Airbus A220 Flight Deck and Avionics

The flight deck of the Airbus A220 was designed by Bombardier for the CSeries. It is a two-pilot fly-by-wire cockpit: each pilot flies with a side-stick, and the instruments form an integrated Rockwell Collins "Fusion" electronic flight instrument system (EFIS) with five large adaptive displays, an integrated electronic checklist (ECL) and dual Rockwell Collins flight management systems (FMS). The A220-100 and the A220-300 share this flight deck and a single pilot type rating, BD500.

For a pilot coming from the A320 family the cockpit looks familiar at first sight, with side-sticks and no control columns, but it works differently. Crew alerting follows the EICAS philosophy rather than ECAM, the displays are driven with trackballs, the thrust levers move, and the aircraft is trimmed by hand in manual flight. The general principles are covered in electronic flight instrument systems, flight warning and alerting systems and head-up displays.

Origins: the Bombardier CSeries

Bombardier launched the CSeries on 13 July 2008. The CS100 first flew on 16 September 2013 and the longer CS300 on 27 February 2015. Transport Canada (TCCA) certified the CS100, model BD-500-1A10, on 17 December 2015 and the CS300, model BD-500-1A11, on 8 July 2016; EASA followed on 15 June and 7 October 2016. In July 2018 Airbus took a majority stake in the programme and the aircraft were renamed: the CS100 became the A220-100 and the CS300 the A220-300. The type certificate passed from Bombardier to CSeries Aircraft Limited Partnership in October 2017 and to Airbus Canada Limited Partnership in June 2019. The model designations and the BD500 type rating did not change.

The FAA describes the CS300 as nearly identical to the CS100, with a 12 ft stretched fuselage, more windows, larger brakes and heavier weights. None of the design differences listed by TCCA and the FAA concerns the flight deck: they cover dimensions, weights and limitations, cabin and cargo capacity, towing, fuel capacity, doors, windows and engine ratings. TCCA set Level A differences training and checking in both directions; the FAA sets Level B training, for the changed limitations, with Level A checking. Neither lists any manoeuvre difference.

Five large displays

The MMEL names the five display units by position when it lists their cooling fans: left outboard, left inboard, lower, right inboard and right outboard. Photographs of the flight deck show four in a row across the main panel and the fifth, the lower display, at the front of the centre pedestal. The MMEL calls the system the Adaptive Flight Display (AFD), and the clocks (UTC and chronometer) are shown on it.

Each pilot has a primary flight display (PFD). Rücker and Scholz, comparing it with the A320, call it much bigger and better for situational awareness, and find more information on the navigation display, which since avionics Build 8.0A can add a vertical profile, the vertical situation display (VSD). The other display areas are configured by the crew. Their examples show a taxi map beside the engine and warning display, the electrical and flight control synoptic pages, the checklist, and FMS route and performance pages on the lower display. TCAS traffic appears as an overlay on the horizontal situation indicator (HSI) and on the multi-function window (MFW), and terrain as overlays and maps.

FMS pages are shown on the large displays and entered through the keyboards. Rücker and Scholz note the bigger FMS screen and flight plan upload by ACARS over VHF.

Controls for the displays

The display access keys, L, R, MAP, FMS, CNS, CHKL, SYN and DATA, call up formats, and the MKPs repeat MAP to DATA as direct access keys. The trackball, which Rücker and Scholz compare with the A350's, points at items on any display, including the map. A failed trackball is inhibited with its CURSOR INHIB button on the reversion switch panel (RSP), which also carries the L and R IRS buttons.

Behind the displays stand three inertial reference systems, four air data systems, of which ADS 4 can be selected in place of any of the other three, an integrated standby instrument (ISI) and a non-stabilised magnetic standby compass.

Side-sticks, glareshield and pedestal

Photographs of the flight deck show each pilot's side-stick on the outboard side console. The MMEL lists a stick shaker, an autopilot detent and push-to-talk and intercom switches on each. Priority between the two sticks is handled with a SIDESTICK priority switch on each side of the glareshield, with an arrow light and a PTY light, and a priority voice message. Their use is described in A220 fly-by-wire flight controls.

The glareshield panel also carries the CHRONO pushbuttons, the display dimming knobs and, where fitted, the CPDLC buttons (ACPT, RJCT, STBY, LOAD and refresh). The flight control panel (FCP) groups the autopilot (AP), autothrottle (AT) and two flight director (FD) pushbuttons, the vertical modes (FLC, ALT, VNAV, FPA and V/S), 1/2 BANK, the heading, speed and altitude selectors and the guarded pushbutton of the Emergency Descent Mode (EDM). Rücker and Scholz describe EDM as almost automatic: after donning the mask, one press makes the aircraft descend by itself to 15,000 ft, and spoilers can be added to steepen the descent. The MMEL counts three autopilot systems.

