I. Read the text and answer the questions. 1. What kind of helicopter is the Mi-8?

1. What kind of helicopter is the Mi-8?

2. What kind of rotor was chosen and why?

3. How many crew members can fly the helicopter?

4. What equipment is used lo load and transport cargo?

5. What are the main structural features of the helicopter?

6. What kind of engines is the helicopter powered by?

7. What systems is the helicopter fitted with?

II. Translate two last paragraphs of the text in a written form.

III. Make up a summary of the text.

UNIT 4

The Airbus A320

Vocabulary: narrow-body airliner, fly-by-wire flight control, low-wing cantilever monoplane, turbofan engine, retractable tricycle landing gear, flight deck.

The Airbus A320 family is a short-to-medium range narrow-body commercial passenger jet airliners manufactured by Airbus.

The A320 was launched in March 1984, first flew on 22 February 1987, and was first delivered in 1988.

A narrow-body Airbus of a comparable size to the successful Boeing 727 could offer advanced technology, improved operating economics and various passenger capacities. The digital technology in the A320 would herald a two-generation technological leap over the all-analogue Boeing 727. The A320 was targeted at the global fleet replacement requirements for the 727 and early variants of the 737.

After the oil price rises of the 1970s, Airbus needed to minimise the trip fuel costs of the A320. Airbus incorporated advanced features including fly-by-wire flight control, composite primary structures, centre-of-gravity control using fuel, glass cockpit (EFIS) and a two-person flight deck. The end result was that the A320 consumed 50% less fuel than the 727. According to a study cited by the Stockholm Environmental Institute, the A320 burns 11,608 kilograms of jet fuel flying between Los Angeles and New York City, which is about 77.4 kilograms per passenger in an A320 with 150 seats.

The Airbus A320 family are low-wing cantilever monoplanes with a conventional tail unit with a single fin and rudder. They have a retractable tricycle landing gear and are powered by two wing mounted turbofan engines.

Compared to other airliners of the same class, the A320 features a wider single-aisle cabin of 155.5 inches (3.95 m) outside diameter, and larger overhead bins, along with fly-by-wire technology. In addition, the aircraft has a spacious cargo hold equipped with large doors to assist in expedient loading and unloading of goods.

The A320 features an ECAM (Electronic Centralized Aircraft Monitor) which gives the flight crew information about all the systems of the aircraft. With the exception of the very earliest A320s, most can be upgraded to the latest avionics standards, keeping the aircraft advanced even after two decades in service.

The flight deck is equipped with EFIS with side stick controllers. At the time of the aircraft's introduction the behavior of the fly-by-wire system was a new experience for many pilots.

Three suppliers provide turbofan engines for the A320 series: CFM International with their CFM56, International Aero Engines, offering the V2500 and Pratt & Whitney.

Technology used in the A320 includes:

The first fully digital fly-by-wire flight control system in a civil airliner.

Fully glass cockpit rather than the hybrid versions found in aircraft such as the A310, Boeing 757 and Boeing 767.

The first narrow body airliner with a significant amount of the structure made from composites.

The ECAM (Electronic Centralized Aircraft Monitoring) concept, which is included in all Airbus aircraft produced after the A320. This system constantly displays information concerning the aircraft's engines, as well as other key systems such as flight controls, pneumatics and hydraulics, to the pilots on the two LCD displays in the centre of the flight deck. ECAM also provides automatic warning of system failures and displays an electronic checklist to assist in handling the failure.

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