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N U M B E R 2 4 M A Y 1 9 9 9

24

Cover / backcover/p 33 NEW 4/05/99 18:49 Page 2

This issue of FAST has been printed on paperproduced without using chlorine, to reduce wasteand help conserve natural resources.Every little helps’.

Support of leased Airbus aircraftHans Krauss

Supporting Airbus converted freightersGerard Rhemrev

Inflatable shelter for aircraft enginemaintenanceMichel Leonhardt

The Iron BirdCaptain Chris Krahe

Customer Services conferences

Fog in the cabinJed Traynor

Airplane upset recovery A test pilot's point of viewCaptain William Wainwright

Getting the aircraft out on time Managing uncertainties in materielplanningBrian Wood

A test pilot's view point - Part 2

Resident Customer Support representation

Articles in previous issues

2

7

11

12

15

16

18

24

29

30

32© AIRBUS INDUSTRIE G.I.E. 1999

The articles herein may be reprinted without permission except where copyright source is indicated, but with acknowledgement to

Airbus Industrie. Articles which may be subject to ongoing review musthave their accuracy verified prior to reprint. The statements made herein

do not constitute an offer. They are based on the assumptions shownand are expressed in good faith. Where the supporting grounds

for these statements are not shown, the Company will be pleased to explain the basis thereof.

Editor: Denis Dempster, Product MarketingGraphic design: Agnès Lacombe, Customer Services Marketing

Telephone: +33 (0)5 61 93 39 29E-mail: fast.digest@airbus.fr

Telex: AIRBU 530526FTelefax: +33 (0)5 61 93 27 67

Photo-engraving: Passion GraphicPrinter: Escourbiac

FAST may be read on Internet http://www.airbus.com

FAST / NUMBER 24

M A Y 1 9 9 9

A I R B U S T E C H N I C A L D I G E S T

1

FAST / NUMBER 24

he Customer Support ServicesDivision is involved during thefollowing phases in the life ofan aircraft:

● during contract negotiations with thelessor for the sale and purchase of theaircraft, ● from contract signature to entry intoservice of the aircraft, ● operation of the aircraft, ● return and re-delivery of the aircraftto a new operator,● during its storage.

During the first two phases, the lessoraddresses questions to one single focalpoint in Airbus Industrie CustomerSupport - the Customer SupportManager (CSM) dealing with Leasedand Pre-Owned Aircraft. This CSM isbased in the Airbus Industrie headquar-ters and provides assistance to thelessor and lessee until the aircraft ishanded over to the airline. Prior to entryinto service, the account is passed overto the CSM in charge of the airline. Hisrole is to act as the focal point for co-ordination, implementation and moni-toring of all customer support services,and this CSM is based either inToulouse, Beijing or Washington de-pending on the airline’s location.

Resident Customer Support represen-tation can also be provided at the air-line’s main base or any other locationto be mutually agreed. These ResidentCustomer Support Managers (RCSMs)are the airline’s permanent on-site in-terface with the CSM, providing contin-uous support matched to the airline’sneeds. In addition, advice on the techni-cal operation of the aircraft is availablefrom the RCSM at transit stations,where RCSM offices have been estab-lished for other Airbus operators. Incities such as New York, London,Paris, Istanbul, Frankfurt, Madrid, AbuDhabi, Hong Kong, Los Angeles andManchester, “city coverage” has beendeveloped to support several operatorsbased in the same city. In case of need,operators may contact RCSMs at anystation. Their contacts are given onpages 30 and 31.

There are generally four types of op-erators of leased aircraft: ● the start-up airlines, ● an existing airline that is not yetAirbus operator, ● an existing Airbus airline, operatingthe same Airbus type as the one beingleased, ● an existing Airbus airline, operatinga different Airbus type.

The Customer Support Package thatincludes the following items can be tailored to meet the specific needs of either type of airline.

TRAINING

In order to ensure a successful en-try into service and continued op-eration of the aircraft, AirbusIndustrie provides customisedtraining packages for the air-line’s personnel at AirbusIndustrie training centres.Courses are available forFlight and Cabin Crews,and Maintenance andPerformance person-nel. Having customersthroughout the world,Airbus Industrie haslocated three trainingcentres, in Toulouse, Beijingand Miami. Each centre has full-flight simulators available.

The training package consists of:● Flight crew transitioncoursesRegular, adapted orCross Crew Qualifi-cation (CCQ). Theyare a blend of lectures,computer-based train-ing, system trainers,fixed-base and full-flightsimulators combining aca-demic instruction with prac-tical training.● Cabin Crew coursesFamiliarisation with Airbuscabin features● Performance/OperationscoursesThese courses provide flightoperations staff with atraining on Airbus per-formance documenta-tion, systems andcomputation pro-grammes. Thesecourses are designedfor, Flight Dispatchers,Performance Engineers,Weight and Balance Engineers andLoad Masters.● Maintenance coursesThey are a blend of lec-tures, computer-basedtraining, maintenance train-ing simulators and field tripscombining academic instruc-tion with practical training.

Academic instruction, practi-cal and hands-on experience canalso be provided at the airline’sbase or any other airline’s baseequipped with training aids and fa-cilities. In addition to the simulatorsat the Airbus Industrie training cen-tres, simulator capacity for Airbusaircraft is available worldwide. Listsof simulator locations can be provided.

T

FAST / NUMBER 242

By Hans KraussDirector, Customer SupportAirbus Industrie Customer Services

The leasing companies who buy Airbus aircraftgenerally concentrate their efforts on marketing,finance and sales, and have limited in-housetechnical and engineering capabilities. They rely on the aircraft and engine manufacturersto provide the support of the aircraft in service. Within Airbus Industrie’s Customer SupportServices Division, the department “Leased andPre-Owned Aircraft” provides support to leasingcompanies (the lessors) and to the airlinesoperating the aircraft (the lessees).

33

p 1 / 15 1/06/99 9:13 Page 2

MPDTEM/TED

SESAC

MFPVIM

PPMCLS

CMM

AMM TSM CML

AWM FCOM MMELIPC

SRMNTM

WBM SB

SILFM

A/C DELIVERY

FAST / NUMBER 24 5FAST / NUMBER 244

TECHNICAL DATA ANDDOCUMENTATION

The technical publication package thatthe lessor provides to the lessee is de-fined in the lease agreement signed be-tween the lessor and the lessee.

Technical documentation is revisedaccording to set frequencies and it isthe responsibility of the lessee to incor-porate the revisions in the documenta-tion. Airbus can train the lessee on theuse of manuals if necessary.

In the event an aircraft is transferredfrom one lessee to another, AirbusIndustrie wil l customise theOperational manuals - Flight Manual(FM), Flight Crew Operating Manual(FCOM), Check List (CL), MasterMinimum Equipment List (MMEL) -free of charge in the name of thelessee.

Airbus Industrie manages the revi-sion of the documentation and thecustomisation changes. The CustomerOriginated Changes from the lessee,

generally not accepted for operationalmanuals, must have the formal agree-ment of the lessor and must be incorpo-rated in the lessor’s manuals at condi-tions stated in the Airbus CustomerServices Price List.

Upon request of the lessor or thelessee, Airbus Industrie may provide di-rect support to the relevant airworthi-ness authority if the aircraft type is notyet registered in a particular country orif the operator wants authorisation tofly extended twin engine operations.

MATERIEL SUPPORT

Airbus Industrie maintains a worldwidespare parts distribution network withseveral strategically located stores. Theprincipal store is in Hamburg.

In order to respond to the airline’sspecific needs, Airbus Industrie pro-vides recommendations for the pur-chase of Spares, Ground SupportEquipment and Tools. These recom-mendations cover initial provisioning

AC Airplane Characteristics for Airport Planning▲ AMM Aircraft Maintenance Manual

ARM Aircraft Recovery Manual▲ AWL Aircraft Wiring List ▲ AWM Aircraft Wiring Manual▲ ASM Aircraft Schematic Manual

CCC Crash Crew Charts▲ CL Check List, abnormal/emergency

CLS Cargo Loading System ManualCML Consumable Material ListCMM Component Maintenance ManualESP Electrical Standard Practices

▲ FCOM Flight Crew Operating ManualFPRM Fuel Pipe Repair Manual

▲ FM Flight Manual▲ IPC Illustrated Parts Catalog

LRE Radioactive and Hazardous Elements(List of)

LTM Live Stock Transportation ManualMFP Maintenance Facility Planning

MMEL Master Minimum Equipment List MPD Maintenance Planning DocumentNTM Nondestructive Testing Manual

▲ PMDB Production Management Data BasePPM Performance Programs ManualSB Service BulletinSES Support Equipment SummarySIL Service Information Letter

▲ SJC Standard Job CardsSM Standards ManualSRM Structural Repair ManualTED Tool and Equipment DrawingTEM Illustrated Tool and Equipment ManualTLMC Time Limits and Maintenance Checks

▲ TSM Trouble Shooting ManualVIM Vendor Information Manual

▲ WBM Weight and Balance Manual

▲ Airline customized manuals/dataNote : This list is not exhaustive

Hamburg

Beijing

Singapore

Washington

Frankfurt

Typical documentation delivery sequence

(IP) of spare parts and tools, a sparesinvestment forecast (SIF), a fly-awaykit if necessary, information on possiblespares pooling arrangements withAirbus operators, and spares availablefor lease.

Repair time is a key factor in deter-mining the level of spares to be provi-sioned, as spare parts removed fromstock are required to cover the periodthat a failed part is in the repair circuit.Airbus Industrie guarantees that its re-pairs of its proprietary parts will becompleted within a maximum of 15 cal-endar days. This is a guaranteed maxi-mum, not an average. Airbus suppliershave also agreed to reduce their shopprocessing times.

Airbus supplies the right spares in theshortest possible time from its fivespares centres located in Hamburg,Frankfurt, Washington DC, Singaporeand Beijing:● AOG service 24 hours a day, 365days a year● Customised lead-time (CLT). CLT isan approach to just-in-time delivery en-abling Airbus customers to reduce theirinventory of Airbus proprietary parts.Parts ordered under this scheme can beplaced in the hands of an assigned for-warder in a minimum of two hours.

