A320 EXPED Deleted?

[Kimon]

As from MSN 5000, EXPED is no longer supplied on new A320 and variants.
This is the case for UL.
It now is an option.
Has anyone seen an A320 w/o EXPED?

[hetfield]

Expedite?


EMERGENCY CANCEL!

Haste makes waste:ok:

[Dan Winterland]

Aah, the overspeed/Alpha prot select button! Been deleted from our fleet since 2005.

[OPEN DES]

I quite like it.. Increased loadfactor to 1.15 as opposed to 1.10 in Open Clb/Des. Less pax comfort but useful at times...

[Clandestino]

Has anyone seen an A320 w/o EXPED?

75% percent of 320s and 100% of 319s I've flown were without EXPED. They were delivered new 1997-2000. I never used it on the 25% of 320s equipped but was rather trained if one needs to rapidly change vertical flightpath then one is far better off flying manually.

[Kimon]

1)Any reason for the deletion?
Some SOPs forbade its use to save training costs?

2) Why was EXPED not carried over on the A330/A340?

Many thanks!

[CONF iture]

Any reason for the deletion?
For the 330 an ALT is in place of that EXPED.
Did they finally figure out it was unnecessary automation ?
BTW What is exactly the process behind that selection ?
Does it automatically cancel any derated CLB ?
Does it select a lower speed ?

[safelife]

Is is basically an open descent or climb with greed dot or Vne as the speed target.
And A320ies don't derate climb, at least I have yet to see one which does.

The fact that this button has the opposite effect in A330/340 is something to stumble over if MFF flying both.
As is the target when pulling the speed knob (current speed on A320, current speed target on A330/340).

[Kimon]

By Super Tom S.

1) EXPED has no exact Boeing equivalent, as far as I can tell. FLCH is closest but that's the normal open climb/descent mode for Boeing, there isn't a separate climb/descent and expedited climb/descent on Boeings.


2) ALT is ALT


3) PUSH TO LEVEL OFF is is "push the ALT" button on a Boeing...I think ALT does the same thing on Airbus.


4) On Boeing, the SRS function doesn't have a name, it's baked into the control laws. On takeoff, the FMA will display THR | TO/GA | TO/GA...the lateral and vertical modes are TO/GA and perform the same essential function as SRS.

[Kimon]

By B.P.

Not having used a derate climb, I can't speak with authority if it will cancel that or not. Otherwise it is basically a speed on elevator selection (like FLCH or OP CLB) but the speed is selected to green dot or VMo (depending on if you are otherwise in open climb or open descent)
I think the pilots wanted the ALT button more than they wanted the EXPED button.

[Winnerhofer]

Is this a retro-deletion of EXPED or original no EXPED?
Freeze @ 14:10
SWISS: Flight in Airbus A320 Cockpit - YouTube

[goeasy]

The EXPED (A320) and ALT (A330/340) are in identical positions on all FCU so a MFF pilot could be confused pressing said button, which has opposite result on either fleet. Therefore AB elected to remove instead as part of MFF approvals.

We have both fitted, and both are forbidden in SOP.

[thermostat]

I'm so happy that it is finally gone. It was a stupid mode that I never used. Then I realized that it did not exist on the 330/340 and hoped they would take it off the 320 which they have now done. Thank you Airbus.

[sierra_mike]

our MSNs >5000 still have the expedite mode

[Jetdriver_JAT]

I picked up MSN582x, and it came with the option.
You get what you pay for down in Toulouse - we got some slow old model MCDU's, raised keyboard vs sinked.. (were probably cheaper)!

I rather like it, since the increased G limit allows you to climb at optimum at Greendot in cases where you have steep gradients on SID's without sitting looking at the speed decreasing because the wind changed 2 degrees... :ok:

Why not use it.. Is it like those places with BS-cadet friendly SOP's where youre not allowed to use V/S either?

If Airbus didn't want you to use it, they haven't put the button there. We are still pilots (well most of us) And if it really goes haywire and end up in TOGA, it probably had done it too, since the autopilot is 15% slower when you're flying at GD + 5-10 knots.. We had one guy fly into VMO, on autopilot (and they didn't use the EXPED button - but they probably should have though...)

[Winnerhofer]

SR with deactivated EXPED in 1995.
I guess that SR always had it offline from the very first of their batch.


Freeze @ 02:56"
Swissair Budapest Zurich 1995 A319/A320 - YouTube

[Winnerhofer]

Expedite wrongly selected instead of Approach!
Air Accidents Investigation: Airbus A319-111, G-EZFV (http://www.aaib.gov.uk/publications/bulletins/january_2013/airbus_a319_111__g_ezfv.cfm)

[drfaust]

I like to use it, but I wouldn't use it in DES at all. In CLB It's good to switch back to OP CLB and select the speed you want after the initial deceleration. Letting it reduce to green dot is asking for trouble.

I find it useful at times but honestly we can do without it. It's not prohibited by our SOP's but it is discouraged because inertia or forgetting to look at wind can catch you out. I don't think there is anything particularly wrong with the function itself, but I can understand finger trouble can cause a bunch of headache when toying with this. The above incident had nothing to do with the EXP button as a matter of fact @Winnerhofer. They took off the AP and AT when the wrong selection was made 6 miles away from the field IIRC. As far as I'm concerned that was just a messed up manual approach, which although severe can happen.

Won't be crying if they remove it completely, but it can be good fun on ferry flights. :}