The third phase of the flight-test will start in October with the MSN3 joining the program.

MSN003, the second flight A350, due to make its first flight in October, is mainly tasked with the performance and engine testing. Autoland and landing performance trials are set to commence following the freeze. The first realistic figures on fuel burn will become available in that phase, too.

With MSN003 in place, the program until the end of the year will include engine and performance testing, and all the flutter testing, including those run at the highest speeds.

Icing trials are planned for November and will likely take place in France, given the expected weather conditions.



Based on the article “Testing Times” published in Aviation Week.

VMU test planned for mid-September.

According the mentioned article, the minimum unstick speed test, or VMU (velocity of minimum unstick) is planned for mid-month. This highly intense maneuver is used to determine what the lowest speed is at which the aircraft can still take off.

The tail skid is already installed under the structurally reinforced & prepared rear fuselage S.19. This specific tail bumper is added to protect the tail from any damage during the VMU test.

The VMU tests are difficult to carry out, mainly because it has to perform a soft touch down of the tail bumper, as the structure is not designed for a strong impact. It will not an unique test (on A380 there were executed 22 tests). The tests will be performed at Istres Air Force Base (South of France) where there is a 5 km runway and no houses or other obstacles on the runway axis for several kilometers.

Perfect weather conditions are needed, with no turbulence and wind less than 5 kts, to insure the precision of the measurements.



Based on the article “Testing Times” published in Aviation Week.

The Japanese carriers ANA and JAL will decide between going with the new A350-1000 or repeat the experience of being a launch customer for 787-10 and 777Xs.

In Japan, Boeing dominates with around an 80% market share. Flag carrier JAL -Japan Airlines has yet to buy an Airbus aircraft even though the political prodding to purchase Boeing jets partially built in Japan has lessened.
This year, Airbus finally spied a breach in Boeing's Japanese fortress.

Glitches with Boeing's 787s, which both JAL and rival All Nippon Airways have put at the center of their fleet planning, created an opening for it to offer its just-finished A350 to replace around 50 of the airlines' ageing Boeing 777s from 2020.

That window may, however, be closing as Boeing launches a charm counter-offensive to blunt Airbus and shore up its Japanese base. Boeing's order to its sales team from its Seattle commercial aircraft base is "do everything you can to win this order", a source familiar with the negotiations told Reuters.

Airbus got a foothold at ANA, which operates Airbus A320s on short-haul services, but hasn't scored an order there since 2005. ANA's medium and long-haul fleet consists only of Boeing planes, and it is the world's largest operator of the787. Airbus's most notable success has been among Japan's emerging discount carriers, including an order by Skymark Airlines in 2011 for 6 A380s.

High-profile problems with the 787 -including a months-long grounding due to problems with the lithium-ion batteries- cost JAL and ANA millions of dollars and more importantly, it led to a large degree of frustration with Boeing in Tokyo.

Airbus is offering the A350-900 to replace the 777-200s. It is also pushing the upcoming larger -1000 to replace the 777-300 family.

Boeing is offering the largest variant of the 787, the -10, as well as the 777X.

At the Paris Air Show in June, chief Airbus salesman John Leahy said: "It is just a matter of time before JAL and ANA fly Airbus wide-body aircraft".

“I’d be very surprised, but I can say I’m looking for an improvement in our market share in Japan. We have nowhere to go but up. I would be hopeful we will get a breakthrough in Japan, but I don’t want to predict a timeline,” Leahy commented to Leeham News.

Within JAL, there is a division between those who want to stick with Boeing and those who prefer an alternative supplier. The 787's technical problems may have increased the frustration with Boeing, but a source close to JAL said that alone wouldn't tip the balance to Airbus.

"JAL still has confidence in Boeing's aircraft. The decision hinges on a larger strategic discussion about its aircraft procurement strategy," the source close to JAL said.

"The question before the management is if they should stick to a known and reliable supplier, or order Airbus aircraft in order to ensure they have the best options from two relatively equal companies. The answer to that will guide the decision."

ANA spokesman Ryosei Nomura said the airline was considering both the 777X and the A350.
"At the moment we are gathering information and have not yet begun any formal assessment," Nomura said. "We don't yet know when we will reach a conclusion."


"The Japanese carriers are facing a tough choice, go with Boeing and be a launch customer again for an aircraft that could slip beyond its 2019 start of delivery target, or pick Airbus, an unknown, but with a firmer delivery schedule," said a third source close to the negotiations.

If they delay a decision, they may not enjoy the benefits of being among the early customers for the 777X or miss out on the delivery slots for the A350-1000.

"This is an intense battle, and the pressure is on the airlines and the aircraft manufacturers. There are so many variables at stake here. Whatever the decision is, someone will be very unhappy," said one of the sources familiar with the negotiations.

Based on the article “Airbus struggles to loosen Boeing's grip on Fortress Japan” published in Reuters

Flight-test campaign close to start a new phase. The first month was dedicated to open the full flight envelope, and the second 2 months to determine & freeze flap setting optimum configuration.

The initial part of the flight-test campaign is drawing to a close.

Airbus expects to be able to freeze the final configuration for flap settings in various flight phases, including takeoffs, approaches and landings, within 4-6 weeks. Once the optimum configuration has been determined and validated against simulation data, the manufacturer will have passed a crucial milestone, which heralds the start of the actual certification testing later this year.

