A350 first flight in 3 months, after Paris Air Show

Airbus is planning to conduct the first flight of the A350 in about 3 months, likely after the Paris air show.

 

"It will be around mid-year, just after Paris or a week later. It's difficult to say," Airbus chief executive Fabrice Bregier told Flightglobal on the sidelines of an industry lunch in Washington DC.

 “For the program, and this is what counts, it doesn’t make any difference if [the first flight] is before or just after. What counts is to fly around mid-year, because it will support the deliveries in 2014, which is what counts,” Bregier added.


No issues have come up in testing that change the mid-year target, he said.

 

Airbus has said that the first flight of the A350 will take place in mid-2013. Bregier notes that it is difficult to say when exactly the first flight will take place. "There are many, many tests to pass. So far the progress is good... We are on track," he said.

Based on the article “A350 first flight in three months, after Paris air show” published in Flightglobal

TCT Sky, a new Spanish consortium of 3 Laboratories working for A350 XWB that aspires to lead this segment in Europe in the coming years.

3 aerospace laboratories from Spanish south area of Andalusia have decided to join forces and created TCT Sky; Teams, Canagrosa and Titania have a turnover of 8 million, a staff of 130 employees and 3 sites with 3000 square meters. Aerospace sector (and EADS/Airbus is emphasizing from last 3 years) requires increasingly larger size, with high technological capacity and financial potential actors, including laboratories.

 

The roadmap of TCT Sky is to have a global footprint and they can now offer a complete service in the field of the quality control of materials and aeronautical processes & structural testing, i.e. they are able to analyze from a simple screw to complete assembly of an aircraft to detect possible deficiencies or non-conformities.

Each of them brings their strengths. Teams is leader in the mechanical tests (of metallic and composite materials), while Canagrosa has been focused on physicochemical tests and services such as analysis of fluids, oils and fuels. The 3rd laboratory Titania has the capacity to analyze paints, sealants and adhesives.

The geographic proximity and the complementary nature of their activity have been key factors for this group which around 80% of its activity depends on Airbus programs (Airbus Military and Airbus Operations), though they also perform tests for Boeing, Embraer, Bombardier and Sikorsky.

Initially, the Consortium will focus the contracts with Airbus because this company has driven the operation and "the only one capable of offering large packages", although their plans are to reach all of their customers through the new consortium, TCT Sky.

Their aspiration is to lead this segment in Europe in the coming years. "The technological potential that we have together puts us at the level of the best technological centers specialized in the aerospace sector," adds Esther García, Managing Director of Teams. The competition in Europe is limited to 3 companies in Spain and about 15 in Europe.

Based on the article “Teams, Canagrosa y Titania crean el mayor laboratorio aeronáutico de España” published in Diario de Sevilla

A350 XWB European workshare versus EADS government participation

Spain has reduced its stake in EADS to 4.2% from 5.41%, as part of a deal with France and Germany to simplify the ownership structure of Europe's largest aerospace group.

EADS, in which France, Germany and Spain hold stakes, is in the midst of a transformation to a diversified group subject to less state intervention, and aims to have 72% of its capital floating freely on stock markets by next year, compared with less than 50% in December/2012.

The company's shareholders approved sweeping reforms on 27/March that weaken the influence of European governments and allow the aerospace giant to pursue its global ambitions unfettered.

They notably dissolved a complicated shareholders pact that gave EADS's 3 founding states -France, Germany and Spain- veto rights on strategic decisions and rights to nominate board members.

The European workshare in the A350 XWB program can be watched in this picture;

Spain has the smallest workshare on the A350 - about 10%- against the 38% of France, 34% of Germany and 18% of the UK.

Until the A350 XWB program, France and Germany had allocated 37,5% each of Airbus projects in a system once dictated by ownership levels when Airbus started as a consortium 40 years ago.

Allocating Airbus workshare is a country to country competition, not a free market.  With the new shareholder distribution in EADS, European governments´ influence will be lower for next programs.

 

EADS was created in 2000 from a merger of DaimlerChrysler Aerospace AG in Germany, Aérospatiale Matra in France, and CASA in Spain. The Group is the best practical example of a truly successful European company today and it includes:

Airbus; manufacturer of commercial & military aircraft, with Airbus Military for tanker, transport and mission aircraft

Astrium; space programmes and systems

Cassidian; solutions for armed forces and civil security

Eurocopter; civil and military helicopters.

EADS is also the major partner in the Eurofighter consortium and a stakeholder in the missile systems provider MBDA.

Based on the article “Spain reduces stake in EADS to 4.2%” published in Agence France-Presse

Only 5 days of training to qualify A380 crew for the A350 XWB

The A350 XWB features a common flight deck and virtually identical flying qualities with those of the A320, A330, A340 and A380 Families. Airlines benefit from significant savings through reduced training requirements and a common pool of pilots.

Airlines around the world are benefiting daily from Airbus’ unique commonality, which results from the company’s pioneering use of fly-by-wire technology, along with its application of standardised cockpit layouts and operational procedures.

15 of Airbus’ aircraft models feature similar flight decks and handling characteristics. This commonality across the Airbus product line enables the multi-qualification of pilots and reduced pilot training times, while bringing significant savings through streamlined operational procedures.

With Airbus’ Cross Crew Qualification concept, fly-by-wire qualified pilots are positioned for an easy transition among A350 Family, the A320, A330 and A380 families through straightforward and rapid differential training – rather than full type rating training. For instance, transition training from A380 Family to the A350 is only 5 days, compared to a full course A350 training duration of around 50 days.

A mixed-fleet approach with benefits for everyone

Building on Airbus’ operational commonality, a pilot can be current on more than one fly-by-wire aircraft type simultaneously, and regularly transition from very-long to medium-haul flights.

