To qualify for clearance to fly London City airport’s 5.5º steep approach, Airbus had to prove to the European Aviation Safety Agency that the modified A318 could fly a 7.5º approach, according to Airbus test pilot Peter Chandler. There was a London City runway marked out at Airbus’s Toulouse base, and the aircraft flew 230 approaches during the development and certification of the steep approach system for the aircraft, says Airbus A320 chief engineer Pierre-Henri Brousse.
Pilots of airlines that want to use the A318 to fly into London City will train on the simulator at Airbus’s Toulouse training centre, but Chandler says they will not find it demanding. On the day Chandler commanded the A318’s maiden flight into London City, co-pilot Guy Magrin selected the steep approach button on the overhead panel just before top of descent, priming the control laws for the eventual steep approach. The limited spoiler deployment (see main text) was triggered automatically when the crew selected full approach configuration with gear down. The flare, says Chandler, starts early with the aural alerts, and is carried out at a slightly higher rate than normal.
The first two approaches on that first day were touch-and-goes but, he says, since the runway is so short, they were conducted like rejected landings: the power was selected to full instantly upon touchdown. After the full-stop landing following the third approach, there was no problem manoeuvring the aircraft in the airport’s tight spaces, says Chandler. After completing airport equipment trials on the ramp, the crew flew to Toulouse.
Source: Flight International
