Airbus A318

History of the Airbus A318

The French Airbus Group launched the new A320 commercial aircraft family in March 1984, eventually expanding the range with the related A321, A319 and A318 families. The A320 is a major milestone for commercial aircraft, as it is the first aircraft of its kind to use a "fly-by-wire" digital control system with a fighter-style tiller. The A318 itself was developed from the A320 to fulfill the role of short- and medium-haul passenger carrier, and is operated by France (Airbus), Alenia (Italy), China Aviation Industry (China) and Singapore Tech Aerospace (Singapore).

The final product became a 107- to 132-seat twin-engine airliner with a narrow body design ("narrow body", which means a single-aisle seating configuration).

The A318 prototype then underwent the necessary development steps and made its maiden flight on 15 January 2002. After certification in Europe and the United States, production began, and Frontier Airlines in Denver, Colorado, named the A318 as its first customer in 2003. Aircraft deliveries began in July. In the passenger aircraft market, the A318 is a direct competitor to the US Boeing 737-600, Embraer 190/195 and Canada's Bombardier Aerospace CSeries. To date (2012), 77 A318s have been delivered, with another 25 expected to be delivered by the end of 2021 at a price of $65 million each.

Orders are slow but steady compared to competitors.

Demand for the A318 was initially strong, although problems with its rather thirsty Pratt & Whitney engines and the economic and psychological sentiment triggered by the September 11 attack on New York reduced its market appeal, and once interested, many parties Dropped substitutes or cancelled their full order. Nonetheless, the A318 has established itself in the global market, serving customers in Europe, Central America and North America.

The overall design of the A318 is traditional, as is the commercial aircraft. The fuselage is beautifully contoured and streamlined for good aerodynamic efficiency, with a short nose cone at the front and a tapered tail at the rear.

The cockpit is located aft of the nose cone with framed windows for a good view of the surrounding area. The cabin area is located aft of the cockpit, and as you might expect, there are windows in every row of seats.

Entry/exit doors are located between the cockpit and the passenger area, along the sides of the fuselage at the rear of the passenger area. The wing consists of low swept components, each of which manages the various flight control surfaces required, as well as the fuel storage and engine nacelles below. The tail is dominated by high vertical tail and low horizontal tail.

The landing gear consists of a pair of two-wheel main landing gear legs and a two-wheel nose landing gear leg, both of which are retractable. Overall length is 103 feet, wingspan is 112 feet, and overall height is 41 feet (all values ??are rounded up).

Curb weight is 87,000 lbs and maximum takeoff weight is 120,000 lbs.

The A318 is available in four different production forms, the main difference being the engine installation. The A318-111 debuted in 2003 with CFM56-5B8/P series turbofan engines from CFM International (a joint venture of GE Aviation and French SNECMA), while the A318-112 (also in 2003) was fitted with CFM56-5B9/P engines Appear.

Alternatively, the 2007 A318-121 and A318-122 (also 2007) will be equipped with Pratt & Whitney Series PW6122A and PW6124A turbofan engines, respectively. Engines are mounted in pairs on each form, with an engine nacelle under each wing. Each engine produces about 22,000 to 24,000 pounds of thrust, giving the bird a top speed of 537 mph and an acceptable cruising speed of 511 mph.

A fully loaded aircraft requires a runway of 6,000 feet.

The operators of the A318 family are Air France (18), Avianca (10), Avianca Brazil (5), British Airways (2), Frontier Airlines (11), LAN Airlines (10) and TAROM (4) . limited). A related A318 development, the planned upcoming A318 "Elite", is aimed at mid-market players.

Specification

Basic

Production

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Dimensions

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Performance

Performance

Armor

Changes