Airbus News

A350 flooded runway test

A few days ago, A350XWB (MSN4) was at Istres performing flooded runway test. It was travelling through troughs containing some 22mm deep water at a variety of speeds, starting at 60kts and progressively increasing to around 140kts.
Prototype MSN4 will also be displayed at ILA Berlin Air Show 2014.

Mario

MSN2, the third prototype of A350XWB is in the Eglin AFB Air Force Base, Florida, to perform environmental tests in extreme conditions. This is the first time that the new Airbus jet arises in the United States. During the two weeks, the A350 XWB will be tested in the McKinley Climatic Laboratory, a facility of the U.S. Air Force for testing aircraft in extreme temperature conditions. In this 5100 m2 giant laboratory in which the temperature can be lowered to -54 ° C, and the aircraft can be tested in conditions of extreme cold, which generally exceed the requirements of certification. If necessary, it is also possible to perform tests at high temperature, up to 70°C, or under conditions of high humidity. The laboratory also has testing facilities to simulate snow, freezing rain or even freezing fog. For Airbus, these tests will allow to go further than the hot weather tests already carried out in the Middle East, and cold weather trials that took place in Iqaluit, Canada. To date, Airbus has flown quadruplicate testing of the A350 -900. They have accumulated more than 1.600 hours of flight testing for a little more than 350 outlets. Obtaining the type certificate from the FAA and EASA is scheduled for the third quarter of 2014. Entry into service will be held in the last quarter of this year.

Mario

MSN5 painting

Final test aircraft, MSN5, is in the painting hangar now. It is expected to have the same livery as MSN2 and a “light” flight test instrumentation and as the MSN2, it will be cabin equipped.
It is the first A350 XWB prototype to be painted without its RR Trent XWB-84 engines installed...

Mario

Emirates A380s

Emirates has a total 140 A380s on order. The last 25 units are meant for replacement and might be delivered with new engines. A new engine alone would cut fuel burn by 10%. Other enhancements would lead to further efficiency gains.

Additionally, the airline would order more A380NEO (new engine option) jets for future replacement and growth. Emirates is in talks with Airbus and Rolls-Royce to create a more fuel-efficient version of the A380, with the promise that the airline will place additional orders for the plane.

The fact EK wants to switch from EA (Engine Alliance - joint venture of P&W and GE) to Rolls Royce (´Advance´ engine) implies that EA will not be offering a new engine. Namely, it is very hard to bellieve GE would implement GE9X technology on a competitor to the 777X. For Airbus, a single engine would reduce certification costs. On the other hand, Airbus has no need to rush because EK has nowhere else to go for an A380 class product.

Rolls-Royce is now competing with its Trent 900 EP2 offering to power the latest batch of 50 Airbus A380s selected by Emirates. To date, the carrier has chosen only GP7200 engines from the Engine Alliance for its previously ordered 90 aircraft. Late last year Rolls completed engine tests aimed at receiving European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) approval for the new Trent 900 Enhanced Performance 2 (EP2) variant, scheduled to become the build standard before April 2014. The UK company believes the upgrade could permit increased payloads, for example, on Qantas A380s flying between Sydney and Los Angeles and add range to aircraft operating at current maximum takeoff weights. For now, Qantas is the only airline flying A380s with the more powerfull version of T900 engines, Trent 972B-84, with 80.213 lb.s.t.. Other customers with RR powered A380s use Trent 970B-84 engines with 78.304 lb.s.t.. EA´s engines, type GP7270, on Emirates´ A380s are certified at 74.735 lb.s.t. The same type of engine (GP7270) is installed on all A380s with EA engines and used by the other customers.

It is expected for Trent 900s to remain in production for a long time as new technologies become available. Rolls Royce holds in a continuous discussion with Airbus on A380 development, which could include the stretch variant (A380-900) proposed in the original A380 series.

On the other hand, the Engine Alliance, which is exploring options for an upgrade to its GP7200 from this year, will introduce smaller part enhancements for new and existing turbines to improve reliability and long-term performance. These should address the cause of an in-flight GP7200 shutdown Emirates experienced last year.

Right now, neither Rolls-Royce nor Engine Alliance will seek 10% better fuel burn out of their current engines for only 200 potential engine orders. Given that the first of additional 50 A380s are due in EK´s fleet in 2016, the engine choise decision cannot be far ...

Mario

Airbus Marks 40 Years Of Service For Its Game-Changing A300

In July 1967, France, Germany and the United Kingdom agreed to jointly develop an airliner. At the time, American companies owned more than 80 percent of the world airliner market.

The A300B was the first commercial airliner produced by Airbus — a joint venture between the three countries and also the world's first twin-engine wide-body jet. It first flew on September 28, 1972, and Air France took delivery of the first production plane (A300B2-101) on May 10, 1974, registered as F-BVGA (MSN5).