MAINTAINABILITY ANDRELIABILITY

Maintainability and reliability of Airbusaircraft is taken very seriously, not onlyin service, but starting during the de-sign phase of each aircraft. The aim isto incorporate the in-service experiencefrom previous aircraft into the design ofthe new aircraft. All Airbus operatorsprovide operating data to AirbusIndustrie, which is analysed every

month in a meeting chaired by the V.P.Customer Services, and attended by theCustomer Support Directors,Programme Directors and the Directorof Maintenance, Engineering andReliability. Data such as pilot andmaintenance reports, dispatch reliabil-ity, in-flight shut downs, cancellations,flight hours and flight cycles will bediscussed and analysed in order tomake sure that the airline is gettingmaximum benefit from the aircraft.

MAINTENANCEENGINEERING

Airbus can provide customisedMaintenance Programmes (Mainte-nance Review Board Document /Maintenance Planning Document /Maintenance Planning Data Support):● to facilitate the entry into service ofthe aircraft,● optimise maintenance planning,● maximise aircraft availability for rev-enue service,● minimise maintenance costs.

RELIABILITY MONITORINGAND ANALYSIS

The ability to monitor and analyse in-service data is totally dependent on re-ceipt of the data from the operators.Airbus can provide fleet reliability datawith individual airline variations, pi-lot’s reports, operational interruptionsand component and engine perfor-mance. All this to assist the airline toachieve and maintain competitive andeconomical levels of reliability.

Customised programmes can be de-veloped to assist the airline’s technicaldepartment improve aircraft in-servicereliability.

p 1 / 15 1/06/99 9:13 Page 4

CONCLUSION

Airbus Industrie Customer Services Directorate can provide the full range of services needed by lessors and lessees, fromcontract signature, throughout the life of the aircraft. In service it is essential that the airline gets the maximum benefit fromthe aircraft. This requires teamwork and here Airbus can provide the necessary assistance to the lessors and lessees to ensurethat their aircraft meet the high reliability standards necessary for successful airline operation today. n

FAST / NUMBER 24 7FAST / NUMBER 246

MAINTENANCE ANDRELIABILITY

Airbus Industrie can provide qualifiedengineers to evaluate facilities, toolsand equipment for servicing and main-taining the aircraft. Recommendationson changes, if necessary, and assistancein the formulation of the airline’s main-tenance plan, can also be provided.

ENGINEERINGSERVICES

From time to time the airline may re-quire assistance to incorporate ServiceBulletins. The Technical ServicesDivision can assist with the planning ofmaintenance checks, major layoversand repairs. Working parties with stockof tools are available for immediate dis-patch to a repair site. During return andredelivery of an aircraft to the next

lessee, Airbus can provide servicebulletins and associated kits for

aircraft conversions, cover-ing, for example, cabin re-configurations, changes of

units of measurement affectingindicators, placards and docu-

mentation, MTOW changes,modifications required by the

airworthiness authorities andother customization changes re-

quested by the new operator. Thismay require the reduction of an al-

ready short aircraft downtime, andthe creation or validation of ServiceBulletins and manufacture of associ-

ated kits.

BUSINESSMANAGEMENT

The Business Management Division as-sists in developing good relationshipsbetween the lessor, lessee and OriginalEquipment Manufacturers, and ensuresthat suppliers of equipment fitted on theAirbus aircraft provide accurate andhigh quality support.

This department also administerswarranties and contractual commit-ments such as the Standard Warranty,Spare Parts Warranty, Service LifePolicy and Supplier InterfaceCommitment.

SupportingSupportingAirbusAirbusConvertedConvertedFreightersFreighters

expresschannel

By Gerard RhemrevCustomer Support ManagerLeased & Pre-owned Aircraft SupportAirbus Industrie Customer Services

The Airbus wide-body aircraft are gradually becoming the aircraft of choice for conversion intofreighters. Although the conversions are done by two independent companies who provide the supportfor their conversion, Airbus Industrie still provides the full support for the basic aircraft.

p 1 / 15 1/06/99 9:14 Page 6

CONCLUSION

Airbus Industrie Customer Services Directorate can provide the full range of services needed by lessors and lessees, fromcontract signature, throughout the life of the aircraft. In service it is essential that the airline gets the maximum benefit fromthe aircraft. This requires teamwork and here Airbus can provide the necessary assistance to the lessors and lessees to ensurethat their aircraft meet the high reliability standards necessary for successful airline operation today. n

FAST / NUMBER 24 7FAST / NUMBER 246

MAINTENANCE ANDRELIABILITY

Airbus Industrie can provide qualifiedengineers to evaluate facilities, toolsand equipment for servicing and main-taining the aircraft. Recommendationson changes, if necessary, and assistancein the formulation of the airline’s main-tenance plan, can also be provided.

ENGINEERINGSERVICES

From time to time the airline may re-quire assistance to incorporate ServiceBulletins. The Technical ServicesDivision can assist with the planning ofmaintenance checks, major layoversand repairs. Working parties with stockof tools are available for immediate dis-patch to a repair site. During return andredelivery of an aircraft to the next

lessee, Airbus can provide servicebulletins and associated kits for

aircraft conversions, cover-ing, for example, cabin re-configurations, changes of

units of measurement affectingindicators, placards and docu-

mentation, MTOW changes,modifications required by the

airworthiness authorities andother customization changes re-

quested by the new operator. Thismay require the reduction of an al-

ready short aircraft downtime, andthe creation or validation of ServiceBulletins and manufacture of associ-

ated kits.

BUSINESSMANAGEMENT

The Business Management Division as-sists in developing good relationshipsbetween the lessor, lessee and OriginalEquipment Manufacturers, and ensuresthat suppliers of equipment fitted on theAirbus aircraft provide accurate andhigh quality support.

This department also administerswarranties and contractual commit-ments such as the Standard Warranty,Spare Parts Warranty, Service LifePolicy and Supplier InterfaceCommitment.

SupportingSupportingAirbusAirbusConvertedConvertedFreightersFreighters

expresschannel

By Gerard RhemrevCustomer Support ManagerLeased & Pre-owned Aircraft SupportAirbus Industrie Customer Services

The Airbus wide-body aircraft are gradually becoming the aircraft of choice for conversion intofreighters. Although the conversions are done by two independent companies who provide the supportfor their conversion, Airbus Industrie still provides the full support for the basic aircraft.

p 1 / 15 1/06/99 9:14 Page 6

here are different types ofAirbus freighter currently inservice:

● the A300C4, A300F4, A300-600Fand A300-600ST (Super Transporter)which are built and sold by AirbusIndustrie ● the A300B4F which is convertedthrough a Supplemental TypeCertificate (STC) either by, ElbeFlugzeuge Werke (EFW), a subsidiaryof DaimlerChrysler Aerospace, inDresden, Germany, or BritishAerospace Aviation Services (BAeAS)in Bristol, England ● the A310-200F which is an A310-200 converted by EFW (DASA)through STC.

Each conversion centre holds STCsissued by the FAA. The A300B4F,-600F and A310F have the same fuse-lage cross-section, (see figure above),and can carry a wide variety of con-tainers and pallets. This allows excel-lent interlining possibilities with othergenuine wide-bodied aircraft. Over 60are in service and commitments al-ready exist to convert a further 120.

Payloads for these three versionsvary between 39 and 55 tonnes

(86,000lb – 121,000lb). The SuperTransporter, affectionately known

as the “Beluga”, has an enlargedmain deck with a volume of

1400m3 (49,400ft3) and carriesa payload of 47 tonnes

(103,600lb). It is designed to carry out-size loads.

The A300B4-200 is the aircraft thatis attracting the most conversions at

TT

present. Twelve operators already havethem in service and leasing companiesare buying them on speculation for con-version. This has rejuvenated theA300B4 market and particularly theresidual value of the aircraft. The twoconversion centres have slightly differ-ent approaches to the modification butthe end result is the same, the convertedaircraft can carry the same payload.The BAeAS conversion has an electri-cally operated main deck door andstrengthened floor beams. The EFWconversion has a hydraulically operateddoor and new floor beams, similar tothe A300-600F.

The downtime for the conversion isabout 14 weeks but this time variesconsiderably depending on the addi-tional work programmed such as formodifications and D-check.

The A300B4 has an excellent relia-bility record, the fleet average for thelast twelve months being 99%, withflight duration varying between 1.12and 3.5 flight hours. The twelve opera-tors averaged over 99.5% inJanuary 1999.

THE SUPPORT TREE

The A300-600F and A300-600ST(Super Transporter), being sold byAirbus Industrie as new aircraft, receivethe same full support package as forany other purchased Airbus aircraft.This includes all parts associated withthe main deck cargo modification.

Operators of A300s and A310s con-verted to freighters by the STC holdersdo not buy the conversion direct fromAirbus Industrie, however they still re-ceive complete support from Airbus forthe basic aircraft. The support for allparts associated with the main deckfreight conversion, is provided by theSTC holders.

SUPPORT FROM AIRBUS INDUSTRIE

Airbus Industrie provides a full rangeof Customer Services for the basic air-craft throughout its operational life. Toassist the operators obtain and makebest use of the services available,Airbus allocates a Customer Support

Manager (CSM) to themwho will be their point ofcontact in the company.

Airbus has a largeEngineering and TechnicalServices Division whosestaff can be contacted 24hours a day. They provideengineering recommenda-tions including trouble-shooting advice, develop-ment of modifications forproduct improvement, op-tional modification, on-sitetechnical assistance includ-ing trouble-shooting, retrofitand repair.

Spares support is alsoavailable 24 hours a day.

The CSM will monitor theprogress of all queries theoperator sends to Airbus.

The full list of additionalservices available is given inthe Customer ServicesCatalog.

Details of the principalservices are given in the previous arti-cle “Support of Leased AirbusAircraft”. However it should be notedthat, to reduce operating costs, AirbusIndustrie provides a low utilisationmaintenance programme, for aircraftoperating less than 2000 flight hoursper year. This programme was incorpo-rated in Revision 21 to the MaintenancePlanning Document (MPD) whichshould be provided with the aircraft.Also, Airbus Industrie no longer pro-vides training for the A300B4, but tentraining centres in the Americas,Africa, Europe and Asia have simula-tors for flight crew training and canalso provide maintenance training.

