April 2008, 20 years flying the A 320 at AF

[keskildi]

On april 18th 1988, Air France flew the A320 for the first revenue flight on the CDG DUS TXL DUS CDG route :

the inaugural flight was operated by F-GFKA, captain Michel A. F/O Robert M.

http://img101.imageshack.us/img101/1615/1ervola32018488xq2.jpg

Welcome ceremony at Berlin Tegel (a french military airport at the time, before the fall of the wall)

http://img208.imageshack.us/img208/7112/berlinsd2.jpg
http://img169.imageshack.us/img169/5024/encabinebs3.jpg
http://img526.imageshack.us/img526/6899/robertmichelcm7.jpg
http://img247.imageshack.us/img247/765/fgfkablagnac2hq3.jpg

[keskildi]

during the tests of the first batch of aircraft, some flights were flown by a british Airbus test pilot, Nick Warner : he died later fligth-testing the A330.

http://img523.imageshack.us/img523/3945/fgfkablagnac2ul9.jpg
http://img261.imageshack.us/img261/5757/fgfkablagnacyd9.jpg
http://img180.imageshack.us/img180/7193/nickwarner3vv9.jpg
http://img338.imageshack.us/img338/5913/patrouille4cd3.jpg




http://coppermine.luchtzak.be/albums/userpics/10035/f-wwda.jpg

very short - lived decoration, I'm afraid....

sincere thanks to Michel A., a great pilot, to share his archives with us..

[Chris Scott]

Hi keskildi,

How good of Captain A to share his excellent pictures with us. Wish I had taken some. I cannot remember the date of BA's first A320 revenue flight. Am on holiday, so cannot quote my own at the moment; but in any case I was not on the first; that would probably have been George Hallett, John Duncan, or Martin Hole; the management pilots. We had all been on A320 course 2 at Blagnac, starting 1/1/88; one week behind course 1 (Air France). All the BA pilots were ex-BCAL; BA pilots were hardly aware of our existence. ;)

We also flew with Nick Warner; a fine man. And there was Jimmy Phillips and Dick Steele. Nick is the guy with the beard in one of the photos. We had received our first aeroplane at Gatwick on Ist April, registered G-BUSB; but it had gone straight back to Toulouse to complete some mods. [That was the same day that BA finally took over BCAL's AOC.]

Doesn't the BCAL colour scheme look good? [It was my old airline, BCAL, that ordered our 10 aircraft. They were the only Airbuses that BA had until the late 1990s.] Always thought the BA livery at that time was nice, but a bit dull from a distance. In fact, the BCAL colours were only painted on one side of F-WWDA; I cannot remember whether the other side was Air Inter, or where that aeroplane went later. Perhaps someone can remind us? The Air France livery looks good.

We (BA) started flying G-BUSB from Gatwick's brand-new North Terminal, on a mixture of day schedules and night charters, some time from middle to late April. I'll try to find out the date when I return home, but I expect someone out there can tell us?

[keskildi]

test reg DA seems to be MSN 2, motified later to AF standard 320-211 - aircraft F-GFKQ

http://www.airfleets.net/ficheapp/plane-a320-2.htm

[Lower Hangar]

Great Thread-much appreciated

[Clandestino]

Great photos, Keskildi. Thank you for sharing them with the rest of us.


Cheers, C.

[primreamer]

Chris Scott,
I can recall the introduction of the BA (ex Bcal) A320's but don't remember it being as early as April 88, didn't think they turned up until May of that year. I'm open to correction though, its a long time ago. BA used to send us as engineering cover on several of those night charters you mentioned, flying to places like IBZ, MLA, HER even down to TFS. Its possible our paths crossed during those first months. Incidentally I understand that all the early -100 aircraft, BUSB, BUSC etc have recently gone to the scrapman.

[Speedpig]

I remember meeting G-BUSB on it's arrival at LGW complete with Lord King on board. Cannot remember whether it was 1st April though.:confused:

[Fly380]

Checked my logbook. 27th April 1988. G-BUSB Gatwick - Lille (training). Captain - the late Gordon Corps (airbus test pilot).

[Midland 331]

Amazingly, G-BUSF now "parted out".....

...how time flies!

r

[Chris Scott]

Hi primreamer,

Lord King, as Speedpig says, took delivery of G-BUSB for British Airways. It was on Ist April, or within a couple of days after. He may have travelled to TLS to do it; can’t remember. Pretty sure it was flown over from TLS by George Hallett, our Project & Development pilot. He had overseen the A320 project from the time BCAL ordered them in about 1985/6. Don’t know who else was on the crew.

