A350 XWB artificial ice tests to be performed in coming days with MSN1 prototype.

The first flight-test aircraft, MSN001, as of today had accumulated 92 flights and more than 400 flight hours, while MSN003, the second flight-test aircraft, had completed 15 flights and close to 100 flight hours. Following the completion of minimum unstick speed tests (VMU, the slowest speed at which the aircraft will still take off), Airbus is preparing for icing tests with simulated ice-shapes with MSN1 in coming days. Later, but targeted before end of the year, the icing test with natural ice will be performed, although the exact timing and location largely depends on the weather.

Artificial ice shapes on the A380 prototype

These first tests will be flying maneuvers to evaluate the handling and stall characteristics as if ice were forming on the A350′s wings, horizontal and vertical stabilizers. However, flight test crews aren’t out searching for natural icing conditions yet. The MSN1 prototype is being fitted with artificial ice-shapes.

Simulated ice shapes on the 787 5th prototype ZA005 Aug/2010

Basically what Airbus wants is to be able to simulate the worst case icing conditions on the aircraft with ice shapes. Flight test is all about the envelope conditions, so Airbus will be testing within that envelope and get ice buildup on the airplane. But the ice shapes allow test engineers to know they are at that end condition, otherwise it’s very difficult to measure what’s happening on the wing during the flight. Ice shapes are primarily foam-epoxy build-up that can be taken off later. Airbus will do performance take-off and landing with those ice shapes on.





Based on the article “Airbus Sets A350-900 Service Entry Target, Expands Production Capacity” published in Aviationweek

A350-800 can not be canceled because some customers are proving hard to convince to trade upward. US Airways decision is key.

Airbus would be happy to ditch the A350-800, but holds nearly 80 firm orders.

Airbus has been openly reluctant to actually build the shorter A350-800. But it still holds 79 firm orders for the type, and some customers are proving hard to convince to trade upward.

Russia's largest airline, Aeroflot, last week opted to convert 10 orders for the -800 into commitments for the larger -900 version, but still wants 8 of its original call for 22 aircraft to be the smallest A350 family member. The backlog for the -800 has already been cut by more than half in previous years.

Airbus has been encouraging its customers to give up their -800 commitments in favor of the larger -900 and -1000, but has had mixed success. A number of airlines continue to insist on the 250-seat aircraft (in three classes), because they believe they are unable to fill the larger variants.

The future of the type could very well rest on the decision of the planned merger of US Airways and American Airlines. With an order for 18 aircraft, US Airways is now by far the largest -800 customer, following by lessor Aircraft Purchase Fleet (12) and Yemen Airways (10). Hawaiian Airlines has bought six of the type and several other airlines have single-digit commitments.

But if “New American” decided that the -800 no longer fits its requirement for the long-haul fleet, that might very well be a turning point for the program.

A350 program chief Didier Evrard said last week that “as long as the airlines show an interest, the aircraft will be built. It is not complicated for us to do it.” He said timing for first delivery was still “a moving target” because of the ongoing talks with airlines.

Evrard gave no indication when production of the -800 versions may begin but the first MSN allocated for the first A350-800 prototype could be after the MSN150.

Based on the article “Near Nowhere” published in Aviationweek

Airbus has time to decide whether it wants to launch the A350-1100 against the 777-9X. Because the first target is to avoid any indication of doubt about the A350-1000´s competitive position

Double-stretching an airframe might be something of a mug’s game, according to Airbus’s John Leahy, but that hasn’t stopped the whispering campaign centered on an imaginary aircraft unofficially labelled, at least by outsiders, as the A350-1100.

Whether the eventual emergence of the 777-9X will demand another incremental counterattack ultimately depends on the size of the market as much as the degree of slack in the A350-1000’s design – from which Airbus might squeeze additional capability – without straying into the same minefield that it claims will complicate the -9X’s development.

Size of Market enough for 777-9X, A380 and A350-1100?

There is 200-seat gap between the A350-1000 and the A380, and Airbus is forecasting that 30% of twin-aisle sales over the next 20 years will be in the 350- to 400-seat category.

The question is whether Airbus is prepared to cede the upper end of that range to the 777-9X – particularly if the end result is that A380 sales could suffer either way. Airbus has developed the A350 family with the aim of taking on five Boeings, across two lines, with just three aircraft. This is an ambitious strategy which depends heavily on finding the best airframe size to serve as the anchor, and which still potentially leaves Airbus vulnerable at the extremes – both upper and lower – of its family range.

