Five-Hour Test Involving 494 Simulates 15-Hour Trip
This was a big week for
Airbus's biggest jet, the upcoming A380. In addition to the first flight of a plane destined to be
delivered to a customer earlier this week, the
European consortium also successfully completed two additional
milestones... including a fair approximation of what a flight
onboard an A380 will be like.
In Hamburgy, Germany, Airbus successfully completed the first
extensive ground cabin tests in a fully equipped A380. During five
hours of testing, 474 passengers and 20 crew members simulated a
15-hour long-haul flight, during which they tried all cabin
systems, such as the In-flight Entertainment System, the water and
waste system and the air conditioning system.
Passengers on board the aircraft were given individual tasks to
perform at certain intervals, in order to simulate maximum stress
on certain cabin systems. Some passengers even brought laptop
computers to test the performance of the in-seat power supply.
Airbus representatives told ANN the test also included all cabin
management related processes. In collaboration with Airbus cabin
trainers, a cabin crew from Lufthansa ran all cabin operations in
the A380 from boarding to safety instructions, galley and trolley
lift operations, and full meal service. The test passengers
included Airbus employees and specialists from cabin system
suppliers.
Another major milestone was reached in Dresden, where fatigue
tests on the A380 reached 10,000 flight cycles. The tests examine
the A380’s structural behavior, by simulating structural
stresses over a very condensed period of time.
The tests are performed in purpose built hangar equipped with
hydraulic cylinders to simulate structural load. The tests in
Dresden started in September 2005 and will continue to run to 2008
to simulate 47,500 flights in total, including short and long-haul
missions.
"These two major milestones are underlining the excellent
progress of our A380 test program," said Charles Champion, Airbus
COO and Head of the A380 program. "The result of the cabin test has
shown that all systems were running smoothly. The feedback from our
passengers was excellent. They enjoyed the wider seats and the
unprecedented feeling of space, as well as the quietness of the
cabin environment. Also the tests in Dresden are on a very good
track. 10,000 flight cycles is already twice as much as we need for
certification."
Billed by Airbus as the most modern airliner in the world, the
A380 is designed to carry an average of 555 passengers over
distances up to 8,000 nm/ 15,000 km. To date, 159 A380s have been
ordered by 16 customers.
The first A380 is due to be delivered to first operator
Singapore Airlines in November.