Aviation

Chinese man spends US$120,000 building full scale replica of Airbus A320 (but it won’t fly)

A farmer in China has spent all of his savings realising his childhood dream – to own an aeroplane. Zhu Yue, from Kaiyuan city in Liaoning Province, claimed he taught himself how to build aircraft by studying technical drawings and plane models. He has so far spent over £90,000 (800,000 yuan) on the aircraft, according to People’s Daily Online.

Mr Zhu said he has liked aeroplanes since childhood, and because he couldn’t afford to buy one, he decided to build one by himself.

His A320 is a full-size copy of Airbus’s narrow-body, twin-engine airliner, which sells for £74 million ($99 million) on the market. Its wing span is 35.8 metres (126.3 feet) and overall length is 37.75 metres (123.8 metres). So far, Mr Zhu has used 40 tonnes iron building the aircraft which is due to complete next May, said the People’s Daily report citing Beijing News. Apparently Mr Zhu’s A320 is not to be flown. Once the plane is built, the farmer plans to open a restaurant inside or turns it into his home.

Mr Zhu told local reporters: ‘The reason why I chose to build a plane is because it has been a dream since my childhood.’ He said he had worked as a welder and motorbike mechanic, and he decided to realise his dream after earning enough money. Mr Zhu is building the plane with five friends in a rented industrial park in Kaiyuan. He said after he decided to build the plane last October, he spent three months studying the models and technical drawings of A320 before coming up with his own construction plan.

The man is also live-streaming himself building the plan on Chinese video sites, which has led some people to claim that he started the project solely as a way to promote himself. Mr Zhu defended himself on Chinese media: ‘In order to build the plane, I spent over 800,000 yuan, these are my life savings. Some people said I am promoting myself in sensational way, who would spend so much money and time doing so?’

He said the live-streaming sessions motivate him and his team to work harder.

Courtesy : Dailymail

Aviation

Airbus Enhances A350 Cabin with 10-Abreast Seating

Airbus has announced a new partnership with Jiatai Aircraft Equipment, a Chinese aircraft seating manufacturer, to supply upgraded economy-class seats for the A350 widebody series.

This collaboration, unveiled at the 2024 Airshow China, focuses on developing a newly designed economy seat tailored for the A350‘s New Production Standard (NPS) cabin.

One of the key features of the NPS cabin is the ability to accommodate 17-inch wide economy seats, compared to the previous 16.5-inch wide seats that airlines were limited to in the A350’s earlier configurations.

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This change is made possible by the expanded space in the NPS cabin, which is 35 inches longer and 4 inches wider than the previous version. This extra space is achieved by slightly moving the cockpit wall forward and shifting the rear pressure bulkhead back by one frame.

The wider cabin allows airlines to add up to 30 extra economy seats without compromising comfort. For airlines opting for a 3-4-3 seating layout, the 17-inch wide seats are an excellent choice for a more comfortable passenger experience. However, some airlines, such as Iberia, may choose to retain a 9-abreast layout with wider seats for added comfort.

The NPS cabin also offers enhanced flexibility for airline operators. One major advantage is the ability to easily switch between a 9-abreast and 10-abreast seating configuration without requiring significant downtime for aircraft reconfiguration. Airlines can use the same seat rails, tracks, and IFE interfaces, making the transition smoother and quicker.

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In addition, the design of the floor attachments and air-conditioning systems has been optimized for 10-abreast seating, meaning airlines can upgrade their cabins without needing to make substantial modifications to the aircraft’s structure.

Though it’s still unclear when Jiatai’s economy-class seats will be officially added to the A350’s Buyer Furnished Equipment (BFE) catalogue, the collaboration marks a significant step toward enhancing the A350’s cabin offerings.

With this partnership, Airbus is providing more seating options for airlines, ensuring that they can meet diverse customer needs while improving overall operational efficiency.