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Why that cargo door on 1st A350-1000 prototype?

Airbus has installed in the MSN59, the 1^st A350-1000 prototype, the same Emergency escape hatch for test-crew that was installed in the MSN1, the first A350-900 prototype.

Source: Airbus

The main cargo door, manufactured in Korea by KAI wil not be flying on the first set of test-flights of the MSN59. As it occurred in the MSN1 first flight prototype.

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

Source: Airbus

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 cargo door.

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.

Source: Airbus

More details about the emergency scape.

The cargo door could be installed later as it was done beginning of 2015 in the MSN1.

A350 thrust reversers actuation system to be corrected.

Airbus has modified the thrust-reverser actuation system of production A350-900s after a failure of a locking mechanism on an in-service aircraft.

 

The locking actuator was removed from the jet after several failure messages, and investigators found that it failed a primary lock integrity test, said the European Aviation Safety Agency.

EASA stated that the component can be affected by internal contamination from carbon dust, and that this can affect the retention capability of the actuator.

Source: Airbus

EASA said 2 out of 3 retention mechanisms of the thrust reversers can potentially be affected by the problem, which would leave only the 3rd system – a lock employing a different design – for retention.

Airbus has introduced a new thrust-reverser actuation system standard into A350 production, after Goodrich corrected the problem.

EASA has ordered in-service A350s to be modified to the same standard, within 750 cycles since first flight.

Goodrich Aerospace Europe (part of UTC Aerospace Systems' Aerostructures) is producing the thrust reversers in a new dedicated building at its Toulouse site, with a 50.000-square-foot thrust reverser robotic production area with a moving assembly line.

 

 

Goodrich is providing all three members of the A350 XWB family's nacelle and thrust reverser system, wheels and carbon brakes, air data system and ice detection system, external video system and cabin attendant seats.

Additionally, for the new A350-1000, Goodrich is providing the main landing gear.

Based on the article “A350 thrust-reversers modified after lock flaw” published in FlightGlobal.

 

3 areas with particular attention in the A350 operation

 “You cannot expect to have no problems,” said Didier Evrard, Airbus EVP for programs, who run the A350 program until the end of 2014.

“But what is important is that you take immediate action once something comes up. We have innovated quite a bit in the way we work.”

Evrard believes the goal of 98.5% dispatch reliability can be reached within 1-2 years.

Source: Airbus

A large dedicated team inside Airbus is dealing with the A350 2 hours per day, and Didier Evrard has instructed the team to immediately escalate any serious and new issues to his management level to ensure things are properly addressed.

Airbus detected 3 areas that have needed particular attention in the A350 operation.

 

First, the system that has created the most logbook entries so far is the onboard network that hosts all MRO applications.

According to Marc Virilli (Senior Director - Customer Services at Airbus), some human-machine interface improvements as well as software updates were needed.

“We have issued an evolution of the system which has already been implemented on the Qatar and Vietnam Airlines fleets, and we are seeing a decrease in the number of reports,” he said.

The rerelease has eliminated a number of software bugs that also affected communications between the aircraft and the ground.

 

Second, Airbus was forced to issue a number of service bulletins and to remove some galley inserts, such as ovens or coffeemakers, because of leaks.

The leaks are related to a supplier that Airbus declines to identify.

But Virilli said that after corrective action was taken, the number of reports has come down 50%.

 

 

And third, the bleed system’s over heating detection has issued nuisance warnings that have caused some operational disruption.

Airbus retrofitted a sensor connection using gold-plated connectors, and the issue has been eliminated.

 

Marc Virilli said “a combination of several factors” was affecting Qatar’s operations; some have improved while others are still being addressed, but in general, the overall situation has stabilized.

 

 

Meanwhile, Finnair has experienced “the expected amount of small technical issues that can typically be addressed by resetting the system.” Rather than a clear pattern, there have been “isolated things here and there”. However, Finnair has noticed a slightly higher use of spare parts in the cabin.

 

Based on the article “A350 Dispatch Reliability By Daniel Omale” pubished in Jimi Disu´s blog.

 

Airbus to offer more flexibility and longer range to get new A350-900 orders.

The A350-900 will be able to fly even farther from 2020, thanks to increased fuel efficiency and an optional increased maximum takeoff weight (MTOW) of 280-tonne.

Source: Rami Khanna-Prade

The standard A350-900 (currently offered as a 268-tonne aircraft), will have the same MTOW as the recently launched Ultra Long Range A350-900 ULR version ordered by Singapore Airlines.

