transport
two
turbofan
2 x 26,500 lbs. ea.
93,000 lbs.
170,000 lbs.
53,625 lbs.
148 (typical)
123' 3"
111' 10"
522 mph
560 mph
2,400 fpm
39,000 feet
3,500 miles
2/22/87
1988
Airbus A320 from Aerosquare plans.
The Airbus A320 built from Aerosquare Plans are of Depron and balsa construction. It has a wingspan of 59". Suggested power comes from Mega 16-15-5 motors. Weight is around 4 lbs.
The Airbus A320 is the aircraft that introduced fully digitized "fly by wire" to sub sonic commercial aviation flying. It was deployed in the late 1980's
to compete with popular short and mid range medium size jet aircraft of the time. Initially Airbus was able to obtain sales due to its advanced
technology. The technology resulted in greater fuel economy than competing airliners. However, as other aircraft incorporated similar technologies, this advantage was quickly negated.
Will Stotts wrote us about building his Airbus A320 from Aerosquare:
"I used the Aerosquare plans for building my Airbus A320. However, I chose not to follow the building sequence outlined, as I
have been build rc model airplanes for some 20 years. Its not that I found anything wrong with what was shown, its just that I'm set in my ways.
I like to start with Airbus A320 easiest parts first. For me that is the horizontal and vertical stabilizers, elevators and rudder. They are
made of balsawood and built over the plans. Building them is a great way to get warmed up for this project.
Next comes the Airbus A320 wings. If you are used to building straight wings, building the wings of the Airbus 320 will take just a bit more
attention. Mainly it is important to get the spars sanded to the proper swept back angle of the wing.
I measure, and remeasure. Its important that the engines are properly positioned on the wing so pay
careful attention to where they are to be mounted. I also diverted a bit from the Airbus A320 plans in that I like to cap all of the spars and ribs.
You would think that the balsa wing tip blocks of the Airbus A320 would be an easy step. Seems I always have a bit of trouble getting them shaped exactly right. Go figure!
Okay, got the right side wing built. Now repeat everything and build the other.
With the wings completed, its time to assemble the center section that mates the wings to the fuselage and attaches to the outer wings. This is the ideal place for the Airbus A320 electronics.
I like the set-up shown in the plans for the engine nacelles of the Airbus A320. Using props instead of EDF's keeps everything simple. Yet you don't even see them at a distance.
Now epoxy everything of the Airbus A320 together. I like to use fiberglass cloth soaked with epoxy around the wing joints for extra strength.
For simplicity, I built my Airbus A320 with fixed landing gear. Before building the fuselage you should decide if you are going to use retracts.
The fuselage is probably the most challenging part of the Airbus A320 build. It is composed of halves that are built separately and joined. Getting each half to match the other
completely just takes a little extra time and effort, but is well worth the results when done correctly.
Although the plans show Depron used in the construction of the Airbus A320 fuselage, I prefer balsawood and hardwood. Construction is very
straight forward, just time consuming. After framing and joining the halves, the nose cone is shaped from solid balsa.
The curved Airbus A320 fuselage needs to be covered with light balsawood sheeting. Steaming the balsa will help it better go around the tighter curves.
After construction of the fuselage, its time to put everything together. I like to cover everything rather than painting the
fuselage. All the electronics need to be installed, then the Airbus A320 balanced at its center of gravity and laterally.
With the Airbus A320 ready, it was time to go to the flying field. I checked the radio range, made sure that the controls were working in the proper directions, and taxied to the center, end of the runway.
Using the suggested props and motors, the Airbus A320 has plenty of power. It got off the ground and was quickly at a
comfortable altitude. It only needed a little up elevator and right aileron to be flying straight and true.
The Airbus A320 goes exactly where it is pointed. Cross winds don't seem to bother it. It is more responsive to control inputs
than an airliner should be, but I like that. It is not at all twitchy to fly.
This is an airliner, not a fighter jet, so I limited my flying to touch and goes and looking good around the circuit. If you want a
scale model airplane that gets its share of attention, build the Airbus A320.
I got the Airbus A320 up to three mistakes high in altitude to see how it stalls. I gradually decreased the power while applying up
elevator. Again, I was impressed by its handling. The Airbus A320 just flew slowly with a very nose-up attitude. It is more like a jet
fighter than an airliner. The model finally stopped flying and just lost a bit of altitude and started flying again. Terrific!