The pedestal carries the throttle quadrant: two thrust levers with TOGA switches, autothrottle disconnect buttons, a finger lift on each lever for reverse thrust and the L ENG and R ENG run switches. In the photograph below, a cursor control panel for each pilot sits beside the thrust levers; further aft are the ENGINE start panel, the SPOILER lever and the SLAT/FLAP lever with the ALTN FLAP switch, the aileron and rudder trim panel, the reversion switch panel and the audio control panels. A nosewheel steering tiller is fitted for the left seat; a second one for the right seat is optional.

Overhead panel

The overhead panel holds the system controls as pushbutton annunciators (PBAs), which show legends such as FAIL, OFF or ON. In the photograph below, the ENGINE & APU FIRE panel runs across its top, the HYDRAULIC and FUEL panels sit in the middle and the exterior lights, landing lights and passenger signs line the lower edge. The MMEL lists, among others:

• Electrical: L GEN, R GEN and APU GEN (FAIL and OFF legends), EXT PWR (AVAIL and IN USE), RAT GEN (ON), the L and R generator DISC switches (OIL and DISC) and CABIN PWR.
• Flight controls: the three PFCC cut-out switches, each with an OFF light.
• Hydraulics and fuel: HYD 1 and HYD 2 SOV (CLSD) and FUEL GRAV XFR (ON).
• Air and anti-ice: pressurisation (EMER DEPRESS, AUTO PRESS, DITCHING), window heat (L SIDE, L WSHLD, R WSHLD, R SIDE) and PROBE HEAT GND ON.
• Terrain warning: the TAWS GEAR INHIB, TERR INHIB, FLAP INHIB and GS CNCL switchlights.

Crew alerting: EICAS and the electronic checklist

The engine indicating and crew alerting system (EICAS) shows the engine indications and the crew alerting system (CAS) messages. EASA accepted digital-only display of the power-plant instruments through an equivalent safety finding.

The MMEL defines four classes of primary message, warning, caution, advisory and status. INFO messages are a separate, non-alerting category that indicates a failure relevant only to a dispatch decision. The absence of any message of status level or above means the system is working within its approved limits. Two master WARNING and two master CAUTION switchlights also cancel the associated alarm. The FAA's Build 8.0A3 difference table notes that a single "SPEED" aural alert sounds with the high angle-of-attack protection, inhibited below 30 ft radio altitude during landing.

Procedures are flown from the integrated electronic checklist (ECL). TCCA and the FAA make its use in normal, abnormal and emergency operations a special emphasis item in ground training, and require training in alternate checklist methods for when the ECL is deferred under the MEL. The MMEL considers the ECL inoperative if its part numbers do not match the latest Airplane Flight Manual. A dual ECL option introduced with Build 8.0A3 stores two databases, switchable on the ground only, and lets the crew resume a checklist on another display unit after a display failure.

Head-up display

A head-up display (HUD) is optional: a single installation for the left seat or a dual one for both seats. TCCA states that HUD symbology, alerting and flight mode annunciations are consistent with the PFD. With the HUD low visibility take-off (LVTO) function TCCA found the aircraft capable of take-off down to an RVR of 300 ft (75 m), against 600 ft (175 m) head-down; operators still need their own approval. A manually flown CAT II approach with HUD flight director guidance uses the pilot flying's HUD, so a first officer flying it needs a dual installation with both HUDs working.

The flight path vector (FPV) shows the instantaneous flight path angle and track; Rücker and Scholz describe flying the green FPV over the purple flight director cue. TCCA's HUD special emphasis items include the PFD and HUD differences, such as the size of the FPV, the similar shape and colour of the FPV and the guidance cue, and the appropriate use of the aircraft symbol versus the FPV in stall and upset recovery.

Avionics builds

The flight deck software is updated in numbered builds, each with differences training:

Coming from another type

TCCA expects A220 trainees to have operational experience of multi-engine transport jets, highly integrated avionics, high-altitude operations, HUD where fitted, electronic checklists, electronic flight bags, fly-by-wire and FMS; pilots without it may need more training. Its special emphasis items include VNAV flight mode annunciations, the fly-by-wire normal and direct modes, manual flight with minimal automation, and the go-around after more than 2 s on the ground, when the autothrottle does not engage automatically after TOGA.

Rücker and Scholz list the main changes for an A320 pilot: EICAS instead of ECAM, trackball control, larger PFDs, moving thrust levers instead of fixed detents, and manual trim in manual flight where the A320 trims automatically. HUD use in each seat where fitted, and tiller use from the right seat with the optional dual tiller, are seat-dependent tasks.

Library articles are written for study and exam preparation. They do not replace your aircraft's approved documentation, your operator's procedures or the regulations themselves.