Long-range Future

As Australian Aviation goes to press, the A350 starts its year-long flight-test and certification campaign. Discussing the program at the Toulouse assembly plant in early June, Airbus CEO Fabrice Brégier said: “I have no appetite to launch a grounded aircraft”.

His words were manifold in their meaning. Aside from the obvious jibe at Boeing’s 787, his words expressed the emphasis with which he has applied risk-aversion to the program since becoming CEO a year ago. It is also about keeping the pressure on – not that anyone involved with the A350 program needs more pressure – but Brégier’s words are more aimed at coalescing the whole of Airbus around the imperative to win. In short, Brégier does not accept failure.

And in a sort of reverse psychological sense, Brégier’s words were a comfort to staff at a time when they all know the stakes are high with the A350 and when the long-range widebody competition has never been closer than it is now.

The edge

On first sight, the A350 has very few physical hard edges. It ultra-smooth composite skin is almost invisibly joined. The same applies to the variable camber wings, flaps and certainly the winglets that characterise the flow of the aircraft.

Yet the hard edge is what the A350 represents in the competitive long-haul market. Airbus is staking a lot on the new aircraft as Boeing launches the various 787 models and yet-to-be-confirmed upgraded versions of its 777.

Airbus describes the A350 as “a step ahead of the 787 and a generation beyond the 777”.

It comes at a time when the manufacturer is smarting from slower sales of the A380 than it had earlier predicted and, at the base level, uncertainty continues about new-generation composite aircraft following the prolonged travails of the 787.

All the more reason Airbus needs the A350 to work. (The A350 is) a step ahead of the 787 and a generation beyond the 777.

AIRBUS

The early signs for the aircraft are positive and it has seemingly had an impact on Boeing sales.

“We have outsold the 787 five-to-one,” claimed Chris Emerson, senior vice president marketing. “We have sold more than 800 A330s since the 787 was launched. ” Between January 2008 and the end of May this year, Airbus sold 389 A330s against 73 787s.

In its product comparisons, Airbus sees the A350-900 as a direct competitor to the 787-10X, which Boeing appears close to launching following a Singapore Airlines order. In the larger segment, the A350-1000 will compete directly with the popular 777-300ER.

The term ‘game-changer’ has become over-used when referring to new generation airliners. In the case of the A350, however, it has certainly incorporated the renewed push by the manufacturer for innovation, while it continues many of the philosophies that have underpinned Airbus’s success in creating a widebody family of long-range aircraft.

Some 70 per cent of the A350’s airframe is made of advanced materials combining composites (53 per cent), titanium and modern aluminium alloys.

The fuselage is a clean-sheet design with a unique cross-section. The cabin is 13cm wider than the 787, offering higher comfort in nine-abreast, the baseline economy class, with 45cm (18in) seat width between the armrests. Still, airlines can opt for a 10-abreast configuration if desired.

Getting there

“It was a great moment having engines started on the aircraft,” declared A350 program head Didier Evrard of the June 2 milestone.

In a gentle, Gallic understatement, he added: “The A350 has contributed greatly to (aerospace) innovation”, noting “there was a lot to learn”.

Supporting this learning has been more than 700 ‘virtual’ flights in the lead up to MSN1 being handed over to the test-flight team. The scenarios were a component of a solid 30,000 hours of virtual testing on computer models, aimed at fast-tracking certification of the aircraft by mid-2014 – a mere 12 months after first flight – and creating greater familiarity and certainty for test crews.

Meanwhile, 12 Rolls-Royce Trent XWB engines accumulated approximately 4,200 hours and 7,400 cycles during the engine development program, with one ultimately fitted to an A380 flying test bed. The 74 flights accumulated a further 256 flight hours, leading towards certification of the powerplant by European airworthiness authorities (EASA) earlier this year.

The combination of flight-testing and computer modelling again played a significant role in understanding the performance dynamics of the engine coupled with the aircraft, which Evrard said has “given a level of engine maturity now that would have previously been achieved on entry into service”.

Flight-testing

The flight-test crew for the A350 was named in late May, with Frank Chapman leading the flight team that will put the aircraft through its tortuous test and certification program.

30,000 hours of virtual testing is aimed at fast-tracking certification of the aircraft by mid-2014.

Despite the daunting task, Chapman said “eager anticipation” was mounting, adding: “We have a high level of confidence as we move closer to the first flight. ” One year will be an ambitious time in which to achieve certification, during which Chapman expects around 2,500 hours to be committed to flight-testing, each hour being analysed by around 100 ground-based personnel.

The test team does not expect any perceptible difference between the conventional construction of the other Airbus aircraft and the composite A350.

“If anything, we would expect it to be a bit stiffer than a metal aircraft,” one of the test team told Australian Aviation.

“There is no flex in the fuselage 30,000 hours of virtual testing is aimed at fast-tracking certification of the aircraft by mid-2014.

from what we’ve modelled and as we progress the test program we do not expect to measure any. In the early stages of test-flying we expect the aircraft will perform exactly in accordance with the modelled results. As we start to get to the limits of the envelope, however, we may see more variations, but we are confident,” he said.

One day will be spent analysing data collected from the first flight before MSN1 is committed to the second and subsequent flights.

Flight-test aircraft will be equipped with the controversial lithium-ion batteries, a fact Airbus sees as having little risk. As announced by the manufacturer in February, however, production aircraft will be fitted with traditional nickel-cadmium batteries in what Airbus said was “the most appropriate way forward in the interest of program execution and A350 reliability.

