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The A320 wing went through several stages of design, finally settling on
33.91 m (111 ft 3 in). It is long and thin, offering better aerodynamic
efficiency because of the higher aspect ratio than the competition, namely
the 737 and MD-80.
After the oil price rises of the 1970s, Airbus needed to minimise the trip fuel
costs of the A320. To that end, it adopted composite primary structures, centre-of-gravity
control using fuel, glass cockpit (EFIS) and a two-crew flight deck.
The end result was that the A320 consumed 50% less fuel than the 727 needed.
According to a study cited by the Stockholm Environmental Institute, the A320 burns 11,608
kilograms (25,591 lb) of jet fuel flying between Los Angeles and New York City, which is about
77.4 kilograms (170.6 lb) per passenger in an A320 with 150 seats.
Fly-by-wire flight control system
The A320 is the world’s first airliner with digital fly-by-wire (FBW) flight control system:
input commands through the side-stick are interpreted by flight control computers and
transmitted to flight control surfaces within the flight envelope protection; in the 1980s
the computer-controlled dynamic system of the Dassault Mirage 2000 fighter cross-
fertilised the Airbus team which tested FBW on an A300.
The A320 retained the dark cockpit where an indicator is off when its system is running
to draw attention on dysfunctions from the A310, the first widebody designed to be
operated without a flight engineer and influenced by Bernard Ziegler, first Airbus CEO
Henri Ziegler's son.
All following Airbuses have similar human/machine interface and systems control
philosophy to facilitate cross-type qualification with minimal training; for Roger Béteille,
former Airbus president, this choice was one of the most difficult he had ever made
Engine
During the A320 development programme, Airbus considered propfan technology,
backed by Lufthansa. At the time unproven, it was essentially a fan placed outside the
engine nacelle, offering speed of a turbofan at turboprops economics; eventually,
Airbus stuck with turbofans.
A irbus A320
May 2017
www.alliance-airways.net
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