To increase payload and revenue,Airbus offers two Service Bulletins (SBA300-00-032 and A300-53-0342) thatallow an increase of Max Zero FuelWeight (MZFW) by two tonnes.SB A300-00-0032 allows the aircraft tobe certificated at the new weight andcalls for the installation of SB A300-53-0342, the structural modification.They are applicable to all A300B4-200s . The STC holders are capable ofadapting these service Bulletins to theaircraft they convert.

FAST / NUMBER 24 9

AAF/AMF

Accepts the full range of existing underfloor cargo containers and pallets Full interlining capability No need for special containers 106 in. forward cargo door

125" system (164" overall)

LD1

LD3 - the most commonly used cargo container Over 160 000 in worldwide use

LD5/10/11/21

LD6

(*) 125"x88" or x96"

Pallet (*)

LD7/LD9

FAST / NUMBER 248

96 in

ches

88 inches 125 inches 96 inches

LD-3 LD-3 LD-7 LD-6

The Airbus wide-body fuselage is ideally suited for freight transport,

... can carry a wide variety of containers and pallets,

Engine transport

CustomerServicesCatalog

1999

AIRBUS INDUSTRIE

The services included in theCatalog are:● Technical Publications

on paper● Customising of Technical

Publications● Maintenance planning

data support● Spares provisioning

documentation● Engineering and technical

assistance● Field service representation.

Core unit88x125" pallet

Fan unit88x125" pallet

... and special loads.

p 1 / 15 1/06/99 9:17 Page 8

CONCLUSION

This new task acquired by the Airbus A300s, as wide-body freighters, has not only increased their residual values but meansthat many operators of old 1960s era, noise limited freighters, now have viable, efficient replacements available. The A300B4savailable can be purchased and converted at a good price and they meet today’s more stringent environmental standards.Operators of these aircraft can expect the same high standard of support that all other Airbus operators now take for granted. A300B4 Converted Freighters are excellent value in today’s freighter market. ■

FAST / NUMBER 2410

To ensure that technical queries fromoperators get a quick and adequate re-sponse, a data-base about the conver-sions has been developed. It summarisesthe conversion and lists the conversions’parts, the operating data for each aircraftby MSN, and all the contact names atthe conversion centres. This ensures thatAirbus Industrie’s engineers can identifyand pass on any query related to the

converted part,to the

S T Cholderwhilst

respondingdirectly to basic

aircraft queries.Airbus Industrie will co-ordinate majorrepairs related to the structure of the

basic aircraft and the conversion, and ithas efficient lines of communicationwith the STC holders.

SUPPORT FROMTHE STC HOLDERS

The STC holders provide matchingsupport for all parts associated with themain deck freight conversion including,for example, supplement documenta-tion.

Technical queries linked to the con-verted part of the aircraft should be ad-dressed to the STC holder. For ques-tions concerning the interface betweenthe converted part and the basic air-craft, the STC holder will liaise withAirbus Industrie to provide the properanswer.

FAST / NUMBER 24 11

INFLATABLE SHELTER FOR

AIRCRAFT ENGINE MAINTENANCE

Practical experience from a Resident Customer Support Representative

P erforming a maintenance action on wide body jet

engines can be a demanding job. This is particularly

true when these tasks have to be performed in the

open air in inclement weather conditions.

Recently a European A330 operator had an urgent

need for a temporary shelter to alleviate the problems

associated with carrying out some engine mainte-

nance tasks in the open. These problems were over-

come when a company from Cork, in Ireland pro-

posed to manufacture an inflatable shelter, able to

cover a complete wing-mounted engine on a wide-

body aircraft. The basic requirement was to have

equipment able to enclose a complete engine, allow-

ing opening of all the cowlings, and permitting an

engine change inside the shelter.

Design criteria were the following:

● Lightweight, to be handled by a maximum of two

people

● Manoeuvrable

● Weatherproof

● Quick assembly / installation by maximum of

three persons in thirty minutes

● Provision should be made for anchorage, either

mechanically or by ballast.

This manufacturer, J.B.Roche (MFG) Ltd., de-

signed an inflatable shelter that could be installed by

two persons in 5 minutes. The shelter is inflated with

the help of a 240 volt / 2000 watt blower. This

blower keeps running for the whole time the shelter

is used. Once the blower is stopped, the shelter can

be collapsed and stowed in 10 minutes.

Removable front and back doors allow engine re-

placement with the shelter in position. It is manufac-

tured from fabric designed to withstand harsh condi-

tions, and is resistant to oil, acids and hydraulic

fluids. As the fabric is made of white and translucent

material, working conditions inside the shelter are

very good. The shelter can also be equipped with

lighting, heating and air-conditioning if required.

The whole package is stowed in a bag 150cm long

and 50cm in diameter and weighs only 110kg. The

blower weighs 20kg. This bag is very easy to trans-

port and store.

This shelter is now used frequently, in winds up to

25kt with no problem. It is not fixed to the ground

mechanically, however it is kept in place by placing

some ballast, such as water containers or sandbags,

on the skirts provided for that purpose.

Only shelters designed for use on wide body twin-

jets are available at present, but the manufacturer is

willing to extend the range, and is ready to design

similar shelters based on the same principle, and able

to protect other aircraft, or parts of aircraft.

Unlike other movable shelters or hangars proposed

in the past, this one has the great advantage of being

very easy to use, and doesn't need foundations on the

ground. A small team can install it very quickly. This

may be ideal for a working party in charge of aircraft

repair or recovery, or unscheduled engine change on

a remote airfield.n

By Michel Leonhardt

Resident Customer

Support Representative

Airbus Industrie

Customer Services

For further information, please contact:

J.B. ROCHE (MFG) Ltd., Unit 11 Centrepoint, Centre Park Road, Cork, Ireland

Phone: +353.21 320 320 - Fax: +353.21 320 323 - e-mail: iannagle@iol.ie

Web: www.jbroche.com

p 1 / 15 1/06/99 9:18 Page 10

FAST / NUMBER 24 13FAST / NUMBER 2412

he first were developedfor the Sud AviationCaravelle which first flewin 1955, followed by thede Havilland Trident, theVC-10, the BAC 1-11

and British Aircraft Corporation(BAC)/Sud Aviation Concorde.

WHAT IS THE IRON BIRD?

The Iron Bird is an engineering toolused to design, integrate, optimise andvalidate vital aircraft systems such as:● Electrical Generation ● Hydraulic Generation ● Flight Control System● Auto Flight System● Warning System (ECAM)● Centralised Fault and MaintenanceSystem.

The Iron Bird is the physical integra-tion of the above systems with each onelaid out representing the geometry ofthe aircraft as far as dimensions of hy-draulic lines (length, diameter, shape)are concerned. They are mounted in aneasy accessible rack with all the com-ponents installed at the same place ason the real aircraft. For space saving,the wings are folded to lie parallel tothe fuselage systems. One can recog-nise the hydraulic jacks of ailerons andspoilers along the wing and all othercomponents such as valves, solenoidsor accumulators, etc.

Aircraft hardware such as IntegratedDrive Generators and/or hydraulicpumps, which would normally be dri-ven by the aircraft’s engines, is drivenby electrical motors, via gear-boxes.The hydraulic actuators are powered bythe respective hydraulic system andmove the “control surfaces”.Superimposed is the electrical system,which physically supplies the aircraftvia the various buses. As in the real air-craft, all the necessary wiring of the in-stalled systems is represented, includ-ing a full installation of the electronicbay with all the plugs, connectors andcomputers in racks. In order to be ableto use the equipment efficiently, thereare three electronic bays installed inparallel; they can be used to makeback-to-back tests with computers con-sisting of different hardware or soft-ware combinations. This obviously al-lows a quicker progress of thedevelopment work of the systems.

Since all aircraft systems are con-trolled from the flight deck, the Iron

The use of Iron Birds has a long history in Europe.

Airbus Industrie has been happyto continue with this tradition.

The electronics bay.Computer installation

The electronics bay.The wiring behindthe computers

The flight deck of the Iron Bird

by Captain Chris KraheEngineering Test PilotAirbus Industrie Customer Services

General view of the Iron Bird

Bird needs a cockpit for its control.Three Fixed Based Simulators (FBS)are used along with a mobile visualsystem which can be connected to ei-ther one. Here again, in order to workefficiently, each FBS can be used ei-ther as an A340 or as an A330, sincethe architecture of the systems is nearlyidentical.

From the flight deck, the Iron Birdcan be flown like the aircraft. Theaerodynamic model and the environ-mental conditions such as air density,air temperature, airspeed, Mach num-ber, etc. are generated in a computer.

T

p 1 / 15 1/06/99 9:19 Page 12

THE 10TH PERFORMANCE AND OPERATIONS CONFERENCE28 September - 2 October 1998 in San Francisco

This Technical Symposium, for the aircraft which successfully launched Airbus Industrie intothe civil aircraft market, attracted more than 200 representatives from 46 airlines, 19 vendors and

Airbus Industrie. The symposium was hosted by Roger LECOMTE, Vice President Engineering and Technical Support,andchaired by Eberhard GEST, Director A300/A310 Programme from the Customer Services Directorate.

Four of the 25 formal presentations were dedicated to the ageing aircraft part of a fleet which has now accumulated almost20 million flight hours and more than 10 million take-offs. The high time A300B4s have logged more than 53,000 flight-hoursand more than 36,000 flight-cycles.

During the traditional award ceremony, Roger LECOMTE (fourth from left) and Eberhard GEST(first from right) presented awards to (from left to right):Highest Utilisation A300-600: • Mr Abdel AL-RHEDA, General Manager

Engineering, EmiratesHighest Utilisation A300: • Markus HAKALA, Manager A300 Project

Engineering, FinnairOperational Excellence A310: • Wolfgang KURTH , Managing Director,

Hapag-Lloyd Flugdienst• Wolfgang FIEGLMÜLLER, Production Manager

A310/A330/A340 Fleet, Austrian Airlines

FAST / NUMBER 24 15

WHAT IS THE IRON BIRDUSED FOR?

In the early stages of the developmentphase of an aircraft, more than one yearprior to the first flight, the Iron Bird isin place and has accumulated thousandsof development “flight-hours”. Flighttest crews use it to adapt to the newsystems and to plan the flight test pro-

gramme. It is the perfect tool to opti-mise the characteristics of all the com-ponents of the systems which are repre-sented as they “play together” or evento discover an incompatibility or anom-aly that may require a change duringthe very early stages. The effects andthe treatment of failures introduced inthe systems can be studied in full detailand recorded. Like this the normal, ab-normal and emergency procedures,with the relevant checklists or ECAMprocedures, are developed.