In the U.S., Eastern Airlines was the first carrier to fly the A300. They were also flown by American Airlines, Continental, Pan Am, and Tradewinds.

The A300 was initially going to carry 300 passengers on short- to medium-distance flights, but Rolls-Royce didn't come through with the new engine required to power the aircraft so Airbus went with an existing American engine (2 x GE CF6-50C), limiting capacity to 250 passengers, but cutting costs.

A few months after Airbus announced the revised "A300B," the United Kingdom pulled out of the program, although Britain's Hawker Siddeley remained the supplier of the jet's wings.

On Sept. 3, 1970, Air France signed a letter of intent to buy six A300s. Lufthansa followed, ordering three A300s, with four options. The A300 entered service with Air France on May 23, 1974, flying form Paris to London.

In 1973, Airbus took the A300 on a six-week tour of the Americas in an effort to win international orders. But the first non-European order came from Korean Airlines, which signed up to buy four of a longer-range version, the A300B4, in September 1974.

Airbus followed this up with sales to Indian Airlines, South African Airways and Air Inter. But then an 18-month sales drought resulted in unsold aircraft sitting in Toulouse and a production cut to one aircraft every two months.

The A300 gained market viability in 1976, when it started being able to fly as far as 90 minutes from the nearest airport under international rules. The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration still required two-engine airplanes to remain within an hour of an airport until 1985, but gave dispensation allowing longer diversion times in the Caribbean area.

Airbus' big break came in March 1978, when U.S. carrier Eastern Air Lines ordered 23 of the jets, with nine options, after leasing four A300s for six months at Airbus' behest.

In July 1978, Airbus launched the A310, which would carry fewer passengers but fly further than the A300. It entered service in 1983.

One A300 type, the A300-600ST "Beluga," is one of the most interesting planes ever to fly. When Airbus first started building planes in the early 1970s, they had to move most of their parts over the road. But they ended up acquiring a fleet of four "Super Guppies" which were modified Boeing 377 Stratocruisers. That led to Boeing fans' quip that "every Airbus is delivered on the wings of a Boeing" - which had to be a bit of an embarrassment. The Beluga was created in the early 1990s to replace the Super Guppies, and got its name for the bubble-like forehead over the cockpit, similar to the Beluga whale.

Throughout the evolution of its production run, the A300 series brought several important advancements to commercial aviation production. It was the first airliner to be manufactured using just-in-time techniques, with parts being flown in from other locations to the final assembly line in Toulouse, France. It was first plane to be fit with wind shear protection, and had an advanced autopilot that could take the plane from climb-out to landing. It was also the first airliner to make extensive use of composite materials in the fuselage.

Production of the A300 and its smaller A310 variant ended in 2007. According to Airbus, 878 A300/A310s (in several configurations) were built (the last one was delivered to FedEx, in 2007.) and over 400 are still flown by 65 different customers, primarily in Africa, Asia, and the Middle East. American Airlines was the last one in the U.S. with passenger A300s, but they were finally retired in 2009. However, you can still see them flown as freighters by FedEx and UPS.

Boeing launched its first twin-engine wide-body, the 767, in 1978. The 767 was the first twin-engine airliner certified to fly 120 minutes (and then 180 mintes) from the nearest airport.
Boeing has since gone on to build the 777 and 787 Dreamliner, twin-engine wide-bodies while Airbus has added the A330 and A350 XWB.

Mario

Airbus performs its longest flight using sustainable jet fuel with KLM

KLM Royal Dutch Airlines´ A330-203 (MSN 1161), registration PH-AOM, flight KL767, have completed a 10-hour flight from Amsterdam to Aruba using sustainable jet fuel, the longest biofuel flight to date by an Airbus aircraft.

A330-203 (engines: 2 x GE CF6-80E1A3) took off with a 20% blend of sustainable fuel made of used cooking oil, for a 10-hour flight from Amsterdam Airport Schiphol to the Dutch Caribbean island of Aruba.

That was the first flight of a series of around 20 long-haul commercial flights using an Airbus aircraft in the context of the European initiative called ´Initiative Towards sustAinable Kerosene for Aviation´(ITAKA) which aims to speed up the commercialization of aviation biofuels in Europe.

Airbus’ major role, in this test, is to collect data before, during and after the flight (engine fuel system, engine performance analysis etc.) to provide insights into the use of non-petroleum based fuels compared to traditional fuels.

Mario

Rolls Royce delivers the first production engine for Qatar´s A350

Rolls-Royce has delivered its first production line Trent XWB engine to Toulouse, ahead of the Airbus A350-900’s entry into service with Qatar Airways later this year. Qatar Airways has ordered 80 of the aircraft (43 A350-900s and 37 A350-1000s).

