News from Airbus

Citation

(2009), "News from Airbus", Aircraft Engineering and Aerospace Technology, Vol. 81 No. 2. https://doi.org/10.1108/aeat.2009.12781baf.004

News from Airbus

Article Type: Features From: Aircraft Engineering and Aerospace Technology: An International Journal, Volume 81, Issue 2

Airbus reports that the A350 XWB programme is progressing well and is on track. Throughout 2009, Airbus will see the continuation of its industrial set-up (buildings, tools, jigs) being deployed and installed across various Airbus sites in order to prepare the construction process of the aircraft.

Structural demonstrators for wings, fuselage are being developed, and the first fuselage cross-section demonstrator, “Barrel 1A”, is validating the innovative construction methods and establish maturity. To this end, it is tasked with static load testing, and is showing a good level of correlation with the original prediction for the ultimate loads. Next year this demonstrator will also be used for the electrical systems network testing.

A second “Barrel 1B” demonstrator will follow in 2009. This will incorporate production representative composite frames and a door, and will refine dynamic fatigue testing. This demonstrator will also contribute to the eventual airworthiness certification dossier.

Meanwhile, supplier selection is progressing well. Well over 90 per cent of all major systems have already been selected, while all major fuselage work packages have been assigned, as well as the major work packages for the wings. In line with Airbus new supplier policy, many packages are much larger than with previous programmes. Suppliers are becoming involved earlier in the process to work in partnership with Airbus, taking on greater responsibility for the overall development.

In addition to earlier announcements, notable recent supplier awards include: L-3 communications (flight data and cockpit voice recorders); Thales (optional head-up-display); Goodrich (air-data and ice-detection systems); Hamilton Sundstrand (ram-air-turbine emergency power system); Honeywell (3-D advanced weather radar); B/E Aerospace (modular galley system); and Diehl Aerospace (entire cabin lighting package, high-lift slat/flap control computer, and doors and slides control systems).

Spirit AeroSystems – which is building the plant to design and manufacture the composite centre fuselage frame section for the A350 XWB – has “broken ground” on a new 500,000 ft² facility at the North Carolina Global TransPark near Kinston.

Tests underway for A320 ESG

On the strength of 20 years’ experience in monitoring more than 3,600 single-aisle aircraft now in service, Airbus informs us that it is looking to take the A320 Family further. Work towards an extended service goal (ESG) for the family is now well under way with a development test programme, including major full-scale fatigue tests.

The overall aim of the A320 Family ESG is to enhance its maintenance programme from the current specification of 48,000 flight cycles (FC) and 60,000 flight hours (FH), up to 90,000 FC and 180,000 FH, respectively. This extension will progress in two steps referred to as “ESG1” and “ESG2”.

ESG1 is an initial step planned for operation in 2010 that will target a service goal extension of 60, 000 FC and 120,000 FH. This programme will achieve a balanced development of structural potential and optimised maintenance activities for the aircraft family through its analyses. The development test phase for ESG1 is being conducted in Toulouse and Munich, and lasts until July 2009. It will involve 120,000 simulated flights, each characterised by operational data monitored and collected to date. This testing phase will be followed by detailed inspection, preparation and decision phases.

The ESG will reportedly enable A320 Family operators to earn additional revenue by flying their aircraft longer as well as benefiting from the increased residual value of their Airbus single-aisle fleets.

Four major fatigue tests are now running: the forward fuselage; the pylon; the centre fuselage and wings; and the rear fuselage. Subsequent testing through to 2011 will aim to validate ESG2s ultimate goal of 90.000 FC and 180,000 FH, and will involve up to 180,000 simulated flights and a total of 360,000 FH.

“These aircraft have an impressive reliability”, says Clemens Hermann, Project Leader in the A320 Family life extension programme. “Customers’ in-service experience of the aircraft, along with Airbus’ own fleet monitoring data now supports extending the service goal. Indeed, a huge number of A320 Family aircraft in service have experienced no major fatigue findings so far, and this has encouraged Airbus to spend the efforts and do these tests”.

Greener sky

“AURORA” – a project implemented by Airbus, Scandinavian Airlines International (SAS), Swedish Service Provider LFV and Stockholm Arlanda airport – has successfully concluded flight trials of Europe’s first transatlantic green approaches using an Airbus A330 of SAS. For the route to Arlanda airport, Stockholm, Sweden, from New York’s Newark airport, the trials have determined that the improved flight profile with the A330, in conjunction with “continuous descent approaches”, saves approximately 150 kg of fuel per flight, with an overall CO₂ reduction of 470 kg.

Applied to SAS International division’s long-haul flights, it represents an estimated fuel saving of 95 tonnes per A330 aircraft and per year, equalling a reduction of 290 tonnes of CO₂ emissions. Another benefit is a 3-5 db noise reduction during approach.

Various different CDA procedures have been developed at several airports to try to reduce fuel burn and noise benefiting both the airline and airport neighbourhood. The highly optimised CDA procedure developed in AURORA involves running engines at idle power, from cruise altitude until the final stage of the approach. During this phase, the aircraft’s flight management system (FMS) flies the whole approach routing automatically.

Sigmund Locked, Chief Pilot of Airbus A330/A340 SAS fleet, says: “The new Continuous Descent Approaches are extremely easy to fly for the pilots. In fact, once all parameters are entered in the FMS, it is almost “hands off” for the pilots from the start of the descent until the landing”.

Nathalie Prilleux, Senior Manager Engineering, ATM at Airbus, explains: “These AURORA trials have contributed to FMS innovations in support of the definition of future air traffic management (ATM)”.

With this in mind, the research has focused on the validation of elements of 4D performance-based operations, with time as the fourth “dimension”. 4D operations will provide ATC with accurate flight predictability, which will facilitate regularly achieving optimal CDA even in high density traffic. Additionally, the aircraft FMS, when programmed with the predicted weather at all points in time along the route, will much more accurately determine aircraft trajectory and the time of arrival. The result is that when the aircraft arrives at the destination, it will fit into the ATC process and merge smoothly into the stream of approaching traffic.

The valuable experience gained in AURORA will be fed into the Single European Sky ATM Research Programme, and also into the European cooperative work with the USA.

Airbus also reports that as part of its on-going, extensive research and development into future technology options, Airbus and Pratt & Whitney (P&W) have commenced a series of flight tests to evaluate the “PurePower” PW1000G technology demonstrator engine which features P&Ws patented “Geared Turbofan” (GIF) architecture. The tests are being performed at Airbus’ flight test facility using Airbus’ own A340 flight test aircraft and will run until the end of the year.

Airbus is working with all major engine manufacturers and will conduct similar tests with them in the coming years. Moreover, through such tests, Airbus will obtain data to validate the fuel burn and CO₂ emissions that could be achieved with each new engine technology.

Airbus EVP Strategy and Future Programs, Christian Scherer, commented, “Airbus is already delivering the world’s most eco-efficient aircraft. Sensitive to our position of being an industry leader, it is imperative to us that we continuously explore all technology developments to achieve our ambitious targets today and in the future”.

Airbus will be the first aircraft manufacturer to obtain flight test results from the PW1000G, and these will contribute to Airbus’ long-term R&D assessment of available technologies.