[Avionics Magazine 12-15-2016] With the A350-1000 jetliner’s flight test campaign now underway, Airbus is bringing back Airline1 – the simulated airline experience focusing on aircraft maturity and operability, first introduced during the A350-900’s certification process.
Airbus A350-1000. Photo: Airbus.
Airline1 features a dedicated staff that operates a hangar and maintenance control center in coordination with Airbus’ flight-test team. This allows for daily maintenance, support and repair operations in an environment similar to what the A350-1000 will experience when operated by a commercial airline.
For the A350-1000’s flight test campaign, however, Airline1 has an even sharper focus on visual inspections of the airframe and cabin, according to Philippe Garnier, Head of A350 XWB Maturity & Operability at Airbus.
These reinforcements include an operable test card that helps recreate an airline’s operating environment. It is boosted by the use of standard operating procedures for pre-flight and cockpit preparation, while referring to airline technical documentation for troubleshooting. Additionally, the health of the A350-1000 flight test fleet will be tracked using Airbus’ AirTHM real-time monitoring, and predictive monitoring will be tested as well.