Electrical switching with variable in-terruptions and times are studied to as-sess their impact on the computers orother components. Extensive testing ofcomponents, computers, wiring and thewhole system assembly is done to de-termine the effects of electro-magneticinterference (EMI). The Iron Bird ren-ders the new aircraft a maturity thatwithout such a tool could only beachieved “the hard way”, i.e. verycostly and less safe with the real air-craft during its initial flight test period.

In the final stages of the preparationfor the first flight of the prototype air-craft, the various hardware and soft-ware of the computers are tested andvalidated on the Iron Bird before theyare “loaded” on the aircraft systems, in-cluding the control laws of the electri-cal flight control system. Any changesor fine-tuning during the developmentphase of the new aircraft type is firstdeveloped, tested and validated on thisvaluable tool.

After certification and when the air-craft is in revenue service, the Iron Birdis used for further development of theaircraft systems as well as a test benchto trace anomalies that may show upwith components or systems.

The Iron Birds of all the Airbus typesstarting with the “classic” A300B2/B4,then A310 to the A319/A320/A321 andA330/A340 are still operational. Theyare used from time to time to replay ascenario with the real hard and soft-ware, in order to understand in depthwhat happened in special scenarios orto try new developments and enhance-ments before they are introduced as amodification on the aircraft type. Onesuch development is the study of elec-tro-hydraulic actuators (EHA) whichcould lead to an all-electric aircraft.They have already been tested on theIron Bird and in flight.

The team of engineers and pilots whohave worked many years with the Ironbirds have a rich backlog of experiencewhich represents real wealth whenmaking technology work for the benefitof safety, efficiency and comfort, in theAirbus products. n

FAST / NUMBER 2414

The Iron Bird’s rudderand stabiliser

Electrical generation A300/A310/A300-600TECHNICAL SYMPOSIUM30 November - 5 December 1998 in Bangkok

One hundred and seventy three flight operations representatives from 81 airlines and 21 delegates from vendors and otherorganisations attended this conference. It was hosted by Captain Pierre BAUD, VP Training & Flight Operations Support andchaired by Christian MONTEIL, Deputy VP Training & Flight Operations Support. This 10th conference being a milestone,awards were presented to the 15 airlines which operated the Airbus when the first conference was organised in 1980 in KualaLumpur and which are still Airbus operators (in the photo above from left to right):

• Capt. Su Nam LEE - Korean Air, • Capt. Ron NAGAR - Indian Airlines, • Capt. Jacques GROS - Air France, • Capt. Ahmed MOUNIB - Egyptair, • Capt. Ingo TEGTMEYER - Lufthansa, • Capt. Pierre BAUD - Airbus Industrie, • Capt. Eckhard FEDERHEN - Hapag Lloyd,

• Christian MONTEIL - Airbus Industrie, • Capt. Saleem ANWAR - Pakistan International Airlines, • Capt. Tuantong POOKBOONCHERD - Thai Airways, • Capt. Grant MCALPINE - South African Airways, • Mr Zulkifli AHMAD - Malaysian Airlines System, • Capt Danilo INNOCENTI - Alitalia

The other recipients were Iran Air, Japan Air System, Olympic Airways and Philipine Airlines.At that time, only the A300B2/B4 was flying. Today 165 airlines operate seven Airbus aircraft types.

p 1 / 15 1/06/99 9:20 Page 14

Under such conditions the air at the level of the distribution outlets, althoughcold, would be unsaturated and as such not the source of the visible water vapour.As this air exits the distribution ducting it would be travelling with sufficient veloc-ity to create a 'jet pump' effect, drawing ambient cabin air into the airflow. Sincethe cold blown air would be significantly below the dew point* temperature of thecabin air, condensation will immediately form as the two bodies of air mix, thisgiving the appearance of smoke. Such a phenomenon would normally be more ap-parent on the ground with the cabin doors open although it may be evident to alesser extent just after take-off, this being due to the remaining humidity in thecabin and the demand for a slightly lower cabin temperature.

This effect is not however seen systematically, the reason being the variation inconditions that can be encountered. As already stated, it is necessary to have a rela-tively high humidity level within the cabin and low temperature air entering thecabin. Clearly the ambient humidity levels can vary significantly but, even in casesof high outside ambient humidity, the use of air conditioned walkways from thepassenger terminal would tend to minimise internal aircraft humidity levels. Withregard to temperature, when water vapour is seen in the cabin it indicates a highlevel of performance from the air conditioning packs. In the event that this level ofperformance can not be attained, for reasons such as degradation of AuxiliaryPower Unit (APU) bleed pressure or contamination of the heat exchangers in theair-conditioning packs, the air entering the cabin would not be sufficiently belowthe dew point temperature to create the necessary condensation.

In conclusion, the water vapour seen as fog within the cabin is perfectly normal,providing only an indication of the high performance attainable from the air condi-tioning packs. Without such performance the quantity of air required for tempera-ture control would be significantly higher. This in turn would have a negative im-pact on nuisance drafts and noise level and necessitate an increase in the size andweight of the APU and the air conditioning packs.

*Dew point is the temperature at which vapour begins to condense.

FAST / NUMBER 24 17

Despite appearances, the fog in the cabin does not in fact originate from the airdistribution ducts, but is the result of cold air entering a relatively humid cabin. Inorder to explain this phenomenon it is first necessary to understand some of the fea-tures incorporated within the environmental control system of the latest generationof Airbus aircraft (A320/A330/A340). In particular, attention is drawn to the high-pressure water extraction capability of the air conditioning packs. This ensuresmoisture removal from the air before it reaches the turbine of the air cycle machine,thereby preventing build up of ice on the turbine blades at temperatures belowfreezing point (0°C/32°F). This in turn allows the air being discharged from the airconditioning packs to reach much colder temperatures in conditions of high ambi-ent humidity. Consequently, in conditions that would normally lead to a high cool-ing demand, the air entering the cabin will be significantly lower in temperaturethan the cabin air, a feature that is necessary to ensure optimised passenger comfortlevels.

FAST / NUMBER 2416

by Jed TraynorAir Conditioning Engineering ServicesAirbus Industrie Customer Services

From time totime passengers

and flight attendants notice thepresence of water vapour or fog

in the cabin, apparentlydischarging from above the

overhead stowage bins. This isusually encountered on the

ground and at first glance takesa smoke-like form that, for the

unseasoned traveller, cangenerate some concern.

Although it is quickly evidentthat the passengers are onlywitnessing a cloud of water

vapour, questions arefrequently asked, many of

which are answered below.

Cold dry air

Condensation

Moist warm air

Cold dry air

Condensation

Moist warm air

INDIVIDUAL AIROUTLETS

CONDITIONED AIR OUTLETS

p 16 / 32 1/06/99 9:02 Page 16

FAST / NUMBER 24 FAST / NUMBER 24 19

TTTThe idea for a jointindustry working group to produce an AirplaneUpset Recovery Training Aid* was firstproposed by ATA in June 1996. It was inresponse to increasing interest by the NTSB inaircraft loss of control accidents which, togetherwith Controlled Flight Into Terrain, cause alarge proportion of all accidents. They wereputting a lot of pressure on the FAA to producenew regulations covering this subject.The working group was a voluntary industryinitiative to see what could be done within theexisting regulations to improve the situation.

The joint industry team consisted ofrepresentatives of all sides of industry: aircraftmanufacturers, airlines, governmentalauthorities, and pilots’ unions. It was a goodexample of how the entire industry, designers,users, and regulators can co-operate on safetyissues that are common to everyone. It alsomarked a “first” in showing that the “Big 3”aircraft manufacturers could and will worktogether on technical, non-commercial issues.More than 80 persons coming from all aroundthe world, but principally from the USA,participated from time to time.

The end result of two years work is a trainingpackage including a video and a CD-ROM,giving an airplane upset recovery training aid.This package is on free issue to all ourcustomers, to use as they wish. However, all

members of the joint industry group agreed thatthe package is aimed at preventing loss ofcontrol accidents on conventional aircraft. It isnot aimed at protected Fly-by-Wire aircraft.

There is no need for this type of continuationtraining on protected aircraft, although ageneral knowledge of the principles involved isuseful for every pilot.

The content of the package is not the subjectof this article, but there are a few issues ofgeneral interest which I gained from myexperience as a member of the working groupwhich I would like to mention.

T here is no need

for this type of

continuation training on

protected

fly-by-wire aircraft

THE BEGINNING

The issue of upset training was notnew; major airlines around the world,and in particular in the USA, had al-ready produced Upset RecoveryTraining Programmes, or were usingone produced by another company.Amongst the members of the groupwere training pilots from AmericanAirlines, Delta, and United who werealready running such training pro-grammes in their simulators. Since thiswas essentially seen as a training issue.Initially the Flight Test Departments ofthe three main manufacturers were notinvolved. Airbus was represented byLarry Rockliff, Chief Pilot at AirbusTraining Centre in Miami. Right fromthe beginning there was a conflict be-tween the technical advice given by the

manufacturers’ training pilots and thatexpressed by those of the principal air-lines already practising upset training.They naturally considered themselvesto be the experts on this subject, basedon the many hours of training that theyhad already conducted on a large num-ber of pilots in their simulators.

At the beginning of 1997, the FlightTest Departments were asked to comein to support their training pilots. Fromthen on, the chief test pilots of the threemajor manufacturers became membersof the working group. But the conflictover the different opinions on aircrafthandling and recovery techniques con-tinued for a long time until we finallyachieved agreement at the last meetingin January 1998. The reasons for thesedifferences of opinion are the subject ofthis article.

* The Training Aid itself was

the basis of the article entitled

“AERODYNAMIC PRINCIPLES

OF LARGE AIRCRAFT UPSETS”

that appeared as a Special Edition

of FAST in June 1998.

18

AAAAIIIIRRRRPPPPLLLLAAAANNNNEEEEA test pilotÕs point of view

UUUUPPPPSSSSEEEETTTT RRRREEEECCCCOOOOVVVV EEEERRRRYYYYBy Captain William Wainwright

Chief Test PilotAirbus Industrie

p 16 / 32 1/06/99 9:03 Page 18

FAST / NUMBER 24 21FAST / NUMBER 24

D o not confuse an

approach to the stall and

a full stall. An approach

to stall is controlled

flight. An airplane that is

stalled is out of control

and must be recovered.

