An Airbus A340-500 powered by four Rolls-Royce Trent 500 engines completed a successful first flight Monday from Airbus headquarters in Toulouse, France. The ultra-long-range airliner, capable of carrying 313 passengers 8,500 nautical miles, was airborne for 5 hours and 52 minutes, carrying out handling exercises and collecting performance data.

The first A340-500 took off from the Blagnac international airport in Toulouse, France at 10.25 hours local time (09.25 GMT), and returned at 16.17 hours local time (15.17 GMT).

The maiden flight was captained by Airbus Chief Test Pilot Jacques Rosay and co-piloted by Experimental Test Pilot Richard Monnoyer. The crew was comprised of flight test engineers Didier Ronceray and Sylvie Loisel-Labaste - the first woman crew member for a maiden flight at Airbus - and test flight engineer Bruno Bigand. 

Commenting on the flight, Jacques Rosay confirmed that the new aircraft and engines had handled as anticipated. "The A340-500 is 6.5 meters (21 feet) shorter than its high capacity sister, the new A340-600, that flew for the first time last April. But thanks to cockpit commonality and fly-by-wire controls, their flight handling characteristics are practically identical and indeed, like any other A330/A340 Family aircraft," he said. "We took the A340-500 up to its maximum operating speed of Mach 0.86 and the Trent 500s performed according to our expectations," he noted.

The crew explored the aircraft's flight envelope from minimum speeds close to stall through to its maximum operating speed of Mach 0.86. They tested the aircraft’s handling using both direct and normal flight control laws with the landing gear up and down, and with all various flaps and slats settings. Noise, vibrations, main systems review (including the new rear center tank) and cruise performance were also covered.

The A340-500 took off at a weight of 280 tonnes (617,290 lbs), including around 30.5 tonnes (67,240 lbs) of flight test instrumentation to record the thousands of parameters necessary for a thorough analysis of the aircraft’s in-flight performance. This maiden voyage marks the beginning of a comprehensive flight test campaign involving two A340-500s in 340 flight hours, which will culminate in certification and entry into airline service in the fourth quarter of 2002.

The ultra-long range A340-500 was launched in December 1997 alongside its sister aircraft, the high capacity A340-600. Designed in close collaboration with airlines these two airliners further extend the attraction of the market-leading A330/A340 Family, taking advantage of the latest proven technologies to deliver the ultimate in long range air travel.

The Trent 500 is the sole powerplant for growth versions of the A340 and first flew on the larger, 380-passenger A340-600 in April 2001. Since then, three A340-600s have accumulated nearly 1,000 hours of flight testing, in addition to 4,500 hours of ground running by development engines at the Rolls-Royce facilities in Derby, England. The A340-600 is scheduled to enter service with Virgin Atlantic in June 2002, with the A340-500 beginning commercial flights with Air Canada later in the year.

With in-service thrust ratings of 53,000 - 56,000lb, the Trent 500 was certificated at 60,000lb, allowing comfortable margin for future growth. The four variants, which form the current Trent family, have been selected by a total of 36 airlines and leasing companies, resulting in a 51 per cent market share on new-generation widebody airliners from Airbus and Boeing.

FMI: www.rolls-royce.com, www.airbus.com