The A380 flying testbed MSN001 will be used for A350-1000´s Trent XWB-97 evaluation.

The 97,000-lb.-thrust engine due to fly after summer is the first of 2 units destined for initial evaluation flights on the Airbus A380 flying testbed MSN001, and will be used for evaluating engine operability, relights and handling.

Source: Airbus

Beyond engine- specific testing, Airbus also intends to use the XWB-97 on the A380 for integrated nacelle tests.

“It will do this to take credit for A350 certification and flights will run well into 2016, so it is not a short program,” said Simon Burr,  Rolls-Royce’s COO for Civil Large Engines.

Source: Rolls Royce

The first A350-1000 is due to fly in mid-2016 and is scheduled to enter service in 2017, 2 years after the Trent XWB-84-powered A350-900. 

Unlike the -84, which first flew on the A380 in February/2012, the higher- thrust engine Trent XWB-97 will not have undergone simulated altitude evaluation in a test cell before it takes to the air on the flying testbed.

Source: Airbus

“On the -84 we did altitude work in North America (at the Arnold Engineering Development Center in Tennessee), whereas on the -97 we are using the A380 for flight-test data at altitude,” said Burr.

“We’ve already proved the basics from the -84 and we can get useful data off that,” he added.

Based on the article “Rolls-Royce Building First XWB-97 For Flight Tests” published in Aviation Week.

Qatar announces the long haul work for A350s after a 1 year long introduction phase.

The first destinations of the A350 (Doha-Frankfurt and Doha-Singapore) are mid-range, with flying times of 6 to 8 hours.

Source: Jujug Spotting

These can be seen as introductory rotations, close to Qatar’s base should replacement aircraft or maintenance actions be needed.

With the 1st period in the bag, Qatar now feels confident enough to announce how they will take the A350 to its true job types; routes to New York´s JFK and Boston spring next year.

Source: Airbus

This announcement thereby means the honeymoon for A350 is over and it’s time for work.

The Doha-New York-JFK route is 6,000nm great circle distance which, when flying west means air distances of up to 7,000nm equivalent range due to persistent westerly winds.

Source: Airbus

This is close to the practical range of the Qatar’s A350. 

Both of the announced destinations are true long-haul rotations with flying times of 14 hours going from Doha to New York and 12 hours on the return leg.

The Boston destination is 20 minutes shorter in both directions.

This is then a good opportunity to look at what performance Qatar can expect from the A350, both in terms of additional revenue from cargo at different load factors and what fuel burn differences they will see compared to the Boeing 777-300ER that flies the New York rotation today.

Based on the article “Airbus A350 start stretching its wings” published in Leeham.

The A350 joins tribute to the A400M.

The A350 has flown today from Toulouse a few miles behind the A400M on its first flight since the deadly accident last Saturday.

Source: José A.Bejarano @joseabejarano

The MSN5 carrying employees and colleagues of 4 deceased has arrived minutes after the A400M from Toulouse to attend funerals that were held today in Seville.

Source: Víctor López @vlopez_jr

The A400M has been received with applauses by Airbus DS workers when it has landed.

Source: Víctor López @vlopez_jr

Qatar 4th A350 MSN10 airborne.

The MSN10 aircraft has completed today her First Flight, departing from Toulouse.

This 4th A350 for Qatar Airways will join in coming weeks the commercial route Doha - Singapore operated with another A350.

All pictures Source: A380_TLS_A350

Core and fan for flying testbed A350-1000 engine will be mated at Rolls-Royce this month.

Rolls-Royce is assembling the first flight-test version of the Trent XWB-97 A350-1000 engine, the highest-thrust production engine ever made by the manufacturer.

Source: Aviation Week

The fan case for the first flight engine, No. 26001, is nearing completion and vertical stacking of the core is progressing quickly at the manufacturer’s Derby, England, facility after getting underway toward the end of April.

Source: Rolls Royce

“The engine will be moving to Toulouse around mid-year and is due to fly in the beginning of the fourth quarter,” said Simon Burr,  Rolls-Royce’s COO for Civil Large Engines.

Based on the article “Rolls-Royce Building First XWB-97 For Flight Tests” published in Aviation Week

Spirit AeroSystems invests in automation to meet ramp-up on the A350, currently at rate-2.

Spirit CEO Larry Lawson said in a conference call with analysts that the company is benefiting from performance improvements and cost reductions, and a healthy demand for the aircraft components it makes.

He said the company will continue to focus on performance and cost reductions, while preparing for production increases on the Airbus A350XWB.

Those preparations will include more than $100 million in investments this year in “automation projects” that Lawson said will help Spirit meet its production and cost reduction goals in 2015, and rate increases in the next few years.

“Our goal is to execute a seamless ramp-up as we continue to reduce costs,” Lawson said.

Spirit is gearing up for monthly-rate increases on the A350,  the Boeing 737 (42 to 47 by 2017) and the 787 (10 to 12 by 2016).

Sanjay Kapoor, Spirit’s chief financial officer, said Spirit delivered six A350XWB shipsets(including the center section of the airplane’s fuselage as well as parts of its wings) in the first quarter 2015. That compares with two A350 shipsets it delivered in the first quarter of 2014.

Based on the article “Efforts to rein in costs lead to higher profits for Spirit” published in The Wichita Eagle

Airbus trying to buy A350-supplier PFW rescued 4 years ago

Airbus has begun contacting potential buyers of jetliner supplier PFW, which it rescued in 2011 basically to avoid impacts in A350 program deliveries.

Airbus has asked buyout groups and peers to bid for PFW Aerospace in a potential 300-500 million euro deal.

The German company, which supplies jetliner parts to both Airbus and Boeing, was always seen as a temporary part of Airbus, and the sale indicates concerns over this part of its supply chain have eased.

This movement is parallel to Airbus approaches to potential buyers for electronics and other assets it wants to sell to focus its defense division on warplanes, missiles, launchers and satellites. 

Airbus-group hopes to attract private equity buyers for defense electronics businesses such as radar, optronics and avionics supplies, as well as for part of its satellite communications unit.

Based on the article “Airbus moves ahead with defense electronics, other asset sales” published in Reuters.