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(Sources: airliners.net, YouTube)

How was the 'bump' removed from [the design of] the Airbus P2F?

The A330 Freighter based on the A330-200 features a bump / blister / bulge that raises the nose landing gear to level the cargo deck for easier loading of cargo. A design issue with the passenger A330 is the slanted floor, but it was not a big deal since cargo with feet manages.

The A330/A340's distinctive nose-down pitch - which is greater than intended in the original design and only emerged when production of the aircraft began in the early 1990s - was a problem that Airbus had addressed on the first version of the A350.

The passenger-to-freighter (P2F) conversion program for both the -200 and -300 lacks this bump. What design change was incorporated into the conversion that fixed the floor level?

The latest information I could find is from October 2009 (8 years ago):

Airbus abandoned the 'bump' modification in favor of a special ground jack to level the deck during loading/unloading.

Airbus is proposing a piece of external ground-support equipment which would physically lift the aircraft, producing the same effect as the lowered gear in new-build freighters (flightglobal.com).

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  • $\begingroup$ Did they fix the floor level? $\endgroup$
    – user7241
    Commented Dec 25, 2017 at 11:09
  • $\begingroup$ Because your link says they made the change in order to level the "cabin" floor for easier loading. $\endgroup$
    – user7241
    Commented Dec 25, 2017 at 11:29
  • $\begingroup$ Maybe with the P2F they changed the floor and not the landing gear? $\endgroup$
    – user7241
    Commented Dec 25, 2017 at 11:30

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The A330 P2F features a fully-powered Cargo Loading System (CLS) that is perfectly capable of loading/unloading even the heaviest pallets even with the aircraft "on the tilt". Therefore, no 'tilt remedy' is required.

Flight Global, 15 February, 2012:

The P2F version will retain the passenger aircraft's geometry and incorporate a powered cargo loading system to enable pallets to be moved "uphill" on the main cargo deck.

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    $\begingroup$ The front landing gear jack sounded cheaper. $\endgroup$
    – user7241
    Commented Dec 25, 2017 at 21:40

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