THE DIFFERENCESOF OPINION

The differences of opinion were mainlyconcentrated in the following areas:● Procedures versus general advice● Ease of training versus failure cases● Stalling● Use of rudder● Use of simulators.

It is worth saying that there wasnever any difference of opinion be-tween the three test pilots on the group.Although we come from different back-grounds and have worked in differentorganisations with different work cul-tures, we always agreed on our techni-cal advice.

PROCEDURESVERSUS

GENERAL ADVICE

The airlines wanted simplified proce-dures which were common to all air-craft in their fleets and which were easyto teach and easily reproducible. This isunderstandable because everyone is in-terested in having a standard product at

the end of his training programme.And this is what they already had

with the Airplane Upset RecoveryTraining that they were already doing.

For the training managers fromAmerican Airlines, Delta, and United,the only thing necessary was to give

an overall industry approval to theirexisting programmes; they al-

ready worked, because themany pilots that had un-

dergone training allcame out of it with

the same stan-dardised reactionsto the standard

upsets. For them, this was thenecessary proof that their

training programme worked.Where we differed was in our convic-

tion that there is no such thing as astandard upset and our reluctance to en-dorse simplified procedures for recov-ery from an upset.

We wanted a general knowledgebased approach, as opposed to a rulebased one. For this, after proposingsome initial actions, we talk about “ad-ditional techniques which may betried”. This obviously is more diffi-cult to teach.

Where we reached a compromise wasin the order of presenting the variousactions that might be considered to re-cover the situation. For us, the order ofpresentation is for guidance only; it rep-resents a series of options that should

be considered and used as appropriateto the situation. It is not meant to repre-sent rigid procedures that must be fol-lowed in an exact sequence. However,the order can be used in training scenar-ios if a procedural approach is neededfor training.

The airline instructors also wantedprocedures which would apply to all theaircraft in their fleets. This meant thatthey were against certain actions, because they were inappropriate on others. For example, the thrust effectsof underwing-mounted engines werebeing ignored, whereas it has a signifi-cant influence on recovery. Again, wereached a compromise by using the fol-lowing words: “ if altitude permits,flight tests have shown that an effectivemethod to get a nose-down pitch rate isto reduce the power on underwing-mounted engines”.

EASE OF TRAININGVERSUS

FAILURE CASES

The training that was already beingdone, considered upsets as being due tomomentary inattention, with a fully ser-viceable aircraft, that was in trim whenit was upset. We wanted to considerother cases that involve aircraft withtemporarily insufficient control author-ity for easy recovery. This of coursecomplicates the situation, because re-covering an aircraft which is in trim,possessing full control authority andnormal control forces, is not the sameas recovering an aircraft with limitedcontrol available or with unusual con-trol forces.

Thus, for us, an aircraft that isout-of-trim, for whatever reason, shouldbe re-trimmed. Whereas the airline in-structors were against the use of trimbecause of concerns over the possibilityof a pilot overtrimming and of trim run-aways which are particularly likely onsome older aircraft types which are stillin their fleets.

We spent a lot of time discussing theuse of elevator trim and we neverreached agreement. All the major USairlines were adamant on their policy torecover first using “primary controls”which excluded any reference to trim-ming.

Again, a compromise was necessary.What we have done is to talk about us-ing trim if a sustained column force isrequired to obtain the desired responsewhilst mentioning that care must beused to avoid using too much trim.And, the use of trim is not mentioned inthe simplified lists of actions to betaken.

R emember, in an upset

situation, if the airplane

is stalled, it is first

necessary to recover from

the stall before initiating

upset recovery

techniques.

I f altitude permits,

flight tests have shown

that an effective method

to get a nose-down pitch

rate is to reduce the

power on underwing

mounted engines.

20

STALLING

Another aspect that was beingignored in the existing training was thestall. By this I mean the difference be-tween being fully stalled and the ap-proach to the stall. In training, youdo an approach to thestall with a recoveryfrom stick shaker, which is often done byapplying full thrust and maintaining ex-isting pitch attitude in order to recoverwith minimum loss of height. Height can-not be maintained if an aircraft is actuallystalled and should be of secondary impor-tance.

Even those pilots who do stalls onairtests, as might be done after a heavymaintenance check, only do them withgentle decelerations, and they recover im-mediately without penetrating very farbeyond the stalling angle of attack. Thereis a world of difference between beingjust before, or even just at, the stall, andgoing dynamically well into it.

When we started our discussions, thetraining being given in the airlines to re-cover from excessive nose-up pitch atti-tudes emphasised rolling rapidly towards90° of bank. This is fun to do, and it wasnot surprising to find that most of the in-structors doing the training wereex-fighter pilots who had spent a lot oftime performing such manoeuvres in an-other life. The training was beingdone in the same way, with an aircraftstarting in trim with a lot of energy andrecovering while it still had some.However, the technique being taughtonly works if the aircraft is not stalled.

We start our briefing on recovery tech-niques with the following caution:

Recovery techniques assume that theairplane is not stalled. If the airplane isstalled, it is imperative to first recoverfrom the stalled condition before initiat-ing the upset recovery technique.

Do not confuse an approach to the stalland a full stall. An approach to stall iscontrolled flight. An airplane that isstalled is out of control and must be re-covered.

A stall is characterised by any, or acombination of the following:● Buffeting, which could be heavy attimes● Lack of pitch authority● Lack of roll control● Inability to arrest descent rate.

To recover from a stall, the angle of at-tack must be reduced below the stallingangle. Apply nose down pitch control andmaintain it until stall recovery. Undercertain conditions with under-wingmounted engines, it may be necessary toreduce thrust to prevent the angle of attack from continuing to increase.

Remember, in an upset sit-uation, if the airplane isstalled, it is first necessary torecover from the stall beforeinitiating upset recovery tech-niques.

This is something that we arewell aware of in testing, but itwas either being totally ignoredor misunderstood. I consider theinclusion of this note to be one ofour most important contributions.

USE OF RUDDER

We also spent a lot of time dis-cussing the use of rudder. The exist-ing training courses all emphasisedusing rudder for roll control at lowspeeds. It is true that the rudder re-mains effective down to very lowspeeds, and fighter pilots areaccustomed to using itfor “scissor”

e v a -sive ma-

noeuvres whenflying not far from

the stall. But large airlin-ers, with all the inertias that they pos-sess, are not like fighter aircraft. Basedon our experience as test pilots we arevery wary of using rudder close to thestall. It is the best way to provoke a lossof control if not used very carefully,particularly with flaps out.

We finally got the training managersto agree to play down the use of rudderin their existing courses. But we do notsay never use the rudder at low speed.We say that, if necessary, the aileroninputs can be assisted by coordinatedrudder in the direction of the desiredroll. However, we also caution that “ex-cessive rudder can cause excessivesideslip, which could lead to departurefrom controlled flight”.

But why did we have so much diffi-culty in convincing the training pilotsthat it is not a good idea to go kickingthe rudder around at low speed?

Their reply was always the same; butit works in the simulator! This leads meon to my last point.

E xcessive rudder

can cause excessive

sideslip, which could lead

to departure from

controlled flight.

p 16 / 32 1/06/99 9:05 Page 20

FAST / NUMBER 24 23FAST / NUMBER 2422

(based on a simplified model of windtunnel data) or for possible asymmetricstalling of the wings. Also, the rangefor one engine inoperative is much lessthan the range for all engines operatingand linear interpolation is assumed be-tween low and high Mach numbers.Wind tunnel data goes further. For ex-ample, a typical data package wouldcover the areas described in table 2.

In fact, this is a perfectly adequatecoverage to conduct all normal trainingneeds. But it is insufficient to evaluaterecovery techniques from loss of con-trol incidents. Whereas, the trainingmanagers were all in the habit ofdemonstrating the handling characteris-tics beyond the stall; often telling their

trainees that the rudder is farmore effective than aileronand induces less drag and has novices! In short, they were devel-oping handling techniques fromsimulators that were outside theirguaranteed domain.

Simulators can be used for upsettraining, but the training should be con-fined to the normal flight envelope. Forexample, training should stop at thestall warning. They are “ virtual” air-craft and they should not be used to de-velop techniques at the edges of theflight envelope. This is work for test pi-lots and flight test engineers using theirknowledge gained from flight testingthe “ real” aircraft.

C oncentrate everyoneÕs

attention on taking

action early enough to

prevent the occurrence of

loss of control.

S imulators should not be

used to develop

techniques at the edges

of the flight envelope.

Table 1Sideslip Angle of attack

SLATS OUT

● All Engines Operating Around neutral Between 0°and 22°Between + 15° and -15° Between 0° and 12°

● One Engine Inoperative Between +8° and -8 Between 5° and 12°

SLATS IN, LOW MACH

● All Engines Operating Around neutral Between 0° and 12°Between +10° and -10° Between 2° and 9°

● One Engine Inoperative Between +8° and -8° Between 2° and 8°

SLATS IN, HIGH MACH

● All Engines Operating Around neutral Between 0° and 5°Between +5° and -5° Between l° and 3°

● One Engine inoperative Between +2° and -2° Between 1° and 3°

Table 2Sideslip Angle of attack

SLATS OUT From +18° to -18° From -5° to 25°SLATS IN, LOW MACH From +18° to -18° From -5° to 12°SLATS IN, HIGH MACH From + 8° to -8° From -2° to 8°

USE OF SIMULATORS

We manufacturers were very concernedover the types of manoeuvres beingflown in simulators and the conclusionsthat were being drawn from them.Simulators, like any computer system,are only as good as the data that goesinto them. That means the data packagethat is given to the simulator manufac-turer. And we test pilots do not deliber-ately lose control of our aircraft just toget data for the simulator. And evenwhen that happens, one isolated inci-dent does not provide much informa-tion because of the very complicatedequations that govern dynamic manoeu-vres involving non-linear aerodynamicsand inertia effects.

The complete data package includes apart that is drawn from actual flighttests, a part that uses wind tunnel data,

and the restwhich is

pure ex-trapolation.

