With the objective of conducting a ‘high and warm’ flight test campaign to check aircraft and engine performance in high-altitude, warm and humid conditions, the A350-1000 MSN071 test aircraft flew first to Bolivia before completing its tour in Colombia and then returning to Toulouse, France, after 10 days of flight and ground tests.
The flight test campaign took place at three different airports including at Cochabamba, at an altitude of 8,300ft (2,350m), La Paz at 13,300ft (4,054m), and at Barranquilla at sea level, with temperatures ranging from 8°C to 32°C. The aircraft took-off and landed several times at each airport to collect data.
Early test results confirm the good performance and behavior of both the aircraft and its Trent XWB-97 engines. This is a major successful milestone in the aircraft certification flight test campaign. The A350-1000 is ready for high altitude operations from Entry Into Service later this year.
All three A350-1000 flight test aircraft (MSN059, MSN071 and MSN065) are engaged in the ongoing Type Certification campaign, during which the aircraft is pushed to extreme limits well beyond what they should ever face during normal in-service operations.
Edited by Michael Jones
March 29, 2017
Pic: Airbus SAS 2017 – photo by S Ramadier