Following the temporary break, the average flight times have regularly exceeded 6-7 hr. When the aircraft made its debut at the Paris air show, that excursion was included in a test flight that exceeded 9 hr.

MSN001 resumed its test program on Aug. 15 following a planned break in the schedule to allow for more test equipment to be installed. Additional instrumentation was added to measure loads, and more cameras were put onboard. As of last week, the aircraft had logged more than 150 flight hours and was flying almost daily. This amount of test hours is at the upper limit of expectations, according to Airbus officials.

Last week, Airbus CEO Fabrice Bregier became one of the first non-test crew to fly onboard the A350. The sortie he was on flew close to 4 hr. Not surprisingly, Bregier promptly announced that he liked the smooth ride and was impressed by the large flat-panel screen displays in the cockpit.

Having initially devoted most of the time to open the full flight envelope (all expected speeds and altitudes), MSN001 is now mainly undergoing performance testing at various configurations (flap settings) to determine the best angle for each setting in a trade-off between lift and drag. While most settings will be identical for takeoff and landing, the slats setting in “position flaps 3” will be slightly different, according to Patrick du Che, head of flight-test development. Data generated in the tests is used to run a series of models to determine the optimum configuration.



Based on the article “Testing Times” published in Aviation Week.

“A350 XWB tests go like clockwork. Everything works correctly but Airbus remains extremely careful: everyday you can fall on a bone", EADS chief strategy and marketing officer.

Marwan Lahoud, EADS chief strategy and marketing officer, said on the sidelines of a French defense industry event in Pau that testing for the A350, was going well.

"There have been no new problems on the A350. The flight tests are going according to plan. We are getting on with the program and we are confident of meeting our goals for certification and first delivery."

Didier Evrard and Marwan Lahoud on the First Flight last June

"During a certification test campaign of a new aircraft, the aircraft flies but also spends time on the ground to be modified and updated”, he explained."This utilization rate (the average number of hours that an aircraft is actually in flight during each 24-h period) has never been reached before on another plane. Everything works correctly", he said, but Airbus remains" extremely careful: everyday you can fall on a bone ".


Everything is going well on the flight test campaign and they go “like clockwork “ («marchent comme une lettre à la poste», in french) said Marwan Lahoud. During the annual meeting of politicians, military and industrial that is held at the summer-University in Pau, he insisted that Airbus is confident to deliver as expected the first aircraft to Qatar next year.

From left to right:

Lahoud: “Tests go like clockwork”

Enders: "It is going very, very well”

Bregier "So far so good"

To keep the target of the aircraft delivery plan, Airbus needs to ramp up the production to 3 aircraft per month in 2014 and increase progressively to 10 aircraft per month in 2018.




Based on the article “Airbus A350 : «les essais en vol marchent comme une lettre à la poste»" published in La Tribune

A350 MSN1 first night-flight test done.

Last 5/September the MSN1 took off for the first time during the night. Identified as AIB35WB on FR24, it made some circuits on Toulouse with full stop, taxi and then start at 14R.

Pictures from http://www.flickr.com/photos/raphaellabourel

It was the flight number 36 that took 2 hours and 3 minutes, taking off at 18:12h and landing at 20:15h local time in Toulouse.

Airbus takes the control of Alestis Aerospace nominating the new CEO.

The Board of Directors of Alestis Aerospace has approved the nomination of Francisco Javier Díaz Gil as CEO who will substitute Jesús García Argüelles starting on 23/September.

Alestis has pointed out that Francisco Javier Díaz Gil, born in Seville, is an industrial engineer and has a long career in the aeronautical sector since it began working in Construcciones Aeronáuticas SA (CASA), with a permanent link to the EADS Group, where has held numerous positions of responsibility in the Organization of Airbus Military.

Díaz Gil is currently Chairman and CEO of EADS PZL Warszawa-Okecie - Polish subsidiary of Airbus Military and director of manufacturing at Airbus Military, charges that will leave to join Alestis Aerospace.

As new CEO, Diaz Gil will consolidate the structural changes on progress since Airbus nominate a new CEO last year.

Alestis designs and builds the Belly Fairing and Section 19.1 of the Rear Fuselage for A350-900 model.

Alestis Aerospace, one of the three Spanish Tier1 in the A350 XWB program, is facing a cash crunch and from May/2012, it was placed under court administration so it is operating from one bill to the next.

Airbus took the control of the group with the arrival of García Argüelles as new CEO; he was former managing director of Airbus Military facility of Tablada (Sevilla).

After the appointment, Diaz Gil said that it begins this new professional stage with "great enthusiasm" and "the desire to continue the excellent work of transformation of the company started by Jesús García Argüelles".

A new COO has been also nominated, Joseba Pérez, who had the same position last year in Aernnova, another Spanish Tier1.

It is not the first time Airbus rescues a supplier. Tom Williams, who oversees all Airbus programs, said the company experienced supply-chain problems last year as it increased production of its A320 single-aisle jet.

“We've had to inject a lot of additional resources into the supply chain and in some cases we've had to intervene directly in the supply chain, either actually taking a management ownership in some of suppliers, injecting money, injecting our managers and talent in order to help manage the problems and keep the suppliers afloat so that we could keep feeding our production lines."



Based on the article “Alestis nombra nuevo consejero delegado” published in Europa Press