A321, airplane - workhorse

Airbus A321 for technical equipment is an improved copy of its progenitor A320. Released in the mid-90s of the last century, it has a large passenger and cargo capacity. According to the typical layout, it differs little from the founder of the series. If the A320 can carry 150 passengers, then 321 models with the same maintenance costs take on board up to 180 passengers. This is the first of a series of 320, which began to gather not in France (Toulouse). The assembly shop of this model was moved to Hamburg.

Owners, developers, shareholders

For the final stage of the assembly of the aircraft, it was not by chance that Toulouse was chosen. The French government is one of the main shareholders of the holding company, which produces Airbus (air buses). The second major shareholder is Daimler, a German company that assembles Mercedes cars. A small number of shares are owned by Russia and Spain.

Competition

Released in the early 80's version of the founder - A320, became a serious competitor for one of the most popular versions of Boeing - "Boeing 737". This aircraft had an advanced (by the standards) cockpit, a completely redesigned dashboard. In contrast to older versions, most of it was occupied by several CRT tubes. With the advent of the on-board computer in new versions of the A321 (the aircraft) received LCD-screens.

Inspired by the success of the 320 model, French engineers began to develop other versions on its basis. So there were 319, 321, differing respectively reduced or increased load capacity, and a few special modifications 320 - from business versions to military transport. According to its flight and running characteristics, the 321 model competed with 727 Boeing. If we consider the rulers of Boeing, then 747 is a model of another class, so initially 321 had to become a series, not creating competition. But the big role was played by the fact that the airbus was a European airplane. Another reason for the high competition was that the 320 family was the first in the class of "digital" aircraft.

Joystick - airbus feature

In addition to radiant tubes, engines from Daimler, the A320 received one interesting feature inherited by all "children", including the A321. The aircraft does not have a steering wheel in the usual sense. Instead of the helm of the pilots of the sidstiki, in many respects resembling the usual computer joysticks. The first pilot (captain) has a sidstick to his left, the second to the right.

A great similarity with joysticks gives them the fact that these devices do not have direct connection with the planes of rudders, ailerons, etc. Thanks to the new ESDU, all the actions of the pilots are transferred to the on -board computer, which by means of hydraulics itself controls the planes, turns the rudder, flaps, . ESDU was first developed in 1980 specifically for the 320 model. For those years this was quite an innovative solution. ESDU is an electronic control system that, together with the development of the 320 series, has undergone several modifications, and at the moment all aircraft of the family are equipped with various modifications of it.

Family aircraft 320

The family of 320 airbuses, in spite of the general class of use (medium-haul airlines), can be conditionally broken down into several stages. Aircraft A319, being the "younger brother" of version 320, most carriers operate on domestic European flights. The A320 itself repeats in many respects the flights performed by the "younger brother", but having larger dimensions and more seats, it is used for more loaded flights. A321 - the aircraft with the maximum carrying capacity and dimensions, capable of carrying up to 200 passengers on lines of medium and long distances, is the senior model of the family.

At the same time, the type of aircraft A321, like 320 or newer - 319, 318, refers to the design with a narrow fuselage, the basic equipment of which has one pass and three seats on each side. 2 passes and 9 seats in a row are wide-bodied modification.

Unlike the A319, presented by the developers in three trim levels, the A321, released ten years earlier, has long been a simple replacement for the 320-m, more capacious and newer. But after the successful launch of the 319 and 318 models in 2003-2005, 321 aircraft touched the change. One of the modifications of the 319 received additional fuel tanks, which made it possible to overcome distances that exceeded the maximum range of the basic model by one-third. After the successful release of this model, the updated production was created by the Airbus A321-100. 200 model received more powerful engines, additional fuel tanks in the aft and immediately moved into the category of the long-range class.

A characteristic feature of the A321-200, which moved into more new models, were the split wings ends, which allowed to save fuel in the most difficult modes - takeoff and landing.

Opinions of passengers

And what do passengers say about the A321 (airplane)? Feedback in this case is very subjective, because for many companies this model has become a workhorse in the pursuit of miles, places and carrying capacity. There is a relative silence in the front part of the cabin, the most complex parts of the flight have wandered uncharacteristically soft, although in many respects the landing, as, indeed, takes off, depends on the technical condition of the airport. Interestingly, this aircraft, considered a direct competitor to the 727 "American" (manufacturer's opinion), very many compare with 737, while, in addition to some tightness for people of high growth, the other qualities are the same.

Conclusion

Finally, you can see that the A321 - the aircraft, which was originally considered to be a medium-range aircraft, became the number one aircraft for many companies. A321 fly often, and in the parks of many companies they are actively pushing their American rival - "Boeing".