The more I flew the Airbus A320, the more I liked it. My confidence grew with each circuit of the model field. Seems I was a
bit over confident. I wanted to do a low, slow pass starting way out from the runway so that my wife could get some good pictures. When I
turned for final, I was quite a way from the end of the runway. Unfortunately, I misjudged the distance from a walnut tree and
flew right into it. I guess the next email from me will be about putting the Airbus A320 back together again.
In my 20 plus years of building, it seems like the better looking an airplane and the more I like it, the better the
chance is that it will not survive very long. That is probably because I tend to fly those airplanes more. However, I have to admit to
being very disappointed that my Airbus A320 met its fate so quickly. Regards - Will Stotts"
Thank you for your build and review of the Airbus A320 Will. We hope you get it back together quickly and are looking forward to hearing from you again soon.
Heinz Ernstberger's Airbus A320.
In addition to the Airbus A320 flight control surfaces being actuated by digital signals rather than conventional mechanics,
the aircraft incorporates a "flight envelope protection system." The system will override pilot control inputs when it senses that flight
parameters are being exceeded which will put the aircraft at risk. This includes such things as minimum and maximum speeds, and aircraft
attitude. Today's commercial pilots have mixed feelings about the type of control system used by the A320. A number
of commercial aircraft incorporate similar technologies. However Airbus A320 aircraft control systems can not be overridden, as with the systems of other aircraft. Some pilots
appreciate that a part of their workload can be eased by the computerized controls of the A320. This is especially true during
adverse conditions such as episodes of extreme turbulence. The automation may make them more capable of concentrating all of their energies on
righting a particular situation. Other pilots feel that they, not computers, should ultimately have total control of the aircraft.
Ernstberger's Airbus A320 before flight.
The two pictures immediately above are of the Airbus A320 built by Heinz Ernstberger from plans by Norbert Rauch. The Airbus A320 is also for sale as a short kit. Its has a wingspan of 84" and
a length of 93". Construction is a foam fuselage, balsa over foam wings, and a fiberglass nose. The Airbus A320 is powered by 90 mm EDF units, but can also be powered by a pair of 5 1/2 lb. thrust turbines. All up weight is about 18 lbs.
Bernard Ziegler, the engineer who helped developed the Airbus A320 control system, envisaged an aircraft that would be virtually crash
proof. However, a look at the safety record of the A320 finds it nearly identical to other aircraft of its class.
Airliners.com Airbus A320.
The cockpit of the Airbus A320 features all glass instrumentation and side stick flight controls. The computerized aircraft system monitors all vital aircraft functions and displays them.
Computerized technology can save aircraft weight by replacing steel cables with electronic computer wires. Aircraft assembly is simplified because the
wires do not need the same attention to detail as does conventional cable rigging. Major aircraft servicing is also simplified because
cables have to be replaced when aircraft parts are removed, but control wires do not.
Fly by wire systems are especially advantageous when used in high performance military aircraft, and supersonic commercial transports.
However, commercial aviation has adopted them at a slower pace than the military.
Airbus A320 showing lighting system.
The two pictures right above are of the Airbus A320 from Airliners.com. Its wingspan is 52" and weight is about 3 lbs. Power comes from a pair of Mega 16/7/4 motors turning Alpha 60/25 EDF units.
The Airbus A320 utilizes a five computer system, each capable of taking over for another should primary systems fail. Failures may be caused by
the accidental cutting of control wires, such as with conventional aircraft. However, such things as high frequency radio transmissions,
solar radiation, or magnetic storms may possibly affect computerized signals to aircraft controls.
E-Flite has a Airbus A320. It has a 55" wingspan. Weight is around 3.25 lbs. Included are a pair of 66 mm fan units. It has excellent flying characteristics and good
looks. There have been a few comments about the relatively high price for a foamy that needs the addition of motors to complete the model.
Airbus A320 creature comforts start with the widest interior room of any aircraft of its class. This enables the accommodation of wider passenger seats. Wider aisles facilitate passenger movement on and off the aircraft. Carts for on board services can more easily navigate the aisles as well.
The galley is about 25 percent larger than on other aircraft of its type. Overhead storage areas for passengers have about a third more capacity while under seat storage capacity has also been increased.
Tian Sheng Airbus A320.
Tian Sheng exports a Airbus A320 as seen in the picture above. It has a 53" wingspan and 60" length. Power is by a pair of 3200 Kv motors turning 56 mm fans. Weight is around 4 lbs.
