A350 XWB; emergency exit on the first prototypes.

Each test flight is operated by a crew of 2 pilots and 3 flight engineers, who monitor the stream of data flowing from a multitude of sensors into a bank of computers installed in the middle of the cabin.

On all seats is a parachute. If things should go terribly awry and the crew needs to evacuate, a bright-orange railing leads them from the cockpit door to a hatch in the floor above the forward baggage compartment. The emergency scape.

By pulling a lever, the crew can trigger a set of explosive charges that will blow a hole in the right side of the fuselage. They can then leap down a slide, through the hole, and into the air.

That’s the idea, anyway. Says test pilot Frank Chapman: “If the plane is tumbling out of control, would you really be able to get out?” He shrugs.

Based on the article “How Airbus Is Debugging the A350” published in Businessweek

A350 will be at ILA Berlin and at Farnborough airshows

Qatar Airways is aiming to steal the limelight at this year’s Farnborough airshow by displaying no less than 4 airliners including an A380, an A320, an A350, and a 787.

Airbus will display the A350 MSN4 adorned in a hybrid scheme with Qatar Airways titles and branding at Farnborough airshow in July. Additionally Qatar Airways will bring its first A380 where it will also display a Boeing 787-8 and a sharklet-equipped A320.

For ILA Berlin Airshow that will place from 20/May to 25/May, the A350 prototype that will be displayed could be the black&white painted MSN2. 

The cabin installed in this prototype has been developed and manufactured by the German risk-sharing-partner Diehl Aircabin.

Based on the article “Qatar to take first A380s in June, plans Farnborough extravaganza” published in Flight International.

Two new A350 flying prototypes airborne on the same day

The A350 XWB flight test aircraft, MSN2 and MSN4, have both taken to the skies from Toulouse airport  for their respective first flights, bringing the total number of A350 XWBs now flying from 2 to 4. To date, the first two A350 XWB test aircraft to fly, MSN1 and MSN3, have already performed close to 1100 flight test hours out of the program’s total 2500 hours planned for certification. Click the picture to watch a video

The MSN2 is the first test aircraft equipped with a full passenger cabin interior. Airbus has planned "to start carrying passengers and performing tests of the cabin and all of the cabin systems” when it undertakes the Early Long Flights (ELF) in Spring.

Airbus rolled-out its 3rd flight-test aircraft MSN2 from the paint shop in Toulouse on the 2nd of January. It has a distinctive “Carbon” signature livery to reflect its primary construction from advanced materials.

In the upper side of the aft section of the fuselage there is the radome for the satellite based broadband system (a directional antenna is installed in German pre-FAL under the radome). With this system, the passengers will have access to the wifi system within the fuselage for internet connections through smartphones and tablets. 

Based on the press release “A350 XWB flying test fleet doubles size”

Qatar will fly to New York with A350s in 2015.

Qatar Airways, the largest customer of the A350 is prepared for the arrival of its first A350-900s later this year.

The airline says it will not be able to assess whether the -900 has met performance targets until it enters service in the fourth quarter, but remains confident that the program is on track.

Qatar Airways CEO Al Baker added: “I cannot say anything about the performance until the aircraft is delivered. On paper we have a lot of guarantees, but when we start flying it, we will have to see”.

After initially using the A350 on intra-Gulf services for training, Qatar will operate the A350s first long-haul services to New York and subsequently European routes.

Based on the article “Qatar in talks to order more A350s” published in Flight International

Detailed analysis of the A350´s fuel burn and range performance will be done with MSN5 “batch2” prototype starting in May.

Airbus will undertake detailed analysis of the A350 XWB’s fuel burn and range performance with the first fully representative aircraft when it flies in May, but is confident that it is on course to achieve all its targets.

The first two aircraft MSN1 and MSN3 -with more than 1000 flight hours logged- have been used for some basic performance testing. MSN2 and MSN4 will also play a role in the process as soon as they airborne in February.

However the test team will concentrate on MSN5 when it becomes available in May for definitive analysis, said Fernando Alonso senior vice-president flight and integration tests.

“MSN5 will be the first ‘batch 2’ airplane built with production-standard engines, and we will fly a 2-3 month test campaign on that airplane which is mandatory to certificate everything related to ‘batch 2’ modifications and the engines,” said Alonso.

This aircraft will also be used for the route-proving program to be flown in conjunction with launch customer Qatar Airways, from the airline’s Doha base.

“Batch 2” represents the production specification A350 with modifications mainly related to weight-saving, said Alonso. “We are on target for the weight with the ‘batch 2’ aircraft. I am very confident that we will deliver the payload and the range that we planned.”

The first A350 off the line for Qatar Airways will be MSN6.

Airbus says it is making “steady progress” towards type certification in the third quarter and it is confident that first deliveries to Qatar Airways and entry-into-service will take place before the end of the year.

Based on the article “Airbus confident on A350 performance numbers.” published in FlightGlobal

Extreme temperature tests second round scheduled for May. But this time the A350 will be tested indoor.

Following the Bolivia and Canada trials, the A350 will undergo another round of extreme temperature tests in May, but this time it will use the McKinley Climatic Laboratory at Eglin Air Force Base in Florida.

The hangar will be cooled down to temperatures of around -40 degrees Celsius and heated to reach +45 degrees Celsius. The hangar has been used by many previous programs including, most recently, the Boeing 787.

Two months before, in March, natural icing tests will be completed.

Based on the article “A350 Test Progress Exceeds Expectations” published in AviationWeek

Qatar could order more A350 -1000s

Qatar Airways is in talks with Airbus about an order for additional A350 XWBs, probably -1000s, as it prepares for the arrival of its first A350-900 later this year.

“There is a possibility that we will order additional A350s”, Qatar Airways CEO Akbar Al Baker said. “We still have not worked out the size of the order. At the moment we are looking at the A350-1000”, he added.

The airliner´s first A350-900 is due for delivery in the Q4 of this year, and the A350-1000s are due to arrive from 2017. Al Baker said the schedule for the planned new A350 order “could overlap with deliveries of the current batch”.

Qatar Airways is the launch customer for the A350 with firm orders for 80 aircraft, comprisiong 43 -900s and 37 -1000s.

It is not clear if the proposed A350 deal would have any impact on 30 options the airline holds for Boeing 787s, as Al Baker has previously been critical of the Dreamliner´s teething problems.

Based on the article “Qatar in talks to order more A350s” published in Flight International