A350 first flying prototype MSN001 has been transferred to the Airbus' flight-test team, although a date for a maiden sortie has yet to be established.
“The airframer declines to confirm the move, or comment on the status of the aircraft's progress since its roll-out on 13 May.”
“A source familiar with the A350's test programme says that the transfer of MSN1 to the flight-test team has taken place.”
Tests to be done before the aircraft gets airborne include running engines through controlled cycles, taxiing at low and high speeds, and a a so-called rejected takeoff at high velocity to check that brakes, spoilers and thrust reversers all work properly to bring the aircraft to a controlled standstill.
“The source could not give an estimate of the time the A350 might spend on ground tests before its maiden flight.”
Still, the remaining A350 testing schedule may not be plain sailing, with scope remaining for hitches with the plane’s electronic systems during final trials, according to Tecop International President Hans Weber, a physicist and aerospace expert who advises the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration.
“Software glitches are one of the biggest worries in these systems,” Weber said in an interview. “Everything on the plane is ultimately controlled by software, and it can be a lengthy effort to find a glitch and fix it.”
Based on the article “A350 prototype transfers to flight-test team” published in FlightGlobal and based on the article “Airbus A350’s Paint Job Points to Paris-Show Blow for Boeing” published in Bloomberg
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ReplyDeleteThanks Robert, Switzerland