Additionally, Airbus has already developed a 278-tonne MTOW higher gross weight version for Philippine Airlines and its transpacific services.

Source: Rami Khanna-Prade

At the same time, the company will give the aircraft 2% reduction in fuel burn, with 1% coming from aerodynamic improvements, while the other 1% will come from changes within the Rolls-Royce XWB-84 engine.

Airbus says the combined MTOW increase and efficiency improvements will nudge the A350-900’s range up by an additional 500 nautical miles  (covering a distance of 8,100 nautical miles), if the aircraft is carrying 325 passengers in a 3-class configuration.

Source: Rami Khanna-Prade

“Airlines have pushed us in two directions on the A350,” Airbus EVP-strategy Kiran Rao said in London, pointing out that the A350-900 is being offered in a regional configuration with down-rated engines as well as in the ULR variant.

Rao said airlines increasingly wanted flexibility within their fleets, with the option of moving regional aircraft into long-haul operations.

By offering the higher-takeoff weight option into the standard A350-900 provides more flexibility depending on airline requirements, Airbus believes.

“We can take a regional aeroplane and turn it into ultra-long range, and vice versa,” said Rao.

“We are creating a flexible aircraft, and airlines buy into flexibility.

Source: Airbus

Rao gave few details about the aerodynamic performance improvements, but the company says they have been flown and tested.

Based on the article “Airbus To Offer 280-tonne MTOW A350-900” published in Aviation Daily

Airbus studies 400 PAX A350-1000 moving lavs and galleys to a lower deck.

Airbus is considering adding a small lower deck to the A350-1000 jet to accommodate lavatories and kitchens.

This is not a new idea as it has been configured in some A330 and A340 as shown in the pictures, depending on cargo storage planned by each airline.

Source: Rafael Reca

Shifting these 'service areas' off the main deck would free up significant amounts of space for more seats in both business class and economy class, Airbus said.

"The average passenger doesn't want to sit next to a lav and doesn't want to sit next to a galley" explained Kiran Rao, Airbus Executive Vice-President for Strategy and Marketing.

Source: Mario Aurich

"As we move these service areas out of the passenger cabin we create space for more seats without compromising on comfort."

"So we are looking to utilize the under-floor area of the A350-1000 for galleys and lavs," Rao said at the launch of the aircraft manufacturer's Airspace cabin concept in London.

The space beneath the passenger deck is typically used for cargo but "on long aircraft you can't fill it all with cargo" Rao said, adding that this could mean larger galleys which would "give the cabin crew a nicer area to work in."

Although the A350-1000 will typically carry 366 passengers, freeing up space occupied by galleys and lavatories could boost the seat count closer to the 400 mark.

Based on the article “Airbus considers split-level layout for A350-1000” published in Australian Business Traveller.

A stretch of the A350-1000 is possible without major changes

Airbus is showing a select group of airlines a stretched version of the A350-1000.

 

The idea is to get enough feedback from potential customers so that a decision to go ahead or not can be made during the summer.

 

What has changed now it that the A350-1000 is taking form on the Airbus Toulouse Final Assembly Line (FAL) and Airbus can now see that the A350-1000 will hit its performance and weight numbers.

Source: A380_TLS_A350

 

 

Airbus also has a lot of learning from the A350-900 which makes it confident that an A350-1000 stretch can be made with rather small changes.

 

The A350-1000 is very close in capacity to the Boeing 777-300ER, yet is considerable lighter; it is made with more modern construction techniques, it is equipped with a more modern engine and it has only 4 door pairs.

 

Source: Grupo Joly

This gives the A350-1000 a distinctive performance advantage.

 

Staying with 4 door pairs, the total length of the aircraft can only be stretched with around 4m before the distance between exit doors go beyond the allowed 60 feet.

 

As no additional safety exits will be necessary, such an extension will increase the aircraft’s capacity to around 400 seats.

 

Leahy has said that the favoured engine alternative is a stretched variant of the A350-1000 engine Rolls-Royce TWB 97k.

 

By staying within the exit limits of 4 door pairs (max capacity 440 seats), a capacity increase of 40 seats is possible with minimal changes to other parts of the aircraft.

 

Source: Airbus

This would enable a 400 seat aircraft which has a 7,600nm range with a MTOW which is below 320t.

This is a full 32t less than a competing Boeing 777-9 that has only a marginally higher passenger capacity.

 

Source: Airbus

 

The lower take-off and empty weight would give an A350-1000 stretch around 10% lower trip costs and around 5% lower seat mile costs.

 

Based on the article “Airbus exploring higher capacity A350” published in Leeham News