Chris Young, Rolls-Royce, Trent XWB Programme Director, said: "This is an exciting moment for all of us, and marks the first of many Trent XWB deliveries for service. When we reach peak production in 2017 we will be delivering a Trent XWB every working day."

Rolls-Royce is the sole engine supplier for the 3-member A350 XWB family. The A350-900 is powered by a baseline Trent XWB-84 (374,5 kN / 84.200 lb.s.t.) thrust version.

The engine powered the A350 XWB's first test flight in June 2013 from Toulouse, France. Since then the aircraft has carried out a variety of test flights, including high altitude testing in Bolivia, hot weather testing in Al Ain, UAE, and cold weather testing in Iqaluit, Canada. The engine also powered the A350 XWB's visit to the Singapore Airshow in February 2014. The first engine test on a static test-bed was made on June 14, 2010 and on Feb 18, 2012 Trent XWB had successfully made its maiden flight aboard Airbus’ dedicated Airbus A380 flying test bed.

The Trent XWB, the world's most efficient aero engine (16 % more efficient than the first-generation Trent engines that entered into service in 1995) and specifically designed for the A350 XWB, is the fastest-selling civil large engine ever, with more than 1.600 already sold to 40 customers.

From design to conception the Trent XWB has come a long way, and its journey has just started. 88 global suppliers, 16 Rolls-Royce plants, 13 partners & 25 dual sources for 1 spectacular engine.
The firm hopes to produce 4.000 of the aeroplane engines.

The XWB engine will be fitted at the Airbus FAL in Toulouse. It will be followed in just a couple of weeks by the second one and Rolls-Royce expects to deliver 30 this year…

Mario

Pratt & Whitney Ships Initial PurePower Engines To Airbus

Pratt & Whitney - division of United Technologies Corp. (NYSE: UTX) has delivered its first ship set of PurePower PW1100G-JM engines on schedule to Airbus for its A320neo aircraft family. The PurePower engines were assembled and tested at the company's West Palm Beach, Florida, facility – one of three locations that will assemble PW1100G-JM engines for Airbus.

Airbus has entrusted to Pratt & Whitney to design, develop and certify the PW1100G-JM engine for the A320neo. Pratt & Whitney has completed more than 75 percent of certification testing and are on track to meet or exceed all commitments. PurePower engine family has now completed more than 9.000 hours of rigorous testing, which is proving the engine's capability and reliability. It seems that Pratt & Whitney is on track and ready to power the first A320neo aircraft in late summer. The PW1100G-JM engine continues to go through its rigorous testing process with certification planned for the second half of 2014.

Airline operation or entry into service is planned for the fourth quarter of 2015. The PW1100G-JM engine successfully completed its first development flight May 15, 2013, on Pratt & Whitney's flight test aircraft. To date, the company has successfully completed more than 20 development engine builds and three flight test campaigns to validate the PW1100G-JM engine. The first engine was tested in November 2012, less than two years after the Geared Turbofan program was launched.

Compared with an A320ceo without Sharklets, the A320neo powered by PW1100G-JM engine technology will provide customers with up to a 15% reduction in fuel-burn with a corresponding reduction in CO2 emissions. The PW1100G-JM engine also provides up to a 75% reduction in the A320neo noise footprint, which is also environmentally friendly and allows longer hours of operation at airports that operate under curfew. To date, the PurePower engine family has more than 5.500 orders and commitments (PW1100G-JM, PW1200G, PW1400G and PW1500G), including options, from more than 50 global customers.

In the pictures: PW1100G-JM tested on the wings of B47SP and A340-642.

Mario

Pratt & Whitney Unveils Higher Thrust PurePower Engine

Pratt & Whitney launched the newest addition to the PurePower engine family, the PW1135G-JM engine, a 35.000 lb.s.t. / 155,69 kN engine for the Airbus A321neo aircraft. The engine's higher thrust makes it the most powerful engine on the A321neo allowing A321neo operators, fitted with Geared Turbofan engine technology, to fly routes of greater distance while carrying more passengers or larger payloads when operating out of high-altitude airports.

With the PW1135G-JM engine, P&W offer incremental value by opening up new routes without compromising fuel burn, emissions and environmental performance. The higher thrust offered by the PW1135G-JM engine allows an A321neo operator to benefit from increased range when operating out of high altitude airports, such as Mexico City and Bogota. Previously, Pratt has said its largest PurePower geared turbofan produced up to 33.000lb.s.t. / 146,79 kN (PW1133G-JM) of thrust.

Mario

A330 at RGN

Singapore Airlines Airbus A330-300 overran the runway at Yangon Airport (RGN) on landing. Pilots blame it on "crosswinds". No casualties reported.