A220 troubles, the latest news..

[Verbal]

A220 pilots warned of premature rotation risk if autopilot inadvertently engaged
By David Kaminski-Morrow18 November 2022

Airbus A220 operators have been ordered to alert pilots to the possibility of premature rotation on take-off as a result of inadvertent autopilot engagement.

The warning is contained in an emergency directive from Transport Canada, which states that “several” events have occurred in which crews have accidentally activated the autopilot late in the take-off phase, or while trying to re-engage a disconnected autothrottle.

If the autopilot – which is not inhibited – is activated too early, it could command an increase in pitch to capture a pitch target, resulting in premature rotation.

This could occur even at speeds below the V1 decision speed, possibly causing the twinjet to become airborne with low energy or suffer a tail-strike if the take-off is not aborted.

“Premature [aircraft] pitch-up will require the crew to intervene immediately,” the directive stresses.

The autopilot would normally not be engaged below 400ft, as this is prohibited in the aircraft’s flight manual.

Airbus Canada, which manufactures the A220, has issued operational procedures for autothrottle selection, and instances in which the autothrottle disconnects on take-off.

“Operators should be aware that the autothrottle cannot be re-engaged if it becomes disconnected on takeoff above 60kt and below 400ft,” says the Transport Canada directive, which covers both the A220-100 and -300.

“Crews should not attempt to re-engage the autothrottle if it becomes disconnected on take-off as this may lead to an unsafe condition if the autopilot is inadvertently engaged.”

Operators have been instructed to amend the aircraft flight manual to include a warning over autopilot engagement on take-off, stating that it can result in premature rotation, tail-strike, an inability to climb or loss of control.

[elaw]

So if you engage the autopilot when you're not supposed to, it may do strange things? Who knew?

[3WE]

Type specific procedures... [repeat ad nauseum]

[Not_Karl]

Type specific procedures... [repeat ad nauseum]

They should have simply enlarged, re-engined and MCASed the trusty, proven CRJ instead of experimenting with dangerous, unproven clean sheet designs.

We need guarded switches for the AP.

[Verbal]

Rampaging raccoons add to Airbus factory headaches
From Reuters

Montreal/Paris Reuters —

A family of raccoons recently broke into an Airbus factory in Canada, adding an unusual headache to the planemaker’s more familiar troubles with parts shortages and supply chain snags.

Five of the baby mammals were found inside the plant near Montreal, which produces A220 airliners, sources told Reuters, after their mother was spotted climbing the landing gear of a jet being produced for a European airline.

“A guy came face to face with the raccoon, after having entered the plane,” a factory worker said.

A second source said damage included urine and chewed wires.

Workers on the overstretched assembly line had to be pulled off normal jobs to undertake the time-consuming task of quarantining the first jet and inspecting for damage from the furry intruders, which are known for foraging in trash cans for food.

Airbus confirmed the discovery of a family of raccoons on one plane but declined to say whether they had further delayed production or caused any damage.

“The aircraft is pursuing its assembly process,” a spokesperson said, adding measures had been put in place to ensure safety and quality.

While the incident is only a temporary headache, it comes as Airbus is scrambling to speed up production, having warned airlines that it faces another three years of delivery delays as it works through a backlog of supply-chain problems.

Recent snags include missing engines, late arrivals of components and delayed interiors, Airbus has said. But rarely have its contingency plans had to deal with stray omnivores at the rural plant.

“We had to open everything back up to inspect,” explained the second source.

Airbus said the animals had been removed to a safe location.

https://www.cnn.com/2025/05/30/americas ... latam-intl

[Not_Karl]

Rampaging raccoons add to Airbus factory headaches

Ah, the billions Boeing invested in its secret animal warfare division finally paid off!

[Verbal]

A 5 Year Old Airbus A220 Has Already Been Scrapped

EgyptAir has dismantled its first A220-300, SU-GFA, after less than three years in service. Three more will be parted out for Breeze. Bought for $1.2 billion, the fleet was sold for $300 million. Azorra received six; five for spares, one remains in operation.

Linky: https://simpleflying.com/a-5-year-old-a ... -scrapped/

This is an incredibly short service life even by Airbus (home of the disposable airplane) standards.

[flyboy2548m]

This is an incredibly short service life even by Airbus (home of the disposable airplane) standards.

I feel like this was a program nobody really wanted but Airbus happened to not want it less than others did not want it, if that makes sense. In other words, Tolouse never saw this as a long-term thing.

[Not_Karl]

This is an incredibly short service life even by Airbus (home of the disposable airplane) standards.

They should have made them self-disposing to avoid the trouble and expense of scrapping, just like Boeing brill-yuntly did with the 737Max.

[Verbal]

Something for you to think about the next time you make a joke about airplanes crashing.

Three hundred and forty six people died in the Max accidents. Another 241 died in Ahmedabad.

Do you believe that the families and friends of those who perished would find your jokes as amusing as you believe they are? Would those people find solace? Do you think your jokes add value to the aviation safety conversation?

Do you?

When there is an accident, it sends shock waves throughout the industry, across all the airframers and engine builders, regardless of which airplane was lost. Thousands of people work diligently to isolate the root causes and develop solutions to make all air travel safer for everyone. Safety is a never ending process. Many have devoted their careers to this end.

So if you believe that you contribute to the goal of aviation safety by joking about tragedies that took the lives of hundreds of people, then please carry on, and I wish you success. You may also wish to continue recycling AD.com in-jokes from 20 years ago ad nauseum for the benefit of all three of us who continue to visit this site.

Kindest regards, Dr. Sigmund von Verbal

[Not_Karl]

(...)
Kindest regards, Dr. Sigmund von Verbal

Agree, I'm sorry.

[3WE]

I’m not_sure you have all the credentials to make said proclamations…

Some sure, but I’m thinking of others, too.

[Verbal]

The pontiff.

[3WE]

Fixed.

IMG_3419.jpeg (155.09 KiB) Viewed 971 times

[Gabriel]

Agree, I'm sorry.

You have sorry company there.

[Not_Karl]

You have sorry company there.

Indeed.

[Sickbag]

You may also wish to continue recycling AD.com in-jokes from 20 years ago ad nauseum for the benefit of all three of us who continue to visit this site.

Sorry . I must of missed this post earlier, but were any donkeys involved?