Airbus A310

AIRBUS A310

The Airbus A310 is a medium- to long-range twin-engined widebody jet airliner. Launched in July 1978, it was the second aircraft to enter production by Airbus Industrie,[Nb 1] the consortium of European aerospace companies which is now owned by EADS. The A310 is a shortened derivative of the A300, the first twin-engined widebody airliner

BACKGROUND

During the development of the original Airbus A300, a range of aircraft size and capacity were studied; the resulting Airbus A300B was one of the smaller options. When the A300B1 prototypes emerged, a number of airlines asked for greater capacity, which resulted in the initial production A300B2 version. As the A300 entered service, it became increasingly apparent that there was also a sizable market for a smaller aircraft; some operators did not have enough traffic to justify the relatively large A300, others wanted more frequency or lower aircraft-mile costs at the expense of higher seat-mile cost, (specifically Swissair and Lufthansa).Airbus reduced the Research & Development costs of a smaller A300 to a minimum, studying several early projects called A300B10MC (Minimum Change). Capacity was reduced to 220 passengers, which was then a desired capacity from many airlines. However, this would result in a small fuselage mated to a comparatively large wing and oversized undercarriage, which would make the aircraft burn unnecessarily more fuel as it carries more weight.

Another problem was the rate of inflation, which in the UK, during 1979–1980, was 35%. This would significantly raise the development costs, and thus the cost of the final product. During the A300's development, Hawker Siddeley Aviation was the subcontractor for the aircraft's wing, after the British government withdrew from the newly formed venture in 1969. HSA subsequently merged with three other companies in 1977, and by then, the British government had indicated its intentions to rejoin the programme. However, British Airways (BA) and Rolls-Royce did not relinquish their will to collaborate with the Americans, and, in BA's case, buy US aircraft. BA wanted to buy 7N7 and 7X7, which would develop into the Boeing 757 and 767, with the latter an intended rival to the upcoming A310, as well as the Boeing 747. The French government started talks in May 1976, saying that an order from BA was a condition for re-admission of the UK into Airbus Industrie as a full partner. As this went on, BAe held talks with Boeing and McDonnell Douglas to see if it (BAe) could participate in future programmes, although the company's chairman, Lord Beswick, publicly stated that the aim was really to collaborate in Europe.At the 1978 Farnborough Air Show, Eric Varley, the British Secretary of State for Industry, announced that BAe wished to rejoin the Airbus Industrie as a full partner from 1 January 1979. This would mean BAe would be allocated 20% shareholding and would play "a full part in the development and manufacturing of the A310".

At the April 1978 Hanover Air Show, Airbus exhibited a model A310. Its wing area, at 219.25 m2 (2,360.0 sq ft) was slightly larger than that studied, at 209 square metres (2,250 sq ft); its fuselage was 12 frames shorter than the A300,[6] accommodating typical passenger loads of 195 in two-class, or 245 in economy.[5] However, during the next 12 months, almost every aspect was further refined. On 9 June 1978, Swissair and Lufthansa developed a joint specification for the aircraft, and within a month, announced that they would place the launch orders. On 15 March, Swissair became the first airline to place a firm order for the type, announcing that it would acquire 10 with a further 10 under option to replace its McDonnell Douglas DC-9 series 30s on its major intra-European routes. Lufthansa quickly placed a $240 million 10-aircraft order. Air France and Iberia shortly followed.

PRODUCTION

The range of the A310 exceeds that of the A300-series with the exception of the A300-600R, which surpasses the A310-200. The A310's greater range has led to the aircraft being used extensively on transatlantic routes. The A300 and A310 introduced the concept of commonality: A300-600 and A310 pilots can qualify for the other aircraft with one day of training.[citation needed]

Sales of the A310 continued and by the time the prototype A310-200 aircraft made its first flight on 3 April 1982, orders and options for 181 aircraft had been placed by 15 airlines worldwide, a somewhat better start than that of the original A300. It was clear that the longer-range series -200 aircraft was the more popular aircraft and Airbus decided in 1979 to stop offering the low gross weight series A310-100 (originally proposed for Lufthansa), none of which were built.

DESIGN

1.The A310 was a development of the A300; the aircraft was initially designated the A300B10. Essentially a "baby" A300, the main differences in the two aircraft are:

2.Shortened fuselage: same cross section, providing capacity of about 200 passengers

3.Redesigned rear fuselage: altered tapering and moving aft of the rear bulkhead created additional capacity (the redesign was also used for the A300-600 and A330/A340 fuselages.)

4.Redesigned wing (reduced span and area), designed by British Aerospace who rejoined the Airbus consortium

5.Smaller horizontal tail surface

6.Later production A310s (from 1985/86) are equipped with wingtip fences to reduce the drag due to lift

7.Modified undercarriage with carbon brakes fitted as standard

8.Common pylons able to support all types of engines offered for the aircraft

9.Increased use of composite materials in both primary and secondary structure

10.Electrically actuated spoilers

11.Integrated drive electrical generators

12.Improved auxiliary power unit

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