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Airbus has so far been adamant that development of the 777X is evidence of Boeing’s concerns over the A350-1000’s encroachment on the 777-300ER’s ¬monopoly. Although its language regarding a possible further stretch of the A350 has softened slightly, Airbus will want to avoid any indication of doubt about the -1000’s competitive position. Given that the 777X has yet to be formally launched, Toulouse still has time to decide whether it wants to play.


Based on the article “Variations enigma” published in Flight International Blog

MSN5 final-assembly started in Toulouse. It will fly in May/2014

Assembly of MSN5, the 5th and final member of the A350 XWB flight test fleet is now underway with the fuselage joining process. This follows the recent arrival of the 3 fuselage sections at the A350 XWB final assembly line in Toulouse, France.

MSN5 is the second of the A350 flight test aircraft that will feature a passenger cabin and will have the same paint livery than MSN2. This aircraft will fly for the first time in May/2014 and will be used essentially to perform cabin related flight tests.

It will also participate in the Early Long Flights where the “passengers” are Airbus employees. This allows the cabin and related systems to be submitted to near realistic operations in order to ensure a mature cabin at entry into service.

In addition, MSN5 will carry out Route Proving flights to demonstrate to the certification authorities that the aircraft performs perfectly in airport operations. MSN005 is also planned for ETOPS certification.

MSN5 is the first aircraft of the batch2 and several weight optimization modifications are already implemented. It will be the first A350 with nickel-cadmium batteries and although it will not fly too much in the certification program (around 4 months) the MSN5 is the certification standard aircraft.




Based on the press release published “Fifth and final A350 XWB test aircraft enters final assembly line”

GKN Aerospace wins award for A350 XWB rear wing spar.

The British Plastics Federation (BFP) and the Worshipful Company of Horners have awarded the 2013 Horners Award for Plastics Innovation and Design to GKN Aerospace for its 'highly innovative' Airbus A350 XWB carbon fiber rear wing spar.

This award recognizes the success of an intensive development and production program that has seen GKN Aerospace engineers, working closely with the Airbus team, achieve demanding goals for the A350 XWB wing spar that will help increase the aircraft's performance and reduce its weight, fuel consumption and emissions.

Each wing's 27m long rear spar is manufactured in 3 sections and forms the structural heart of the wing fixed trailing edge (FTE). The spar attaches vital parts including the main landing gear, to the wing. Its complex integral contours are achievable only as a result of manufacturing innovations introduced by GKN Aerospace and these contours provide the specific strength and flexibility required with minimal weight.

Once the spar is manufactured, GKN Aerospace is responsible for assembling the complete wing FTE and delivering this assembly to Airbus in Broughton ready for integration onto the wing.

Chris Gear, VP chief engineering, GKN Aerospace explains: “We have used methods developed by Airbus and validated by GKN Aerospace to optimize the complex spar structure to meet rigorous technical requirements for weight, strength, wing architecture and the main landing gear attachment, achieving this by precisely tailoring the layup of the composite material.”

To produce this complex spar structure and assemble the WTE, the company has created a totally new, advanced, automated manufacturing and assembly facility near Bristol, England, where it has introduced innovations across product design manufacture and assembly, including material deposition, tooling and forming, finishing, assembly and testing.

 Here, among many process innovations, advanced automated fibre placement (AFP) machines use robotic heads to lay down carbon fibre reinforced plastic (CFRP) material at more than eight times the maximum hand lay-up speed - and with a consistency and accuracy that is impossible to achieve manually. Using this new facility, the company can produce lightweight CFRP components with complex, bespoke geometries, and integrate complete assemblies swiftly, cost effectively and consistently.

Brotje Automation has supplied the robotic drilling cell on GKN Aerospace's moving assembly line for the A350XWB wing spar and trailing-edge assembly

Phil Swash, CEO and president, GKN Aerospace – Aerostructures, Europe explains: “We would like to thank all our suppliers, partners and especially Airbus for the vital part they have played in our winning this award. Our work on the A350 XWB program is the latest step in a journey that has seen us become a major supplier of critical wing assemblies for both the A380 and for the A400M. In every case we have worked with Airbus to introduce innovative and effective manufacturing solutions that enhance airframe performance. Our new facility will allow us to meet future demand for faster, more consistent manufacture of ever more reliable and environmentally friendly aircraft.”