It should be obvi-ous that firm conclusions

about aircraft behaviour can only bedrawn from the parts of the flight enve-lope that are based on hard data. This infact means being not far from the centreof the flight envelope; the part that isused in normal service. It does notcover the edges of the envelope. Ishould also add that most of the dataactually collected in flight is fromquasi-static manoeuvres. Thus, dy-namic manoeuvring is not very wellrepresented. In fact, a typical data pack-age has flight test data for the areas de-scribed in Table 1.

In other words, you have reasonablecover up to quite high sideslips andquite high angles of attack (AOA), butnot at the same time. Furthermore, thematching between aircraft stalling testsand the simulator concentrates mainlyon the longitudinal axis. This meansthat the simulator model is able to cor-rectly reproduce the stalling speeds andthe pitching behaviour, but fidelity isnot ensured for rolling efficiency

CONCLUSION

It may seem that there is a gulf between the world of testing and that of training,but the message that I would like to get over in this article is that we can alllearn from each others’ experiences and that we should not do things in isola-tion. It is all about working together, which is what we all did when we met toprepare and review this training aid, even though we sometimes had some verylively sessions. And there is one word that crops up frequently: compromise.Life is a compromise, and you always have to search for that ideal point be-tween two extremes which Aristotle called “the golden mean”. By finding suit-able compromise solutions, our two worlds of testing and training were able toresolve their differences and develop something that satisfied everyone.

Of course there are also some points about piloting that were raised duringour discussions which I feel should have a larger audience. They are important,but they should be kept in context. On the whole they are related to recovery ofan aircraft which is already out of control, or is about to be. This is an area inwhich the test pilots have some experience which other pilots do not normallyhave, because the aim of training should be to prevent an aircraft getting intosuch a situation. The end result of all the discussions that took place was to con-centrate everyone’s attention on taking action early enough to prevent the oc-currence of loss of control. We put the emphasis on training within the knownflight envelope, and to avoid going into that part which cannot be guaranteedone hundred per-cent and which may have a negative effect.

In conclusion, we must use each other’s competences in the areas where theyare expert. Of course the training programmes must be designed by training pi-lots, but these training programmes must stay in a reasonable flight envelope.And the test pilots are best qualified to define the flight envelope that should beused. That is what we now have with this joint industry training aid, which is avery good example of how we can all work together in everyone’s interest. n

p 16 / 32 1/06/99 9:05 Page 22

he materiel managermust deal with an un-predictable level of un-

scheduled maintenance during an air-craft heavy maintenance visit (HMV),usually requiring the replacement orrepair of thousands of individual spareparts. These can vary from fasteners toLine Replaceable Units (LRUs). Themajority of these parts can not be pre-planned or ordered in advance since theaircraft must first be stripped in order toidentify what spare parts are required.

Additional pressure was on the ma-teriel and maintenance managers ofSabena and SR Technics for the first4C/5 year check of an A330, as such amaintenance event had never been un-dertaken before on that aircraft type.Three challenges were foremost in theirminds: maintenance quality, total cost,and aircraft turnaround time.

SR Technics, the maintenanceprovider, were contracted to performthe checks. Each aircraft was to be re-turned to Sabena where the A330s arein service over 13 flight hours a day onthe airlines’ African and NorthAmerican route network.

SR Technics and Sabena together arecurrently developing A330/A340 totalmaintenance capability for their ownAirbus fleets and third party customers.

The key to success of the checks is toplan the ‘plannable’ and to establishclear communication lines, enabling ef-fective response to the unplannablewhich would arise during the HeavyMaintenance Visits.

At the close of 1998 there were 85A330 aircraft in service with 15 opera-tors with a further 165 outstanding or-ders. Aircraft manufacturer serial num-ber (MSN) 030 (the first A330 toundergo a 4C check) first flew in June1993, entering revenue service with AirInter in March 1994. To date the firstthree A330s that entered commercialservice (currently in service withSabena) are undergoing their first in-depth structural inspections. The firsttook place in October 1998, the secondand third through February and March1999. Sabena undertakes 4C/5 yearchecks of its A330s in accordance withtheir maintenance schedule, developedfrom the Airbus A330 MaintenancePlanning Document (MPD).

THE HEAVYMAINTENANCE VISIT

Commercial jet aircraft undergoingheavy maintenance visits receive in-depth inspections of airframe and sys-tems, requiring removal of cabin interi-ors, furnishings, panels and floors, andexamination of areas with difficult ac-cess. The cost and duration of HMVsvaries greatly, dependent on the workpackage, aircraft type, age and condi-tion

The A330 4C/5 year check coversadditional inspection items, not under-taken at the 15-month C check. Theseinclude:● Systems’ and components’ inspec-tion programme: mainly visual inspec-tions and function tests of air condition-ing, electrical power, equipment /furnishings, fire protection, flight con-trols, hydraulics, undercarriage, pneu-matic systems, doors and wings. ● Zonal inspection programme, whichhas additional visual inspection items inthe airframe, cabin, cargo and passen-ger zones.● Structure programme, which includes5-year airframe inspection items, wheredetailed examination of key structuralareas of the airframe is undertaken. Thepurpose of this programme is to main-tain continuous airworthiness of the air-craft, and control corrosion.● Time controlled items. Most A330rotable components are classified as on-condition. These items are only re-moved as a result of unscheduled main-tenance. The few life-controlled itemsare limited to batteries, fire bottles,evacuation slides and other safetyequipment.

AIRCRAFT MODIFICATIONS

HMVs often represent a rareopportunity for many operators toincorporate service bulletins (SBs) andmodifications into the aircraft, while itis on the ground for sufficient time

Much of the A330s ATA53modification work is attributable to theresults of cumulative fatigue testing,requiring structural inspection orreinforcement around fuselage frames,main landing gear, cabin doors and atthe engine pylon.

FAST / NUMBER 24 25

TBy Brian Wood Senior Analyst, Materiel Support, Airbus Industrie Customer Services

FAST / NUMBER 2424 FAST / NUMBER 2424 FAST / NUMBER 2424

Uncertainty is a common phenomenon in our world: meteorologists use numerical computermodels to forecast the routes of developing hurricanes, traders work with sophisticated softwarewhen making share purchase or sale decisions, to increase the probability of success of theiractions. Materiel planners of aircraft maintenance also use various information tools in orderto predict spare parts requirements. What is common with the above examples, is the need to livewith the limitations of forecasting tools, being flexible and able to respond rapidly to unforeseensituation changes.

... in short, you are forced to play your ‘hand’ well.

Managing uncertainties in materiel planning

p 16 / 32 1/06/99 10:40 Page 24

Service bulletins are raised by AirbusIndustrie and its Vendors to improvethe product, reduce maintenance costs,or correct in-service anomalies. SBs arealso raised at the request of customers,examples being embodied during theSabena HMV include satellite commu-nications telephone system / antenna in-stallation, and IFE system upgrade. Inaddition cabin refurbishment and re-placement of passenger windows wereundertaken in the interest of customersatisfaction.

Modification kit contents vary from

as little as a few washers, clamps andbrackets to airframe modification kitsconsisting of several hundred compo-nents (including standard hardwareitems) made up from several sub-kits.These kits are assembled at the Airbus,Materiel Support Centre and dispatchedin accordance with the operators’ ship-ping instructions or by the most effi-cient route the customer selects.

With the number of SBs and opera-tors' modifications to be carried out onSabena’s A330s, careful co-ordinationbetween parties and logistics planningwas vital, to ensure the arrival of modi-fication kits and spares on time for fit-ting in order to prevent work stoppages.

The majority of service bulletins areembodied on current production air-craft, hence the SB workload affectingoperators of new production aircraft isminimal.

MATERIEL SUPPORT PLANNING FOR

THE HEAVY MAINTENANCE EVENT

Prior to commencement of the firstA330 HMV in October 1998, a seriesof pre-planning meetings took place be-tween materiel representatives ofAirbus Industrie, Sabena and SR Technics.

FAST / NUMBER 24 27FAST / NUMBER 2426

HAM

ZRH

BRU

Technical,commercial,

finance and storesdepartments of

each of the partiesalso played

importantsupporting roles.

AUG

SEPT

● The first meeting tookplace on 21st August andincluded Airbus IndustrieMateriel Supportrepresentatives from thevendor, customer orderdesk, modification kit, andcustomer supportdepartments. Materialrepresentatives fromSR Technics participatedand single points ofcontact between the twoparties were established.Requirements forproprietary parts, servicebulletins, tools andcustomized lead-timeissues were discussed.A consignment stock ofAirbus proprietary parts,positioned at Zurich wasalso considered. However,with the benefit ofexperience both partiesagreed this was not aneffective solution as onlya limited number ofairframe parts consumedduring a heavy checkcould be pre-planned. SR Technics agreed thatAirbus Industrie’s“Customized Lead Time”programme would providesatisfactory support.● A second meeting tookplace in Zurich, 25th August, to introduceAirbus Materielrepresentatives to theSR Technics system,which includedfamiliarisation with thedepartments andprocesses. ● A third and finalplanning meeting tookplace betweenSR Technics, Sabena and Airbus Industrie inBrussels on 17th September. The purpose was tocoordinate applicable SBsfor Sabena, materiel kitplanning lead times,shipping details,locations anddestinations.

Planning of supply ofproprietary parts is limited,even for long in-serviceaircraft types. Airbus researchindicates there is very littlerepetition of spare partsconsumption between similarheavy maintenance checks. ATA 25 Equipment &Furnishings usuallyrepresents the highest partsconsumption category(typically about one third ofthe proprietary parts

consumed, by value) during aHMV. Airbus Industrieproduces a cabin inspectionreport document to assistoperators to determine whichcabin, door and cargocompartment parts should berepaired or replaced. Thereport details which areas canbe inspected prior to theHMV, enabling planning of themajority of ATA 25 partsrequirements.

ATA Chapters

23 25 28 29 52 53 54 57 92 Others

5

10

15

20

25

Percentage of modification kits

About 75% of the SBsselected by Sabena for

incorporation at the firstA330 HMV had a materiel

input (modification kit). These SBs mainly involved

ATA chapters 53 fuselageand ATA 29 hydraulics.

OCT A330 CHECK START

1 2 3 4 5

Number of times same part number required

Percentage of parts required

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

In addition to the planning meetings aspecialist from Airbus MaterielSupport’s vendor department met withSabena and SR Technics to discusstooling requirements for the check.