Billy Patterson emailed us the following review of the Airbus A320 from Tian Sheng.
"I really appreciated that the Airbus A320 arrived well packaged in a smaller box protected by a larger box on the outside.
The Airbus A320 has been described as a smaller version of the four engine jumbo jet produced by the same company. Of course, having
two less motors makes it somewhat easier to put together.
I love the great looks of the Airbus A320. It looks just like the real aircraft when in the air, flying over our field.
A nice touch is that I can take the landing gear off of the Airbus A320 for storage.
The only negative thing I found was that, with the supplied battery, the Airbus A320 balanced a little nose
heavy. That was easily remedied by moving the battery back about 1/2 and inch.
The engines of the Airbus A320 have plenty of power and can get it off of the
runway in a hurry. It climbs at a very high angle and rate of speed. You should not use more than just a bit past half throttle for more realistic flying speeds.
You can loop and roll the Airbus A320. It will even fly inverted with some forward
pressure on the stick. However, that is not the way a real Airbus A320 flies. The weight of the motors hanging from the wing will certainly put a strain on it, and could cause it to break during aerobatics.
I brought the Airbus A320 up three mistakes high to test its stall characteristics. Good thing I did.
Although you have to get it to a pretty low speed before it does stall,
once it stalls it will quickly drop a wing. And, it doesn't always drop the same one. Then it will take centering the controls, getting the speed back up, and full throttle before the Airbus A320 will recover after a pretty large loss of altitude.
With its stall characteristics in mind, I kept up the speed bringing the Airbus A320 in for a landing. Obviously I didn't want it dropping a wing. So long as the speed is sufficient, there are no surprises.
To wrap up this review of the Airbus A320 from Tian Sheng, it makes a good twin engine radio control
airplane for experienced pilots. It will get lots of admiration at the flying field and I am happy with it."
Thank you for writing about your experiences with the Airbus A320 and reviewing it for our readers Billy.
Tardu Oygan emailed his flying experiences with the Airbus A320 by Tian Sheng:
"The Airbus A320 is a really nice flying airplane. The EDF units have a very scale like whine that I like. I have read some comments about a wing dropping if the speed gets too low. Well, my Airbus A320 has a very gentle
straight ahead stall. Also, you have the wingspan and length reversed. Mine has a wingspan of almost 60". I just wanted to set the record straight on that one."
We appreciate your comments Tardu. If anyone else out there has experience with the Tian Sheng Airbus A320, please feel free to add to the conversation. Thank you.
Airbus A320 by qwerty1000.
Pictured directly above is the Airbus A320 built by qwerty1000. It has a 71" wingspan and uses 90 mm EDF units for power.
Airbuzzler is building a Airbus 320. It is from Aerosquare plans, has a 59" wingspan, and will be powered by 2836 kV motors using a
Hobby King 60 amp controller. Metal geared Hobby King servos will be used throughout.
Hobby King, Toysbase Co., Ltd., Chenghai Pengcheng Toy Ind. Co., Ltd., Amax Industrial Group China Co., and Happy Sun Toys all have the Airbus A320.
Its wingspan is 60 1/2" and length is 57". Power comes from brushless motors turning 70 mm fans. Weight is around 4 1/2 lbs.
An Airbus A320 with 155 people on board safely landed on the Hudson River in New York City on January 15, 2009. Both of its engines flamed
out during takeoff after flying into a number of birds. Quick action and clear thinking of its pilot and co pilot are credited for the
successful operation. Analysis of flight data shows that the computerized systems of the aircraft probably did not play a part in
the safe conclusion of the flight. If they had any affect at all it would have been during the last few seconds of the flight, as the aircraft flared just before touchdown.
Acrored posted about his Airbus A320. It is made from 3 mm Depron and has a wingspan of 67" with a length of 74" and a weight of about 3 1/4 lbs. It uses twin GWS 75 mm fans for power. Anyone considering this model would benefit from checking out the post.
In November of 2009 Airbus announced that A320 aircraft would start being produced with large winglets (see first picture above) beginning in
2012. Air New Zealand will be the first airline to receive aircraft with the feature that is expected to increase engine fuel efficiency by about 3 1/2 percent.
A total of over 4,580 Airbus A320 aircraft of all types have been manufactured to date.
Airbus A320