For airlines, the increase in revenue hours flown due to reduced standby results in significant productivity increases. Airlines could interchange differently-sized aircraft on short notice without crew-scheduling difficulties, allowing them to better match aircraft capacity to passenger demand.

Such streamlining results in lower training costs for airlines and considerably increased crew productivity, with annual savings in training and payroll costs of up to $300,000 for each new Airbus aircraft added to the fleet. It is also more economical for an airline to recruit new pilots who are already Airbus-qualified; for pilots, this benefit provides greater mobility and better prospects for employment.

Women at the Top: Saint-Eloi and Illescas centers of excellence for A350 XWB are managed by two experienced women

Marie-Laure Roux  was the first plant-manager in Airbus when she was nominated in 2011 as Head of the Saint-Eloi factory in Toulouse.

"Since then, another woman was appointed to the head of the factory of Illescas in Spain and has therefore joined me the club of Factory-Directors" said Roux.

Marie-Laure Roux Head of Saint-Eloi site

And these two sites are both top technological showcase factories involved in A350 XWB Program; not only manufacturing plants but centers of excellence.

The site of Saint-Eloi was elected best factory of France in 2011. Located in the heart of the District of the Minims, the factory is a global centre of excellence for Airbus. The specialty:Pylon manufacturing for the whole Airbus family, including the A350 XWB pylon.

 

 

The A350 XWB complements the launch of the A320 NEO. "My task is to ensure the ramp up of the production rates, deliver on time and in quality to the assembly lines and launch the NEO. And as we do not have too much space in Saint-Éloi, we must constantly challenge us" she explains.

  

The optimization of space is indeed paramount. After the creation of a mobile production line which saves valuable time in the production cycle, Marie-Laure Roux must do all the Airbus programmes flows.

Teresa Busto Head of Illescas site

Teresa Busto is from 1st of January 2013 the new Head of Illescas site in Spain. She was from 2008 until 2012 the head of  manufacturing engineering of composite materials and metal parts, leading a transnational team with offices in Nante, Stade, Getafe, Saint Eloy and Illescas. She joined CASA in 1987, will be the first woman to direct an Airbus plant in Spain. 

Illescas is Airbus’ Centre of Excellence for composite materials in Spain. In this site, and additionally to other critical parts for A320, A340 and A380, it is manufactured for the A350 XWB the biggest carbon fibre part ever produced in civil aviation; the wing lower cover, that measures approximately 32 metres long by six meters wide.

Based on the article “Marie-Laure Roux, la dame de Saint-Eloi” published in La Depeche

Trent XWB is the largest engine produced by Rolls-Royce, larger than the A380´s Trent900. A real-time digital X-ray system is used to improve the efficiency.

The engine is the largest yet produced by the UK manufacturer, with a 3m fan diameter.  Although the Trent XWB's fan is only 51mm larger in diameter than that of the A380's Trent 900, Trent XWB chief engineer Chris Young pointed out that the smaller fan hub of the new engine means that each blade is 76mm longer and has 50% more surface area. "This is the biggest blade we've done by quite some amount," said Trent XWB programme director Chris Cholerton.

As part of the Trent XWB development effort, R-R has invested in what is thought to be the most powerful, real-time digital X-ray system in western Europe, which has enabled it to measure turbine blade tip movement relative to seal positions and identify oppportunities to boost efficiency.

Previously, using film-based X-ray systems "we used to get four images in a day and take a long time to analyse them", says Young. "Now, we get 4,000 images in the same time, which we can run into a film and instantly be able to look at the data.

 

A major focus for the Trent XWB programme is achieving production readiness, given the required fast ramp-up of the build rate.

Based on the article “R-R prepares to ramp up Trent XWB production” published in Flight Global

Airbus starts working with the A350 XWB Configurator, a new tool that provides to the airlines the 3D scenarios for customization based on a catalog of modular solutions.

Airbus has introduced a central configuration tool for the A350 XWB program called “A350 XWB Configurator” that has been developed by Berlin engineering software provider PACE and is based on the latest version of their flagship product Pacelab Cabin 7.

The tool supports Airbus sales, marketing and customer engineering teams in creating airline-specific cabin layouts and aircraft configurations and presenting them in fully rendered 3D, with realistic representations of the selected materials and ambient lighting scenarios.

The A350 XWB Configurator ties in with Airbus's new customization concept of offering aircraft buyers an extensive catalog of modular solutions to achieve a significant reduction of lead times. Key assets in this respect are the software's intuitive, highly visual user interface, which facilitates the selection of suitable packages from the catalog; complex compatibility rules, which ensure that only valid configurations are considered; and real-time visualization, which makes it easier for the customer to examine the currently selected options.

"As the client-facing side of our customization concept, the A350 XWB Configurator is an important sales and communication tool, which provides all the information airlines need to make a smart purchasing decision," explains Francois Caudron, Airbus Head of A350 Customer & Business Development. "PACE has a proven track record with our company and we welcome their contribution to the A350 XWB customer experience."

"We are very proud to have received this vote of confidence from Airbus. We consider their choice a strong validation of our leadership in the cabin configuration domain and of the long-standing relationship between our companies," says PACE managing partner Alexander Schneegans.

PACE also works with many airlines –Emirates, Etihad, Lufthansa CityLine, Swiss, Air Berlin- as well as with main manufacturers like Bombardier, Boeing, Embraer, COMAC, Eurocopter, GE Aviation, Rolls-Royce, Superjet and Sukhoi.

Based on the article “PACE Delivers Airbus A350 XWB Configurator” published in Blommberg