Airbus equips A350F test aircraft ahead of planned first flight

Airbus is fitting a flight-test instrumentation station to its A350 freighter ahead of first flight, reusing a system first introduced on the long-range A350-1000ULR. Both test aircraft, MSN 700 and MSN 701, are being equipped with the station, installed in the forward courier area directly behind the cockpit, according to the airframer.

Airbus said the software is identical to the ULR installation, but the hardware layout has been substantially reworked so the main deck stays as clear as possible for cargo operations. Recording computers and associated electronics have been consolidated onto a single specialised pallet in the lower deck and forward cargo area. Flight-test engineers will monitor the aircraft's performance on large LED screens with a modernised graphical interface.

The maiden flight, with a crew of five, is expected around the end of the third quarter, though no specific date has been fixed. About 400 hours of flight testing are planned. Before that, the programme is running a series of development simulations, 13 sessions of roughly five hours each, that pair a flight-test simulator with real avionics test benches and flight- and engine-control systems.

A350F lead flight-test engineer Laurent Bussiere said the virtual setup is 90% representative of the physical aircraft, leaving the freighter's specific aerodynamic model as the main variable still to be proven in flight. The simulations allow an initial validation of the aircraft's systems and flight-control laws and let engineers evaluate behaviour under certain failure scenarios. MSN 700's first flight is to open the aircraft's envelope.