The prestigious Horners Award, established in 1947, is thought to be the oldest extant award for plastics in the world. It is run jointly by the Worshipful Company of Horners (an ancient guild and livery company of the City of London) and the British Plastics Federation. It is awarded annually for entries demonstrating innovation in plastics design and manufacture or in the processing of plastics. 

Based on the article “GKN Aerospace wins award for A350 XWB rear wing spar” published in Advance

Spirit AeroSystems only delivers 4 shipsets in the first 9 months of 2013. Without reaching the rate of 1 aircraft per month, it could become the bottle neck for the A350-900 ramp up.

In the 3rd Quarter 2013 Financial Results reported by Spirit AeroSystems there are some key data concerning the A350 XWB Program. While Spirit has reported revenues of $1.504 Billion, they include also $124 Million in New Program Charges, primarily on the A350 XWB program.

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Spirit AeroSystems reported third quarter 2013 financial results reflecting continued strong demand for large commercial aircraft, solid mature program operating performance, and the impact of new program charges. Spirit’s third quarter 2013 revenues were $1.504 billion, up 10 percent from $1.365 billion for the same period of 2012, driven by higher production volumes.

“We are making progress but there is more work to be done. In the fourth quarter, we will have concluded our strategic and financial review and we will provide 2014 financial guidance with our fourth quarter and full-year 2013 earnings report,” said President and Chief Executive Officer Larry Lawson.

“We had a productive quarter as we reduced costs and remained on track for our rate increases. Spirit’s strong third quarter performance across the mature programs demonstrates the predictable and consistent earnings and cash flow capability of this business. While we’ve made significant investments on next generation twin aisle aircraft, these programs position Spirit on the products which drive the long-term growth trends in this market segment,” Lawson continued.


“Looking forward, given our capability and affordability, we see continued growth opportunities in the large commercial aircraft and defense market segments as both commercial and defense OEMs seek the capable, cost-effective engineering and manufacturing capabilities that Spirit brings to the market,” Lawson concluded.

In the third quarter of 2013 the Fuselage Systems segment recorded net pre-tax forward losses of $112 million on the A350 XWB fuselage program which consists of $79 million on the A350 XWB recurring fuselage program reflecting early development discovery and changes and associated production inefficiencies, and higher test and transportation costs across the buy and $33 million on the A350 XWB non-recurring fuselage program driven by engineering efforts on the -1000 derivative.

The company’s credit rating remained unchanged at the end of the third quarter 2013 with a Ba2, negative outlook by Moody’s Investor Services and a BB, negative outlook by Standard and Poor’s.

But Deliveries figures state that in 2013 Spirit only has delivered 4 shipsets. Considering the 3 shipsets delivered last year, it seems that Spirit has delays and difficulties for the ramp up. It could become the bottle neck for the A350-900 Program ramp up.

Based on the “Spirit AeroSystems Holdings, Inc. Reports 3rd Quarter 2013 Financial Results”

A350 XWB Type Certification target: September/2014. And the first delivery to Qatar by November/2014.

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Airbus is targeting early September 2014 as the entry into service date for the A350-900. A350 program chief Didier Evrard says that the company has set that goal on the assumption that the flight-test program and production ramp-up proceed without serious unforeseen events.

Airbus has not specified exactly when the aircraft is to be delivered to its first operator, Qatar Airways, other than to say it is targeting the second half of 2014. The fact that Airbus is now committing to a more concrete date shows that the company is becoming more comfortable with the internal planning and the results of its flight-test program. “It was important to fly rather early to have some flexibility in the program,” Evrard says.

Airbus is progressing with final assembly of MSN002, the third flight-test aircraft and the first that will have a passenger cabin installed. The company has begun installing some cabin elements such as galleys and flight-crew rest compartments, but that work is ongoing. MSN002 is planned to be ready for painting before the end of the year and final preparations before first flight in February 2014. It is crucial for Airbus to maintain that schedule because the aircraft needs about six months of testing to get the cabin certified. A February first flight would therefore take certification into the August timeframe. Early long flights—simulating long-haul airline operations—are scheduled for spring of next year.


Based on the article “Airbus Sets A350-900 Service Entry Target, Expands Production Capacity” published in Aviationweek