The first Airbus A350 XWB – MSN001 – rolled out today from A350 XWB Final Assembly Line (FAL) “Station 30”. The first A350 XWB now is structurally complete and shows the installed winglets, belly fairing panels, main landing gear doors.
The aircraft has recently completed successfully a series of indoor ground tests as well as stability tests on movable elements such as rudder, elevators, ailerons and wing spoilers and landing gears extraction/retraction. The next steps which will take place outdoors at the Station 18 ground test station will include three planned families of tests: Fuel tanks testing – including levels, flows, sealing and internal fuel transfer functions; pressure testing of the fuselage; and radio equipment testing.
The A350 XWB is Airbus’ answer to the Boeing 787 Dreamliner. The Airbus A350 is a family of long-range, wide-body airliners. The A350 will be the first Airbus with both fuselage and wing structures made primarily of carbon fibre-reinforced polymer. It will carry 250 to 350 passengers in three-class seating, depending on variant.
XWB stands for eXtra Wide Body. The launch customer for the A350 is Qatar Airways, which ordered 80 aircraft across the three variants. The airliner is scheduled to enter service in mid-2014.
Photos: Airbus