Ejectable black-boxes for A350 under analysis 2/2

One of the Airbus suppliers, Honeywell vice-president of aerospace regulatory affairs Chris Benich, also briefed the forum and described how a deployable recorder would work.

The system first senses the start of a crash and releases the deployable recorder from the aircraft. In a previous patent filling, Airbus described the installation as a lower panel in the aft fuselage near the tail cone. If the system lands on water, it is designed to float indefinitely, with a locator beacon to alert search crews of its presence.

Upon immersion of the aircraft in water, an ejection device automatically ejects the beacon out of the aircraft. The ejection device includes a piston system that generates an opening in the aircraft and expels the beacon accordingly.

The most appropriate installation area is the rear upper part of the aircraft, just after the bulging wall (strong wall) delimiting the end of the pressurized area, as shown on figure above showing the tail 46 of the aircraft AC, provided with the stabilizer 47 and the horizontal tails 48. 

This rear extreme area is generally the least damaged after a crash and offers, in nearly all the aircraft, a free space being sufficient for the installation of the device according to the invention. Moreover, the access to this area is easy, for the installation of the device and for possible maintenance operations. In this area is also housed the digital flight data recorder, of the DFDR type, being the flight recorder recording the flight parameters, the other flight recorder being, most often, located before the bulging wall in the pressurized cargo area.

Furthermore, this area has the particularity, on the aircraft with a mobile horizontal plane, to become filled quickly in the case of an immersion, because of the opening present in the rear fuselage for the mobility of the rear plane, allowing the immersion condition to be detected or confirmed.

Patent available here.

Based on the article “Deployable beacons for A350/A380s” published in FlightGlobal.

Ejectable black-boxes for A350 under analysis 1/2

Airbus is to install a deployable data and voice recorder with locator beacon on future A350s after completing additional studies.

Source: Airbus

Speaking on 7/Oct at the US National Transportation Sfety Board forum on emerging flight data and locator technology, Airbus head of security operations Pascal Andrei said that Airbus has been working with sippliers on deployable recorders and technology will be available “very quickly”.

Source: Airbus

“I don´t have any roadmap to give you”, Andrei told the forum. “But we have found the location on the aircraft to integrate such deployable recorders. This is something which will come very soon after some more studies”.

Source: Airbus

Voluntarily adding a deployable recorder would represent Airbus´ most visible response to the high-profile disappearances of Air France flight 447 in 2009 and Malaysia Airlines flight 370 last March. The wreckage of flight 447 was eventually discovered two years later, but the location of MH370 remains unknown.

Source: Airbus

Based on the article “Deployable beacons for A350/A380s” published in FlightGlobal.

Kaman Aerosystems joins A350 program manufacturing engine fairings.

Kaman Aerosystems has been awarded a long term supply-agreement by Rolls-Royce to manufacture the composite A-frame fairings for the Trent XWB engine that will power the Airbus A350 XWB aircraft.

Source: Rolls Royce

Rolls-Royce and Kaman have entered into a multi-year contract for these parts, with a projected value in excess of USD5 million. The fairings will be manufactured at Kaman´s facility in Bennington, Vermont.

Source: Rami khanna-Prade

Kaman is a leading supplier of integrated aerostructures, including metallic and composite structural assemblies and metallic parts for OEM. It was awarded by Boeing as Supplier of the Year for 2012 and Silver Supplier for 2013.

Based on the press release “Kaman Aerosystems awarded composite A-frame fairings contract”

The A350 ten years ago.

How was the first A350 planned 10 years ago?. Let´s have a look on this brochure to watch the schedule, range, capacity … and the engine. Ten years later, the A350 XWB that is certified is “smoothly” different.

Master Schedule

A330 pilots will get the qualification for A350 with 8-days training.

Airlines and pilots will both benefit from the Common Type Rating pilot training on the A350 XWB and A330 jetliners, further extending Airbus’ concept of flight operational commonality between its fly-by-wire aircraft families.

Source: Airbus

The new regulatory approval means that pilots who are qualified and current on the A330 can already commence their preparations to take the A350 XWB’s controls by undergoing “differences training” only.

Source: Airbus

Enabling a significant reduction of costs for airlines, the differences training does not necessitate the use of a ground-based full-flight-simulator, and allows a 65% reduction in pilot training time – to only 8 days – versus a standard transition course.  Additionally, it facilitates the creation of a pool of pilots who can fly both the A330 and A350 XWB in a single-fleet flying (SFF) concept for increased scheduling flexibility and mobility.

Source: Airbus

“This achievement is a fine example of our ability to combine innovation with commonality, and will be particularly valuable to airlines wishing to operate the A330 and A350 XWB in parallel,” explained Régine Vadrot, who leads the Training & Operational Certification team at Airbus. “The A350 XWB is a true member of the Airbus integrated family of aircraft.”

A notable factor in achieving the A350 XWB/A330 Common Type Rating is the similarity in handling qualities between the 2 fly-by-wire jetliners, as recently verified by pilots representing the European and U.S. civil aviation authorities who flew both aircraft.

Based on the press release “The Common Type Rating is approved for A350 XWB and A330 pilot training”

A350 Head of Program Didier Evrard, finalist of Aviation Week Awards “for rigorous execution of the certification program”.

Finalists of the 58th Annual Laureate Awards, honoring extraordinary achievements in the global aerospace arena, have been announced.  The awards will be presented on 5/March/2015 at the National Building Museum in Washington DC, by Aviation Week.

"Since their debut in the 1950s, Aviation Week's Laureate Awards have shined a spotlight on the industry's greatest innovators and achievers," said Aviation Week & Space Technology Editor-in-Chief Joseph C. Anselmo. "We recognize both the finalists and the winners for their vision and for inspiring others to strive for progress."

In the Civil Aviation category the finalists are:

·         Boeing 787-9 program, for the first application of drag-reducing hybrid laminar flow control in a production commercial airliner.

·         Mitre Corp., for the Houston metroplex airspace redesign, in collaboration with the FAA, NATCA and other stakeholders.

·         Southwest Airlines Chairman, President and CEO Gary Kelly, for AirTran integration and moves to grow business traffic and international expansion.

·         Airbus A350 program head Didier Evrard, for rigorous execution of the certification program for the new widebody airliner.

Based on the press release “Penton's Aviation Week Announces Finalists of 58th Annual Laureate Awards, Honoring Outstanding Achievements in Aviation, Aerospace & Defense.”

1st fuselage shells for A350-1000 manufacturing started in Germany.

Initial carbonfibre wing covers for the first Airbus A350-1000 have been completed, as structural work on the largest member of the family progresses.

Upper and lower wing covers have respectively been readied at the plants in Stade and Illescas.

Source: Premium Aerotec

Concerning the fuselage shells, the Nordenham facility of Premium Aerotec has started the automatic fiber placement process for the first section 13/14 of the new A350-1000.

Source: Premium Aerotec

With an event attended by more than 200 employees, Premium Aerotec has officially started the manufacturing of the first fuselage shell for the A350-1000.

Source: Airbus

The A350 Program Manager at Premium AEROTEC, Joachim Nägele, said: "today marks an important milestone in the A350 XWB program. The successful start of the production of the largest version of the A350 XWB shows that we are on the good path, besides the successful industrial ramp-up for the A350-900.”

Source: Airbus

The manufacturing operations (AFP and curing in the autoclave) as well as the further assembly tasks are performed in 3 sites in Nordenham, specially constructed for the A350 XWB.

Based on the article “First A350-1000 structures emerge” published in FlightGlobal and based on the article “Premium AEROTEC beginnt Rumpf-Produktion für A350-1000” published in FlugRevue.