With the SB list established, theSR Technics maintenance planningteam design a schedule so that SBs canbe incorporated simultaneously with thecheck. Early delivery of kits and spareparts is essential. Unavailability of a kitcould hold up other work items, in theworst case resulting in late delivery ofthe aircraft.

From the third meeting an updated SBtracking list was produced. This summariseddetails of all SBs for embodiment, includingshipping dates, purchase-order numbers, kit numbers, etc.

p 16 / 32 1/06/99 9:07 Page 26

CONCLUSION

Although every effort was made toensure smooth trouble-free comple-tion of the first A330 HMV, difficul-ties arose which could not be fore-seen or pre-planned. However,learning curve benefits and experi-ence reduced man hour consumptionon the second an third checks. In ad-dition, the master maintenance plan-ning schedule was revised to reflectnew targets for task start and comple-tion dates. Further efficiency im-provements in materiel support wererealised with on-site representativesfrom Sabena and Airbus suppliers.

Swissair, Sabena and AustrianAirlines closely cooperated on jointspecification of their own A330 air-craft (a combined fleet of 25 newA330 production aircraft) to achievea standardised aircraft, with only mi-nor differences, limited mainly tocabin interior. As a result A330maintenance and materiel support issimplified, with each partner sharingfacilities and developing centres ofexcellence on component repair. n

Job-cards for the maintenance checkwere produced from Airbus Industriedocumentation on CD -ROM (modifiedin line with Sabena’s maintenanceschedule) by SR Technics’ ownInformation Technology system.

Prior to the HMV check, on arrival atZurich the aircraft underwent a pre-acceptance check. A general aircraft in-spection and wet fuel leak check wereperformed in order to ensure that theaircraft’s condition was such that themaintenance provider accepted that allwork could be completed within thecontractually agreed time frame.

In support of the first HMV AirbusIndustrie dispatched an on-site materielsupport representative to Zurich, fromthe Materiel Support Centre. His rolewas to provide assistance regardingmod-kit and spares availability, locat-ing parts, organising shipping and de-livery, dealing with any unscheduledspares requirements and any otherspares related inquiries SR Technicsstaff may have had.

During the last week and criticalstages of the check the Customer OrderDesk will give priority status to re-ceived orders, providing status reportson orders via direct contact with thecustomer. Support from kit manufactur-ers and Airbus suppliers, to completerevised kits and produce and deliverthese kits on time, is also crucial.

FAST / NUMBER 24

maxminPercentage of proprietary parts consumption

21 25 27 29 32 52 53 54 57 Others

ATA Chapters

10

20

30

40

50

Shown is an example ofannual proprietary partsconsumption by ATAchapter based on asample of over 30Airbus aircraft. Thechart shows themaximum and minimumpercentage contributionby part number of eachATA chapter over aseven year consumptionperiod.

The wide variationbetween the maximumand minimum is partiallydue to unscheduledmaintenancerequirements andunderlines the difficultyof planning.

28 FAST / NUMBER 24 29FAST / NUMBER 2429 FAST / NUMBER 2429 FAST / NUMBER 24 29

p 16 / 32 1/06/99 9:08 Page 28

FAST / NUMBER 2430 FAST / NUMBER 24 31

LOCATION COUNTRY TELEPHONE TELEFAXABU DHABI United Arab Emirates 971 (2) 706 7702 971 (2) 757 097 AMMAN Jordan 962 (6) 445 1284 962 (6) 445 1195ATHENS Greece 30 (1) 981 8581 30 (1) 983 2479 BANGKOK Thailand 66 (2) 531 0076 66 (2) 531 1940BEIJING Peoples Rep. of China 86 (10) 6457 2688 86 (10) 6457 0503BEIRUT Lebanon 961 (1) 601 300 961 (1) 601 200BERLIN Germany 49 (30) 887 55 245 49 (30) 887 55 248BOGOTA Columbia 57 (1) 414 8095/96 57 (1) 414 8094 BRUSSELS Belgium 32 (2) 723 4824/25/26 32 (2) 723 4823BUENOS AIRES Argentina 54 (1) 480 9408 54 (1) 480 9408 CAIRO Egypt 20 (2) 418 3687 20 (2) 418 3707CARACAS Venezuela 58 (3) 155 2210 58 (3) 155 2210CHARLOTTE USA (North Carolina) 1 (704) 359 8507 1 (704) 359 8573 CHENGDU Peoples Rep. of China 86 (28) 570 3851 86 (28) 521 6511CHICAGO USA (Illinois) 1 (773) 601 4602 1 (773) 601 2406COLOMBO Sri Lanka 94 73 2197 / 2199 94 (1) 253 893 DAKAR Senegal 221 8201 615 221 8201 148 DHAKA Bangladesh 880 (2) 896129 880 (2) 896130DAMASCUS Syria 963 (11) 224 9325 963 (11) 224 9162 DELHI India 91 (11) 565 2033 91 (11) 565 2541DERBY England 44 (1332) 852 898 44 (1332) 852 967 DETROIT USA (Michigan) 1 (734) 247 5090 1 (734) 247 5087DUBAI United Arab Emirates 971 (4) 2085 630/31/32 971 (4) 244806 DUBLIN Ireland 353 (1) 705 2294 353 (1) 705 3803 DULUTH USA (Minnesota) 1 (218) 733 5077 1 (218) 733 5082DUSSELDORF Germany 49 (211) 9418 687 49 (211) 9418 035FRANKFURT Germany 49 (69) 696 3947 49 (69) 696 4699FUZHOU Peoples Rep. of China 86 (591) 801 4401 86 (591) 801 3851GUANGZHOU Peoples Rep. of China 86 (20) 8612 8813 86 (20) 8612 8809GUATEMALA CITY Guatemala 502 (3) 318 222 502 (3) 317 412GUAYAQUIL Ecuador 593 (9) 744 734 593 (4) 290 432HANGHZOU Peoples Rep. of China 86 (571) 514 5876 86 (571) 514 5916HANOI Vietnam 84 (4) 8731 613 84 (4) 8731 612HELSINKI Finland 358 (9) 818 6047 358 (9) 818 6797HONG KONG Peoples Rep. of China 852 2747 8449 852 2352 5957 INDIANAPOLIS USA (Indiana) 1 (317) 7573119 1 (317) 7573158ISTANBUL Turkey 90 (212) 574 0907 90 (212) 573 5521 JAKARTA Indonesia 62 (21) 550 1993 62 (21) 550 1943 JOHANNESBURG South Africa 27 (11) 978 3193 27 (11) 978 3190 KARACHI Pakistan 92 (21) 457 0604 92 (21) 457 0604 KINGSTON Jamaica 1876 924 8057 1876 924 8154KUALA LUMPUR Malaysia 60 (3) 746 7352 60 (3) 746 2230 KUWAIT Kuwait 965 474 2193 965 434 2567 LANZHOU Peoples Rep. of China 86 (931) 8791050 86 (931) 8969473LARNACA Cyprus 357 (4) 643 181 357 (4) 643 185 LISBON Portugal 351 (1) 840 7032 351 (1) 847 4444 LONDON (LHR) England 44 (181) 751 5431 44 (181) 751 2844 LUTON England 44 (1582) 39 8706 44 (1582) 70 6173 MACAO Macao 853 898 4023 853 898 4024MADRID Spain 34 (1) 329 1447 34 (1) 329 0708 MANCHESTER England 44 (161) 489 3155 44 (161) 489 3240MANILA Philippines 63 (2) 831 5444 63 (2) 831 0834 MAURITIUS Mauritius 230 637 8542 230 637 3882MEDELIN Columbia 57 (4) 5361027 57 (4) 5361024MELBOURNE Australia 61 (3) 9338 2038 61 (3) 9338 0281 MEMPHIS USA (Tennessee) 1 (901) 224 4842 1 (901) 224 5018 MEXICO CITY Mexico 52 (5) 784 3874 52 (5) 785 5195 MIAMI USA (Florida) 1 (305) 871 1441 1 (305) 871 2322 MINNEAPOLIS USA (Minnesota) 1 (612) 726 0431 1 (612) 726 0414

RESIDENT CUSTOMERSUPPORT REPRESENTATIONUSA / CANADA

Thierry van der Heyden, Vice President Customer ServicesTelephone: +1 .703. 834 3484 / Telefax:+1 .703. 834 3464

CHINAEmmanuel Peraud, Director Customer ServicesTelephone: +86 .10. 6456 7720 / Telefax: +86 .10. 6456 76942 /3 /4

REST OF THE WORLDMohamed El-Borai, Vice President Customer Support Services DivisionTelephone: +33 (0) 5 61 93 35 04 / Telefax:+33 (0) 5 61 93 41 01

GENERAL ADMINISTRATIONPhilippe Bordes, Director of Resident Customer Representation Administration Telephone: +33 (0) 5 61 93 31 02 / Telefax:+33 (0) 5 61 93 49 64

LOCATION COUNTRY TELEPHONE TELEFAXMONTREAL Canada 1 (514) 422 6320 1 (514) 422 6310 MOSCOW Russia 7 (095) 753 8061 7 (095) 753 8006 MUMBAI India 91 (22) 618 3273 91 (22) 611 3691

91 (22) 611 7147 91 (22) 611 7122NAIROBI Kenya 254 (2) 822 763 254 (2) 822 763 NANJING Peoples Rep. of China 86 (25) 248 1030/32 86 (25) 248 1031NEW YORK USA (New York) 1 (718) 656 0700 1 (718) 656 8635 NUREMBERG Germany 49 (911) 365 68219 49 (911) 365 68218PARIS (CDG) France 33 (0)1 48 62 08 82 / 87 33 (0)1 48 62 08 99PARIS (ORY) France 33 (0)1 49 78 02 88 33 (0)1 49 78 01 85PHILADELPHIA USA (Pennsylvania) 1 (610) 362 4096 1 (610) 362 4097PHOENIX USA (Arizona) 1 (602) 693 7445 1 (602) 693 7444 PITTSBURG USA (Pennsylvania) 1 (412) 472 6420 1 (412) 472 1052PUSAN South Korea 82 (51) 971 6977 82 (51) 971 4106 RALEIGH USA (North Carolina) 1 (919) 840 4712 1 (919) 840 4313ROME Italy 39 (6) 6501 0564 39 (6) 652 9077 SAN’A Yemen 967 (1) 344 439 967 (1) 344 439SAN FRANCISCO USA (California) 1 (650) 6344375/76/79 1 (650) 6344378 SAN JOSE Costa Rica 506 4417 223 506 4412 228 SAN SALVADOR El Salvador 503 339 9335 503 339 9323SAO PAULO Brazil 55 (11) 644 54 364 55 (11) 644 54 363SEOUL South Korea 82 (2) 665 4417 82 (2) 664 3219 SHANGHAI Peoples Rep. of China 86 (21) 6268 4122 86 (21) 6268 6671 SHANNON Ireland 353 (1) 705 2084 353 (1) 705 2085 SHENYANG Peoples Rep. of China 86 (24) 8939 2699 86 (24) 2272 5177SHENZHEN Peoples Rep. of China 86 (755) 777 0690 86 (755) 777 0689SINGAPORE Singapore 65 5455 027 65 5425 380TAIPEI Taiwan 886 (2) 25 450 424 886 (2) 25 450 438

