A350 landing gear test facility opened

Airbus has opened the A350XWB landing gear test facility at Filton in the UK, marking another step along the way towards production of the A350.

The new €39m (A$55m) facility has been named after Sir George White, in honour of the founder of the Bristol Aeroplane Company, and will demonstrate the maturity of the landing gear system for the A350, and provide evidence for the certification of the landing gear and systems, especially the extension-retraction and braking systems. Approximately 30 full time employees will work in the landing gear systems test facility when its rigs enter the initial test phase in mid-2011.