Airbus 320 questions

[NoRebounds]

I'm playing around with a Flight Simulator 2002 Addon called A320 PIC, would be great if a real world 320 pilot could help an armchair pilot with answering some (probably stupid) questions to understand the 320 a bit more :

1. If I activate the AP at 100 ft AGL, the plane climbs with V2 + 10 and the Autotrim sets around 4-5° up trim (depending on weight).
Now on the ground the 320 is in Direct Law, so also in the sim I can set trim (sounds great, doesn't it). Someone found if you set 4-5° Up Trim for Takeoff, the transition from Direct Law to Normal Law is much smoother. This is maybe a sim speciality, but is it a real world technique to set trim for takeoff in the 320 ?

2. I also have an ATC Addon called Radar Contact 3, that sometimes gives crossing restrictions like "cross four zero miles from XXX at (altitude), two five zero knots".
I again don't know if this is a real world technique at all, but in a Boeing FMC I could use the Fix page, specify a Bearing/Distance and set the speed plus the AT or BELOW altitude restriction.
How is this done with the 320 MDCU ?

3. Now regarding manual landing : If I understood correctly, in the real plane at 50 ft AGL a pitch trim down is added to have something to hold against or counter, because otherwise the autotrim would trim off the flare ? Anyway, the sim tries to recreate that behaviour by adding a 5° nose down, which seems quite a lot. I could imagine in the real plane it's only a slight pitch down, so how's this in reality ?

Thanks and sorry for my "German" english.

Mike

[mcdhu]

Mike,

I'll do my best!

1. Yes, the take off trim setting from the loadsheet is set on the ECAM 'F/Ctl' page using the trimwheel after engine start. A typical figure for a full aircraft is around .7DN, but if your machine is set up for 4UP, then set that.

2. It is a little more complicated on the Airbus mcdu and involves creating the waypoint and then entering the vertical and speed constraints. Let us say you are 100nm south of Sprimont and have been cleared to SPI and to climb to FL350 to be level 50nm before SPI. You now need to create a waypoint 50nm S of SPI. The easiest way to do this is to define it by 'Place/Bearing/ Distance' (PBD). So on the mcdu's scratchpad, write 'SPI/180/50' and insert that into your flightplan, using the left line select key (LSK), where it will show as 'PBD1'. Using the right LSK, select PBD1 and you should see the Vertical Revision Page which will give you an 'Alt Cst' box. Write 'FL350' and line select that box and the task should be complete. If you wish to put a speed constraint in as well, that, too, is done on the Vertical revision page. Remember, vertical revisions - right LSK, horizontal revisions - left LSK.

3. Landing the Airbus feels the same as on a conventional aircraft. You do not notice the pitch down effect as you approach the flare.

Hope this all helps,
Cheers,
mcdhu

[NoRebounds]

mcdhu,

thanks for the answers, much appreciated.

Well, the sim doesn't ask for a trim setting at all, I found it works best with the 4UP trim :)

I even found the PBD feature, it was hidden under a new waypoint entry on the DATA page. I can enter Lat/Lon, Place/Bearing/Distance and Place-Bearing/Place-Bearing and have to choose the Ident name myself. Nice you know you can directly enter it in the scratchpad and the name gets assigned automatically, that's faster.

As for the pitch down effect on landing, I have forwarded that info to the developers, looks like they have exaggerated it a bit.

Great to get some knowledge about the 320 with just a 30$ Flight Sim Addon :). Must be a pleasure to fly it for real.

Thanks again
Mike