First Airbus A350 F freighter nears maiden flight
Airbus's first A350 F freighter has completed ground and simulator testing and is due to be handed to the flight test team ahead of an initial sortie planned for around late September.
The first Airbus A350 F freighter is close to its maiden flight. The initial test aircraft has completed checks of its cargo loading system, the large cargo door and the pressurised cabin, and is next to be handed over to the flight test division.
Airbus finished ground vibration tests in June to examine how the structure behaves. Those were followed by 13 simulator runs of roughly five hours each, in which flight controls and system failures were among the scenarios exercised.
The first flight is to be carried out entirely in Direct Law, without the protection functions of Normal Law, and will have five crew members on board. A report puts the target for the sortie at the end of September.
The A350 F programme has two test aircraft with separate jobs. The first will cover aerodynamics, handling qualities and the autopilot. The second will look at systems, fire and smoke detection and extreme temperatures, among other areas.
Certification and the first delivery are planned for 2027. Airbus is developing the freighter as the cargo variant of its A350 widebody family.
Sources
- aerotelegraph.comErster Airbus A350 F nähert sich seinem Erstflug