Narrative: Airbus A320 2008-present
Technology Advances
- The A320 family was the first to fully feature a "glass cockpit," rather than the hybrid versions found in the A310 and the Boeing 757 and 767. The only analog instruments were the VOR and brake pressure indicator.
- First fully digital fly-by-wire flight control system in a civil airliner.
- The traditional yoke control column was eliminated, and in its place, side-by-side controllers were installed for pilots to fly the plane by sending computer-generated electrical impulses to motors that drove the flight control surfaces on the wings and tail. The side sticks eliminated more than 400 pounds of control cabling and other hydraulic and mechanical equipment.
- First narrow-body airliner built with a significant amount of the structure made from composite materials.
- One of the quietest aircraft on the market in 1989.
- Wider cabin interior than other single-aisle planes, permitting easier flow through the cabin.
- Used approximately 50 percent less fuel than similarly sized aircraft in the Northwest Airlines fleet.
