Lightning Strike Test in MSN3 passed as it is required for the First Flight Clearance

Lightning strike testing has been performed for the A350 XWB in the MSN3, completing a key required step in preparations for the maiden flight.

These so-called “electromagnetic hazard” evaluations – which took place mid-April at Airbus’ Clément Ader facility in Colomiers, France – involved the second A350 XWB flight test aircraft, MSN3, to demonstrate necessary protection levels in case of lightning strikes while aloft.

The A350 XWB’s aerostructure is made primarily of composite materials (carbon fibre reinforced plastic), providing more electrical resistance than an aerostructure consisting mostly of metallics.

To ensure the A350 XWB aerostructure safely manages lightning strikes, Airbus developed a solution where metallic foils are embedded in the aircraft’s composite panels – increasing the aerostructure’s electrical conductivity and protecting harnesses with metallic conduits.

It is important to confirm that such foils provide adequate protection for systems and equipment.

The A350 XWB “electromagnetic hazard” testing on MSN3 lasted around three days, consisting of lightning strike simulations and follow-up measurements of induced voltage/current levels on selected harnesses. These evaluations use a low-level current injection rather than the actual electrical current level generated by a lightning strike, with the measured voltages and current then extrapolated to the real threat of 200,000 amperes.

This testing will be continued by similar but longer tests on the MSN4 aircraft in 2014, fulfilling a requirement for type certification of Airbus’ A350-900 version.

Based on the press release “Confirming A350 XWB safety with lightning strike evaluations”



“I’m lobbying internally to increase -1000 production.”

“I could sell many more if I had the production slots,” Airbus sales chief John Leahy said. “I’m lobbying internally to increase -1000 production.” Today he has almost sold out for the first three years of production.

Less than a year ago, Airbus was struggling to secure orders for A350-1000  as airlines decried the plane as flawed. Now the company is trying to figure out how to meet resurgent demand.

 

British Airways - the first European customer for the A350-1000- commitment to buying 18+18 aircraft, gets more than doubling the European aircraft maker’s backlog for the model in less than a year.

The turnaround comes after Etihad Airways last May canceled 6 A350-1000s, shrinking Airbus’s backlog to 62 orders on a plane that had failed to pick up a new customer for 4 years. Airbus staged a comeback 2 months later following a redesign, with Cathay Pacific Airways adding 26 jets to its fleet, a move followed by Qatar Airways, previously among the most vocal critics of the plane, which seats 350 passengers.

 

 

Demand is being driven by airlines looking at long-term replacement of 777-300ERs, Leahy said. Boeing’s bestselling wide-body aircraft, which seats 365 passengers, has been in service for 9 years, and Boeing executives are weighing a revamped version by the end of the decade, dubbed the 777X, that would be capable of rebuffing the A350 threat.

 “The engineering data is now becoming available that is giving carriers some comfort the Airbus airplane is there,” said Howard Rubel, a New York-based analyst at Jefferies Group Inc. “British Airways took some of the early planes and Boeing’s solution is a couple of years beyond that.”

Airbus plans to begin delivery of the A350-1000 in 2017 after it altered the design to add payload and range to help compete more directly with the 777-300ER.

 

British Airways will be among the first A350-1000 operators, with deliveries due from 2017 through 2023, according to IAG. Qatar Air, the inaugural operator of the A350-900 due next year, will also be the first to fly the -1000.

Based on the article “Airbus’s Biggest A350 Vindicated as Boeing Faithful Places Order” published in Bloomberg

SriLankan Airlines close to announce an order for 4 A350 XWB

State-run Sri Lankan Airlines will acquire 6 Airbus A350-900 and 7 A330-300 aircraft to upgrade its product and cut costs starting from October 2014, chief executive Kapila Chandrasena said.

Sri Lankan will acquire 10 aircraft from Airbus through a mix of operating and finance leases in a deal which has a 'present value' of 1.2 billion US dollars and another 3 from an aircraft leasing firm, he said.

Cabinet approval has been given to sign a memorandum of understanding with Airbus for 10 purchase options and the first aircraft is expected to arrive starting from October 2014, he said.

2014-2022. The aircraft are to be delivered over 7 years.

Starting from 2014, 6 A340 aircraft which are up to 18 to 16 years old will be replaced by A330-300 aircraft.

7 A330-200 aircraft which are around 13 to 16 years old will be replaced starting from 2017 with A350-900 aircraft. 3 will come from an aviation leasing firm as there were no manufacturing slots available at Airbus in that period.

The balance 4 A350s will be acquired from Airbus Industries starting from 2019.

 

With several very old aircraft in the fleet, the airline could not give the same level of service to all passengers and operating costs were also high. "Fuel is 50 percent of our operating costs. With newer aircraft fuel is about 40 percent. That is a huge quantum of savings." Chandrasena said.

