What´s going on with the MSN1 A350 prototype?

A350 MSN1 is currently grounded for the installation of the production-standard electrical power center and system, incorporating nickel-cadmium batteries in place of the Lithium-ion power.

Registered with number F-WXWB, its last flight was on 31/January and it has accumulated more than 145 flights with more than 600 hours.

The aircraft will resume testing in comming days in March after one month being upgraded with some FTI removal and installation.

Two months later, in May, MSN5 will supplement that effort, “so we will have 2 aircraft on which to do the certification” said Fernando Alonso, Airbus senior VP Flight and Integration Tests.

Based on the article “Airbus hails mature A350” published in Flight International.

A350 recurring costs higher than planned. Why? (2/2)

The €434m charge reflects extra work on late design changes, as well as costs associated with improvements to capabilities in the supply chain, both outside and inside Airbus.

The challenges of an industrial ramp up are beginning to kick in and more supplier issues are emerging. “We are stepping up the industrial ramp-up” said CFO Harald Wilhelm, chich has led to “higher costs” than expected.

According to Wilhelm, additional work for late design modifications are partly to blame, but he also pointed at “some manufacturing disruption” at Premium Aerotec. The Airbus Group subsidiary, based in Augsburg (Germany) builds the A350´s fuselage sections 13/14 and the panels for section 17/18.

Premium Aerotec is in the throes of transitioning to a new technology while setting up its corporate structures. And, like other A350 risk sharing partners and suppliers, it faces a steep ramp-up.

According to industry sources, Premium Aerotec is due to deliver 20 shipsets in 2014, 43 in 2015, 82 in 2016, 116 in 2017 and 139 in 2018. This reflects Airbus´ target to gradually raise A350 output to 2 units per month by end of this year to 10 units per month by 2018.

The charge on the A350 reflects a “reassessment of actual and estimated unit cost”, Airbus said. Improvement actions have been launched to converge on costs targets” it adds.

Based on the article “Airbus Boosts A320 Output, Takes Large A350 Charge” published in AviationWeek.

A350 recurring costs higher than planned. How much? (1/2)

Rising costs have led Airbus to take a €434 million one-off charge against the A350 program in the Q4/2013. Chief Financial Officer Harald Wilhelm, presenting Airbus Group´s 2013 financial results in Toulouse, underscored Airbus´ confidence that it will deliver the first A350 before the end of 2014.

However, Wilhelm said a “bottom-up program review” concluded that A350 recurring costs would be higher than previously thought.

Tom Enders, Airbus Group Chief Executive added that he could give no guarantees that this would be the last charge against a program that “remains challenging”.

Based on the article “A350´s costs rise with €434m charge” published in Flight International.

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