I'd like to clear up some hanging points here. I chided marciovp and Rob21 for not using the proper AI designation for SW that they claimed to be talking about. The replies were
Originally Posted by Rob21
The guy who started this "FW3" thing was the V.P. of safety for Airbus, in the presence of the press and broadcasted nationwide
Originally Posted by marciovp
We did not do it PBL. We just listened from the TAM President and the Representative of Airbus. Now if Airbus says something to Brazilians and something else for the rest of the world, this is not our fault...
Both of these comments are wrong.
The AI rep to whom both are referring, Yannick Malinge, did not mention such SW by any name when he appeared before the CIP on 9th August, 2007. In fact, he said that AI considered whether they needed a supplementary warning about reducing thrust to idle and decided no, for two reasons: (1) they already have one (the "retard" message), and (2) reducing thrust to idle on flare is basic airmanship that one learns on day one of flying. He also backed this decision up by saying that it is necessary to get approval from regulatory authorities for any such modification and that the authorities always ask the question whether the mod is necessary or not; whether there is an "unsafe" condition of the airplane which such a mod would address. And there isn't such a condition which is not already addressed (by the "retard" warning).
The relevant comments by M. Malinge are to be found on pp107-8 of the official transcript, in answer to a question by Deputy Marco Maia, and on p123 in response to a question by Deputy Luciana Genro.
Now, whatever one thinks of that reply, that is what he said (modulo my translation and rephrasing).
For me, one major point follows. Namely, that this mod was not offered in A320-31-1297 Revision 2 on 16 July 2007, because if it had been M. Malinge would have found it necessary to say in his deposition on 9th August that AI had offered it; and instead he said that AI didn't.
I believe this answers to a high level of certainty our question about when this SW mod was first offered: namely, in Revision 3, on 31 August.
My hearty thanks to the late lamented flyingnewbie10, who sent me the official transcript of the session with M. Malinge's deposition.
PBL