886 (3) 38 34 410 886 (3) 38 34 718TAMPA USA (Florida) 1 (813) 396 4758 1 (813) 396 3163TASHKENT Uzbekistan 7 (371) 254 8552 7 (371) 240 7049 TEHRAN Iran 98 (21) 603 5647 98 (21) 603 5647 TOKYO (HND) Japan 81 (3) 5756 5081 81 (3) 5756 5084

81 (3) 5756 8770 81 (3) 5756 8772TORONTO Canada 1 (905) 677 8874 1 (905) 677 1090 TULSA USA (Oklahoma) 1 (918) 292 3227 1 (918) 292 2581 TUNIS Tunisia 216 (1) 750 639 216 (1) 750 855 ULAN BATOR Mongolia 976 (1) 379 930 976 (1) 379 930VANCOUVER Canada 1 (604) 231 6965 1 (604) 231 6917VIENNA Austria 43 (1) 7007 3688 43 (1) 7007 3235 WINNIPEG Canada 1 (204) 985 5908 1 (204) 837 2489 XIAN Peoples Rep. of China 86 (29) 870 7651 86 (29) 870 7255YAKUTSK Russia 7 (411) 242 0165 7 (411) 242 0165YEREVAN Armenia 374 (2) 593 415 374 (2) 151 393ZAGREB Croatia 385 (1) 456 2536 385 (1) 456 2537ZURICH Switzerland 41 (1) 812 7727 41 (1) 810 2383

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FAST / NUMBER 24

A

BC

DE

H32

ARTICLES IN PREVIOUS ISSUES

F

Advanced technology and the pilot 14 Feb. 1993Aerodynamic deterioration. Getting hands-on experience 21 May 1997Ageing - The electrical connection 14 Feb. 1993Ageing - The electrical connection – Part 2 18 June 1995Ageing aircraft. Understanding… 11 Jan. 1991AIDS installed on South African Airways’ Airbus A300 2 1984AIM-FANS wins growing number of orders 22 Mar. 1998Airbus’ air-transportable hangar 15 Sep. 1993Airworthiness Directives. Improving… 15 Sep. 1993Auto-flight architecture and equipment 1 1983A300-600/A310. Digital Avionics workshop - What’s new 9 July 1988

Batteries - Control and maintenance 7 Jan. 1987Braking management 2 1983Braking management. Some additional facts… 1 1984

Cabin air comfort 19 Mar. 1996Cabin air quality. Only the best 20 Dec. 1996Cabin steps for Malaysian Airlines System A300 6 Nov. 1985Carbon brakes 7 Jan. 1987Cargo door warning system. Bulk… 1 1984Cargo loading - Retrofitable semi-automatic system for A300 2 1984 Cathode ray tubes - Their effects on maintenance practices 7 Jan. 1987Central maintenance system on A330/A340 16 Apr. 1994Central maintenance system on A330/A340

Option package to simplify maintenance 21 May 1997Centre of gravity control system on A310-300. Refinement of … 12 Feb. 1991Cold weather tests 9 July 1988Commonality 14 Feb. 1993Composite materials 8 July 1987Computer software in Aircraft 11 Jan. 1991Condensation and smoke warnings. A330/A340 cargo bay 21 May 1997Conferences:

ETOPS 16 Apr. 1994A320/A321 Flight Operations 19 Mar. 19962nd A330/A340 Technical Symposium 20 Dec. 19964th Training symposium 20 Dec. 19964th Materiel Symposium 21 May 1997A320 Family Technical Symposium in SFO 22 Mar. 1998A330/A340 Technical Symposium on KUL 23 Oct. 199810th Operations and Performance Conference 23 Oct. 1998

Containerisation on A320 and A321. Advantages of… 12 Sept. 1991Convertible in action 1 1983Corrosion - A natural phenomenon 2 1983

Dispatch reliability 6 Nov. 1985Part 2 7 Jan. 1987Part 3 8 July 1987

Drag reduction 13 Aug. 1992

EGT margin on A300/CF6-50C2 9 July 1988Electrical wiring installation – Working practices 15 Sep. 1993Engine bleed air system on A300-600 and A310 10 July 1990Environment protection. Combining with windshield rain protection 23 Oct. 1998ETOPS for the A330. Accelerated… 16 April 1994ETOPS conference 16 April 1994

Fatigue testing. A320 full scale… 10 July 1990FFCC retrofit ? 1 1983FFCC retrofit concept 2 1983Fire resistance. Superior… 1 1984Flap system. Developments on the A300 9 July 1988Flight control system 5 May 1985Flight control system. Evolution of hydro-mechanical components in… 10 July 1990

Flora and fauna. Flying… 20 Dec. 1996Fly-by-Wire. Performance analysis of… 9 July 1988Fly-by-wire at a glance. A pilot’s first view 20 Dec. 1996Fuel conservation:

Part 1 - Consequence of aerodynamic deterioration 1 1983Part 2 - Consequence of aerodynamic deterioration 2 1983Part 3 - Ground operations 1 1984Part 4 - Take-off and flight operations 2 1984Part 5 - Descent and landing operations 5 May 1985

Fuel system A330/A340 14 Feb. 1993Fuel system and centre of gravity control A310-300 7 Jan. 1987Fuel tank. Auxiliary… 1 1984Fuel system. Detecting leaks using helium 22 Mar. 1998FQI probes - Reprofiled fuel quantity capacitance probes

for improved A300 FQI accuracy 2 1984FQI system installed on the A300-600 and A310 5 May 1985

Hot. Is your aircraft too… 18 June 1995Hydraulic system - Working practices 13 Aug. 1992Hydraulic system - Preventing leaks 22 Mar. 1998

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33FAST / NUMBER 24

J

LM

NO

P

RS

T

UVW

Ice accretion. Understanding the process of… 16 Apr. 1994IDG servicing on A310 and A300-600. Improved… 8 July 1987Inspection. Infrared thermography for in-service… 18 June 1995Interferences. Electromagnetic 5 May 1985Interferences. Electromagnetic 7 Jan. 1987

JAR-OPS. Implementing with Airbus ops. Documentation 22 Mar. 1998JT9D-7R4. Lower operating costs for the thrust reverser system 11 Jan. 1991JT9D-7R4. Rigging for enhanced durability 8 July 1987

Lateral trimming 6 Nov. 1985Lightening strikes and Airbus fly-by-wire aircraft 22 Mar. 1998Lufthansa A300B4 1 1984

Maintenance. Ten years experience with Air France A300 2 1983Maintenance Planning Data Support 12 Sept. 1991Maintenance programme development 10 July 1990Maintenance and repair - Do you need help? 10 July 1990Material provisioning for heavy maintenance. Are you ready? 11 Jan. 1991Mercury attacks. When… 19 Mar. 1996Mini side stick controller 2 1983Minimum crew cockpit certification 1 1984

New home for Airbus Product Support 16 April 1994

On-line maintenance of A320 electronic systems - A true revolution 8 July 1987Operation in areas contaminated by crude oil smoke 12 Feb. 1991Operations on short runways. A300… 2 1984Operational reliability performance 13 Aug. 1992Operational reliability improvement programme -

Spurious smoke warnings on A300 and A310 10 July 1990Oxygen supply. Planning adequate… 15 Sept. 1993

Paint systems. Maintenance of aircraft… 19 Mar. 1996 Paint scheme. Choosing an external 18 June 1995Performance on wet or contaminated runways 9 July 1988Performance as planned. A340… 19 Mar. 1996Pilot guard systems 19 Mar. 1996Pitch damper improvements 1 1983PW4000 Fadec, improved operational reliability 15 Sept. 1993

Ramp handling. A330/A340… 16 April 1994Regulatory climate. The international… 22 Mar. 1998Rigging for enhanced durability - Ring laser gyro 2 1984Rudder trim control. A310/A300-600… 15 Sept. 1993

Service Bulletin computerisation. Airbus… 13 Aug. 1992Service Bulletin reporting.

Tech. Pubs. which reflect the configuration of your aircraft 23 Oct. 1998Simplified English 7 Jan. 1987Spares costs. The path to lower 23 Oct. 1998Spare parts: Cost benefit management 21 May 1997Spare parts. Frankfurt store – expanding our service 21 May 1997Spare parts. Material provisioning for heavy maintenance.

Are you ready? 11 Jan. 1991Spares Center. Airbus Service Co. Inc. … 12 Sept. 1991Suppliers Conference 12 Sept. 1991Sustained operations in hot weather 6 Nov. 1985Symposium. Materials… 13 Aug. 1992Symposium. A300/A310/A300-600 Technical… 13 Aug. 1992Symposium. A320 Technical… 12 Sept. 1991

TCAS II 12 Sept. 1991Technical publications combined index 18 June 1995Trent - Reliability by design 14 Feb 1993Training. State-of-the-art 19 Mar. 1996Training philosophy for protected aircraft in emergency situations 23 Oct. 1998 Trouble Shooting - The impact of modern data recording

and monitoring systems. Improved... 11 Jan. 1991Turbulence. Flight in severe… 18 June 1995 Tyre servicing with nitrogen 9 July 1988

Upset training. Aerodynamic principles of Large airplane upsets Special June 1998

Vasp. Innovative… 6 Nov. 1985Vibration on A320 Family. Avoiding elevator… 23 Oct. 1998

Weight and balance system 6 Nov. 1985Windshear 6 Nov. 1985Wing of the A310. The modern… 5 May 1985

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