Based on the article “Le Sri Lanka va commander 10 Airbus” published in Le Figaro

Virtual reality supports the A350 XWB’s design and development

The RHEA (Realistic Human Ergonomic Analysis) development tool, was conceived by EADS Innovation Works – the research and technology organization at EADS.  RHEA results from more than a decade of EADS work in creating virtual 3D environments that enable engineers to interact with computer-generated mock-ups, which are increasingly used in the aerospace sector.

RHEA enables operators to “enter” and interact with a full-scale 3D digital model by wearing special goggles, helmet-mounted displays, or even as an avatar artificial figure with human dimensions.

 

Following the successful introduction of RHEA at the Eurocopter helicopter business unit of EADS, this software was put into service by Airbus in supporting the A350 XWB’s design and development at French plants in Toulouse and St. Nazaire, as well as Hamburg, Germany.

The deployment of RHEA’s virtual reality world was further expanded at Airbus with its application at St. Nazaire to help train production workers as they move the A350 XWB into production

The 3-3-3 seats configuration of the A350 XWB or the “middle seat” x 3.

Have you ever been told by a seatmate, "Excuse me; I need to go to the toilet"? Frequent travelers are almost doomed to a middle seat experience at some point.

In a survey at the USA (commissioned by 3M and run by the Global Strategy Group) they found that:

·         A majority of Americans would rather get stuck in traffic (56%) than sit in the middle seat on a full flight.

·         People dislike the middle seat so much that they go to great lengths to avoid it altogether. 50% of people say they would be likely to take an aisle seat being offered on the next available flight, while 20% say they would actually stay overnight at an airport hotel for an aisle seat on the first flight the next morning.

And why 3M is doing this survey? Because 3M sells computer privacy filters that are designed to hide your laptop screen from neighboring seatmates. With Wi-Fi being added to more planes all the time, the aircraft is more than ever before a place to work, watch movies and surf the web. Everyone will have a netbook, or smartphone, tablet or laptop. Imagine how many screens will you be able to watch in a A350 XWB 3-3-3 configuration...

Exceptions can be found (see this VIDEO) but as a general rule, no one wants a middle seat.

Skyscanner made a survey over 1000 airline passengers, questioning on their seat preferences: the survey found that the seat no-one wanted was 31E, a middle seat towards the back of the aircraft.

Airbus considers offering dimmable windows for A350 but only when the technology is mature to block out 100% of the light.

After 787 Li-ion batteries issue, Airbus has adopted a “minimum-change approach”. So they may eventually offer electrochromic dimable windows on it’s the A350 but only when the technology is "sufficiently mature" to block out 100% of the light entering the cabin.

Zuzana Hrnkova, head of interiors marketing at Airbus, admited it had trialled the technology with airline customers but found there was "no market" for the windows at present.

Boeing has introduced the electrochromic glass, supplied by Gentex, on its new 787 but airlines have complained the technology does not allow the glass to become dark enough, with some Japanese carriers even issuing passengers with stick-on window blinds.

Hrnkova says Airbus worked with Gentex to produce a cabin mock-up to test with its customers. "They told us that it did not provide 100% darkness. Even if it achieves 99% darkness there is still a lot of light penetrating the cabin and that is a no-go for them, especially on long-haul flights," she says.

Although window blinds will be standard on the A350, Airbus has retained the space to integrate the electrochromic windows at a later date, says Hrnkova, once the technology has matured.

 

Based on the article “Airbus may offer dimmable windows on later A350s” published in Flight Daily News.

FlightSafety International manufacturing A350 XWB simulators

FlightSafety International is designing and starting to manufacture full flight simulators and advanced training devices for the A350 XWB.

“Designing and developing Level D qualified simulators and other advanced training devices for the Airbus A350 aircraft will enable us to fully support the near and long-term training requirements of airlines that will operate the aircraft around the world. FlightSafety provides the high fidelity devices that airlines require and deliver them in accordance with their scheduling requirements,” said Rick Armstrong, Vice President, Simulation.

The Airbus A350 simulators built by FlightSafety will feature the company’s latest advances in technology including 60” electric motion and control loading technology, newly enhanced VITAL X visual system, and next generation flight instructor operating station.

Simulators equipped with FlightSafety’s electric motion and control loading technology offer the highest level of aircraft fidelity, enhanced performance, increased availability, and lower life cycle costs compared to previous-generation devices. They produce less heat, lower levels of ambient noise, and provide a safer environment. VITAL X offers 200 x 40 degree Field-of-View, features continuous global satellite high-resolution imagery, supports hundreds of six Degree of Freedom fully articulated moving models, and is capable of presenting a wide variety of environmental conditions.