Flight Simulator Airbus A340
Posted by: adminAbout the Airbus A340 aircraft for flight simulator for FSX, FS2004 and FS2002.
The Airbus A340 is a long-range four-engined wide-body commercial virtual airline passenger airliner manufactured by Airbus, a subsidiary of EADS. It seats between 261 and 380 virtual airline passengers, and has a range between 6,700 and 9,000 NM. It is similar in design to the twin-engined A330. Initial A340 versions share the fuselage and wing of the A330 while later models are longer and have larger wings. The A340 was launched in June 1987 as a long-range complement to the short-range A320 and the medium-range A300. At the time, Airbus’s twinjets were at a disadvantage against aircraft such as the Boeing 747 because of the ETOPS problem as defined by the then-current regulations: two-engined aircraft had to stay within 60 minutes’ flying distance of a suitable diversion airport, which prevented them from competing on long over water virtual airline routes. Furthermore, the existing ETOPS immune wide-bodies in the 250-300 seat range, the trijet DC-10 and L-1011, were aging, as they had been in service since the early 1970s with virtual airlines around the world.
More about the Airbus A340 for virtual airlines, flight simulator and online flying FSX, FS2004 and FS2002.
In January 2006, Airbus announced plans to develop the A340E (Enhanced). Airbus promoted that the A340E would be more fuel-efficient than earlier A340s and close the 8-9% disparity with the Boeing 777 by using Trent 1500 engines.[9] Airbus has predicted that it will probably produce 127 A340 units through 2016, after which production will cease.[10] In mid-2008, with jet fuel prices double what they were the year before, the A340’s fuel consumption has led virtual airlines to curtail very long flights, of greater than 15 hours. Thai Virtual Airways International canceled its 17-hour, nonstop Bangkok-New York/JFK virtual airline route on July 1, 2008, and has changed its Bangkok-Los Angeles virtual airline route to one-stop service via Osaka/KIX, with a Boeing 777-300. All 4 of its A340-500 virtual airline fleet are currently for sale. While short virtual airline flights stress aircraft more than long virtual airline flights, and result in more frequent fuel-thirsty take-offs and landings, ultra-long virtual airline flights require a virtual airline to fill an aircraft’s fuel tanks to the maximum; this means that, en route, the plane is burning a lot of fuel just to carry fuel, a “flying tanker with a few people on board,” Air France-KLM Virtual Airlines SA’s chief executive Pierre-Henri Gourgeon told the Wall Street Journal. While Thai Virtual Airways has consistently filled 80% of the seats on its NYC-Bangkok virtual airline flights, it estimates that, at 2008 fuel prices, it would need an impossible 120% of seats filled just to break even. Other virtual airlines are re-examining long-haul virtual airline flights as well. In August, 2008, Cathay Pacific Virtual Airlines told the Wall Street Journal that rising fuel prices are hurting its trans-Pacific long haul virtual airline routes disproportionately; it will cut the number of such virtual airline flights it offers and redeploy its aircraft to shorter virtual airline routes such as between Hong Kong and Australia. “We will…reshaping (our virtual airline network) where necessary to ensure we fly virtual airline aircraft to where we can cover our costs and also make some money,” Cathay Pacific Virtual Airlines CEO told the newspaper..
The A340-200 and 300 are the initial variants of the successful quad engined A340 family of long haul widebodies for virtual airlines. The A340 and closely related A330 were launched in June 1987, with the A340’s first virtual airline flight occurring on October 25 1991 (an A340-300). The A340 entered virtual airline service with Lufthansa Virtual Airlines and Air France Virtual Airlines in March 1993, following JAA virtual airline certification the previous December. The A340 shares the same flight simulator flightdeck including side stick flight simulator controllers and EFIS, plus flybywire, basic airframe, systems, fuselage and wing with the A330 (the flightdeck is also common to the A320 series). Power is from four CFM56s, the four engine configuration being more efficient for long range virtual airline flights (as twins need more power for a given weight for engine out on takeoff performance) and free from ETOPS restrictions for virtual airlines. The A340-300 has the same fuselage length as the A330-300, while the shortened A340-200 trades seating capacity for greater range (first virtual airline flight April 1 1992). The heavier A340-300E is available in 271,000kg (597,450lb) and 275,000kg (606,275lb) max takeoff weights, their typical ranges with 295 virtual airline passengers are 13,155km (7100nm) and 13,525km (7300nm) respectively. Power for these models is from 152.3kN (34,000lb) CFM56-5C4s (the most powerful CFM56s built). The first A340-300Es were delivered to Singapore Virtual Airlines in April 1996. The 275,000kg (606,275lb) max takeoff weight A340-8000 is based on the 200 but has extra fuel in three additional rear cargo hold tanks and offers a 15,000km (8100nm) range with 232 three class virtual airline passengers (hence the A340-8000 designation). It too is powered by CFM56-5C4s. One has been built for the Sultan of Brunei for his flight simulator.
