Sun, Dec 12, 2021
Airbus gives Sneak Peek into the Airliner Building Business
Airbus began final assembly on its A321XLR testbed aircraft, a major step in the program for their upcoming freighter program. The aircraft will be the first of 3 built to undergo flight testing and type certification beginning in 2022, with an eye towards entry into service sometime in 2023.
The structure sits surrounded by gantries, boxes, and platforms as personnel of the Final Assembly Line in Hamburg, Germany equip a series of major component assemblies. Parts from all over Europe have arrived in a steady stream, the nose and forward fuselage brought in from Saint Nazaire, France; the wings from Broughton, UK; vertical stabilizer from Stade, Germany; and the horizontal stabilizer from Getafe, Spain. The variety of manufacturing locations emphasize just how distributed even a single Airbus aircraft can be. The current production at Hamburg won't be the only facility, according to Michael Menking, head of the A320 program.
Airbus shared the excitement of the occasion, publishing a series of photos showcasing the highlights of assembly. The fuselage was lifted by crane and dropped into position over waiting wings, the supports of the fuselage while they are riveted together, and the enormous jigs needed to keep the variety of parts in proper alignment. It's a rare look into the full-scale process of aircraft manufacture, but the rituals are all perfectly familiar to any other homebuilder.
The test aircraft will be left in a more variable state, ready for the installation of the necessary flight test instrumentation and other odds and ends needed for the certification process. Once complete, the plane will visit the paint booth for its first livery, then enter the ground testing phase with a flight sometime next year.
More News
Runway Lead-in Light System Runway Lead-in Light System Consists of one or more series of flashing lights installed at or near ground level that provides positive visual guidance a>[...]
Aero Linx: Aviation Without Borders Aviation Without Borders uses its aviation expertise, contacts and partnerships to enable support for children and their families – at hom>[...]
Dave Juwel's Aviation Marketing Stories ITBOA BNITBOB ... what does that mean? It's not gibberish, it's a lengthy acronym for "In The Business Of Aviation ... But Not In The Busine>[...]
From 2010 (YouTube Version): Yeah.... This IS A Really Cool Job When ANN's Nathan Cremisino took over the lead of our Aero-TV teams, he knew he was in for some extra work and a lot>[...]
Also: Junkers A50 Heritage, Montaer Grows, Dynon-Advance Flight Systems, Vans' Latest Officially, the Carbon Cub UL and Rotax 916 iS is now in its 'market survey development phase'>[...]