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A220 from a pilot's point of view
To give readers deeper insights on Airbus’ newest aircraft from a pilot’s point of view, Noticias Airbus recently interviewed Nicolas Tamestit, an A220 Production Pilot who has been part of the program from its development. Tamestit tells Airbus how the aircraft's development took into account the best interests of operators and passengers alike."
1 - As a pilot, what are the key things you look for in the design of the cockpit and how does the A220 meet those requirements?
“I think the A220 cockpit can be described in two words: spacious and ergonomic.
The A220 is extremely pilot-friendly. In terms of available space and practicability, the cockpit was designed to take into account the human factor, and provide the best workspace possible
When entering the cockpit for example, the first thing you notice is a large space, with five wide interchangeable LCD display units and a minimal amount of switches on the wall and overhead. These displays offer exceptional, unobstructed view, increasing a pilot’s awareness during take-off and landing.
And it’s a paperless cockpit too, with all necessary checklists appearing on the LCDs, for both normal operation and in case of a failure.
2 - What advantages does a ‘clean sheet design' bring from a pilot’s point of view?
“Thanks to a 'clean sheet design' we were able to leverage the best standards from a variety of functions involved throughout the program. This included having pilots work directly with the engineers and human factor specialists towards a “user-centered” design.
The aircraft’s fly-by-wire, control laws, human factor-center design and ergonomics have contributed to make the A220 a game changer.
The fly-by-wire technology means you don’t have cables between the pilot’s stick and the wings and tail. This technology provides control laws, assisting the pilot in taking faster and safer decisions, and prevents some deviations due to the human factor.”
3 - From a pilot’s point of view, what benefits does the A220 bring to the cabin crew?
“What makes the A220 stand out is that it really is an easy-to-handle aircraft. I had the opportunity to take part in the entry into service of the aircraft in 2019, and heard cabin crews rave that they love having their own screen and capabilities to control the cabin.
Via a unit screen at the front of the aircraft, crews can access most of the aircraft’s key features without having to go into the cockpit. Everything was created with the goal of facilitating the crew’s performance throughout the flight.”
4 - From a pilot’s point of view, what benefits does the A220 bring to the passengers?
“The words Safe, Smooth, Quiet and Comfortable best describe a passenger’s A220 experience.
It is important to underscore that the aircraft is programmed through the control laws and autopilot avionics to remain in what we could call a “safe box” and ensure the safest and smoothest ride. This is also made possible by the use of various smart-systems that ensure the plane is constantly self-auditing itself.
Another thing that is really noticeable as soon as you see the aircraft is the large size of the engines and the fans, which tend to be the major contributor of reducing the aircraft noise. For the A220, we worked on improving the passenger’s experience as related to noise-reduction to ensure it is much quieter than previous generation aircraft.
The clean sheet design also allowed us to define optimum cross sections with new standards in terms of height, shoulder and window distance, making it possible for us to introduce really large windows as compared to its equivalent type aircraft. This gives passengers the sensation of being in a really wide cabin with a lot of light.”
For more information contact:
Nicolas Tamestit
A220 Flight Test Pilot