As I’ve said, “Busbee” had a lot of mods to be completed; so she went back to Blagnac the same day. We had to wait impatiently for 2-3 weeks before her return. You don’t say your trade or location, but presume engineer at LGW, in which case our paths would definitely have crossed if you worked on the line. I remember there was a small but growing core of ex-BCAL and even ‘real’ BA engineers that were as enthusiastic about the aeroplane as we pilots were. The complexities of a new airport terminal and the temperament of some of the computers (NOT the FADECs, ELACs, or FACs, although we had the odd hiccup with a SEC) made for a close relationship with the dispatchers and engineers. The Airbus pilots who were doing our line training were brilliant − relaxed and supportive.

Sad if those 5 Dash-100s are being scrapped, but the 5500-kg shortfall in MTOW was always going to make them un-saleable, I suppose.

Hi Fly380,

Guess you were on the second course? [BA Course 1 did base training at TLS in March.] Lille was convenient and popular for base training, and the food was good? The Mairie was initially keen to receive our business, but eventually the residents’ noise complaints got too vociferous, I believe.

Gordon Corps had also trained some of us on the A310 in 1984. [He once did a trip with our Capt Dave Deadman…] Gordon was probably the most distinguished pilot I ever flew with; sadly dying while climbing a Nepalese mountain to investigate an air accident.

Your base-training detail on 27th April confirms that G-BUSB was already doing schedules out of Gatwick by then. When I eventually return ‘ome from ‘oliday, I’ll check my own logbook; but mine was not the first revenue flight.

[Fly380]

Yes indeed Gordon Corps was a very distinguished pilot. I remember him demonstrating the fly by wire technology in a specially adapted A300 at Farnborough. I also flew with the late Nick Warner. The airbus test pilots seemed to work very hard and never seemed to get a day off as they did sim training as well as test flying and line flying with their customers. I am surprised that the early aircraft are being scrapped already. Didn't George Bush fly in one of them. G-BUSH :} or is that just my imagination? It (and it's variants) has certainly turned out to be a great commercial success.:D

[Chris Scott]

Yes, George Bush (snr.) was on a presidential UK tour circa-1991/2, and was flown in G-BUSH.

G-BUSH, as you know only too well, is a CFM-56 powered Dash-200. The more recent BA types are all IAE-powered. But surely the early 200s are not being scrapped?

I wholeheartedly support your comments about the Airbus test pilots and trainers. They will not be forgotten by their pupils, and are among the unsung heroes of Airbus.

[shinners]

was it the first commercial flight with A320??

[keskildi]

deliveries log book (in french) easy to follow :

C'est AF qui a été la première à recevoir l' A320,IT a été la troisième

production planes

MSN005 F-GFKA livré le 26.03.88 à AF

MSN006 G-BUSB livré le 31.03.88 à British Caledonian /fusion avec BA le 14.04.88.

MSN007 F-GFKB livré le 08.05.88 AF

MSN008 G-BUSC livré le 03.06.88 à BA

MSN010 F-GGEA livré le 17.06.88 à Air Inter

A noter que le MSN009 a été livré le 23.06.88 à AF.

Les 4 avions d'essais ont été répartis comme suit:

test planes

MSN001 Resté chez Airbus
MSN002 livré à AF le 08.02.91 (F-GFKQ)
MSN003 livré à IT le 30.10.89 (F-GGEG)
MSN004 livré à IT le 07.07.89 (F-GGEF)

Tous ces A320 étaient des A320-111.

Premier A320-211:
MSN022 livré à Ansett le 18.11.88 (VH-HYA)

Premier A320-231 (V2500)
MSN028 livré à Cyprus Airways le 19.05.89 (5B-DAT)

[Chris Scott]

Thanks, keskildi, c'était gentil. Unless my memory has failed me, G-BUSB must have had its mods completed for the definitive delivery on 14 April. So w'ell wait for someone to confirm the date of BA's first revenue flight.

Very interesting that MSN002 was converted to -200. I wonder if the centre section had to be strengthened, or was the 68-tonne MTOW of the -100s just a paperwork restriction?

Chris

[Midland 331]

The end...

http://www.airliners.net/photo/Untitled/Airbus-A320-111/1305219

http://www.airliners.net/photo/Untitled/Airbus-A320-111/1307665

r

[keskildi]

the conversion (re-certification) of the aircraft MSN002 from type -100 to -200 is writen in some documents and not confirmed in others

the aircraft (cf Airliners) still flies without winglets.

I'm not 100% positive on this point (even if I wrote it !)