“As a result of making this decision now, Airbus does not expect it to impact the A350 entry into service schedule,” while confirming in June it will continue to study “new battery technology” that could well see lithium-ion batteries incorporated into future builds once there was greater confidence around the reliability and safety of the systems.

No guarantee

For all the reassurance that has come from the more than 30,000 hours of ground-based testing and modelling, low-key pragmatism gets in the way of any ebullience over the coming months’ achievements.

“There will always be findings from testing and entry into service,” Evrard said. “The result is not guaranteed, but there is greater certainty now.

“There are things we know and things we don’t know, but we have modelled everything. ” Evrard’s restrained confidence is comforting in that he is not promising anything that can’t be delivered. It was a candid and transparent view of the A350 as it enters the flight-test program.

On the line

MSN1 will be joined in the flight-test program in October this year by the second aircraft – MSN3 – which has already entered the final assembly line (FAL). Like MSN1 it will be heavily instrumented for analysis and calibration, and additionally will participate in hot and cold weather trials.

In all, five pre-production aircraft will be built. MSN2 will be the third aircraft off the line, having already entered the FAL and will join the flight program in February. This aircraft will be the first fitted with cabin equipment and will participate in emergency evacuation trials, inflight entertainment system tests, hot and cold tests and will have a medium-level flight-test suite installed.

It will be followed by MSN 4 in February/March, which will be used for noise tests, avionics and development and certification, and will become the first aircraft to be used for customer pilot and maintenance training. MSN 5 will feature a full cabin installation and will undertake 300 hours of route proving, much of it on a worldwide demonstration tour, and will be used for ETOPS certification.

All five aircraft will be flying by August 2014.

Following certification, the first production aircraft is expected to be handed over to Qatar Airways in the second half of 2014. Thereafter an initial production rate of one a month will be increased to three during 2015 and during the fourth year of production to 10 a month to progressively allow the assembly processes to settle in.

Airbus is keeping initial production deliberately low to be able to focus on quality and customer support. These, the manufacturer said, are a point of difference that will give airlines greater comfort and confidence when entering the A350 into service proactively rather then reactively.

One of the key areas of focus that will contribute to quality is better control of the supply chain, something Fabrice Brégier and all senior executives have been deeply involved in to overcome recent supply problems that have prolonged the backlog of deliveries across the Airbus range.

“There was definite room for improvement,” Brégier said, with a candour that admitted attention to the criticality of the supply chain had slipped. With the screws tightened on suppliers, Airbus is more at ease now the earlier problems have been resolved.

Entry into service planning is already underway with Qatar Airways to help build training, technical data, manuals and other aspects required to support the aircraft in operation under the respective regulatory frameworks the manufacturer and airline(s) are required to meet.

A350 derivatives up the competition

Airbus projects demand over the next 20 years for some 7,000 new twin-aisle aircraft. In 2012, 40 per cent of the company’s aircraft deliveries were in the Asia Pacific region and this year projects that to be 37 per cent. With that trend expected to continue – if not accelerate over the coming two decades – it points to significant sales potential for the new twinjet in this region.

“Our priorities are geared towards the larger aircraft (as a result of customer demand),” Evrard said.

This has pushed Airbus to commit to the A350-1000, which is now in full-scale development. In what it described as “a low-risk development”, it is this aircraft Airbus has faith in to dull the success of Boeing’s improved 777 designs and larger 787 models. The A350-1000 is being designed to take 350 passengers 8,400nm with seat-mile costs nine per cent lower than the 787-10X and a whole 25 per cent less than the 777-300ER, Airbus claims. It also said that with up to 35 more seats than the 787, the A350 “offers a potential revenue advantage of 10 per cent or more”.

Airbus was buoyed recently by the firm order from British Airways for 18 of the stretched -1000s plus a further 18 options. As part of the order from parent company IAG, Iberia may also become an operator of the type once financial stability returns to the Spanish carrier.

In the case of British Airways, the A350-1000 will contribute to the airline’s fleet renewal program that will see the retirement of the 747- 400 and replacement of older 777s.

The selection of the A350-1000 follows British Airways’ decision in 2007 to buy 12 Airbus A380s, the first of which enters service this (northern) summer after being exhibited at the Paris Air Salon.

On announcing the selection of the A350-1000, IAG chief Willie Walsh said operating the A380 and A350 together would deliver “real value to the world’s leading airlines because it allows them to match aircraft capacity to traffic demand on any route.

Airbus A350-900 XWB
Length: 66.8m
Wingspan: 64.75m
Height: 17.05m
Fuselage width: 5.96m
MTOW: 268t
Range: 8,100nm
Passengers: 314
(in 3-class layout)
Orders to date: 616
Customer airlines: 34
First flight: June 2013
Certification: Mid-2014
Delivery: Q4 2014
List price: US$287.7 million

“The A350-1000 will bring many benefits to our fleet. Its size and range will be an excellent fit for our existing network and, with lower unit costs, there is an opportunity to operate a new range of destinations profitably,” he added. “This will not only bring greater flexibility to our network but also more choice for our customer. ” British Airways joins Cathay Pacific, Emirates, Etihad, Qatar Airways, Asiana and leasing company ALC as A350-1000 customers.

Evrard noted the expectations being placed on the A350-1000 are increasingly high to deliver the competitive edge promised to airlines through the capacity scaling available from the combination of A350s and A380s and the commonality between its airliners that give cost-efficiency and flexibility to crewing and maintenance.

There are things we know and things we don’t, but we have modeled everything. DIDIER EVRARD