instead of correcting manually, you just hold what you want, and it will automatically correct for the gusts, by independently moving control surfaces (e.g. one aileron on its own will move), so you just tell it where you want to be, and it puts you there. :HB: No more fighting the aircraft! Apparently the want to correct is hard to break.

Best regards,
Robin.

[chris]

Is the IFDG A320 available with a proper Airbus panel or interior? I'm going to try it.

[Frank N. O.]

Sadly not, it uses default 2D panel and sounds, although it links to the former Project Airbus for good sounds and panel, I do seem to remember it having rear-3/4 wing-views though (main wings, animated surfaces and engine).

Frank