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Aviation History
2004
2004-09 - 1232.PDF
fortably into the 2,685m (8,800ft) runway at the Hamburg plant. "MSN002 will be fitted with a complete cabin and will perform extensive testing for the development of cabin and associated systems," says Champion. "It will perform an early long-range [ELR] flight programme with non-revenue passengers on board." The ELR plan follows that of the A340- 600 test programme, which saw the aircraft operating into major airports with a repre sentative load of passengers early in the test programme to provide feedback before the traditional route-proving effort (which, for the A380, will be undertaken later in the programme by MSN007). MSN002 will have a "medium level" of instrumentation, and will be tasked with a six-month flight-test programme to check cabin systems, internal and external noise, and cold weather trials for both the sys tems and structure. As well as running the Toulouse-based ELR programme, 002 will also undertake compatibility checks at various major air ports that will have to handle the A380 INNOVATIONS soon after its introduction, such as Frankfurt Main, London Heathrow and Paris Charles de Gaulle. It will also carry out internal and external noise tests. The latter - for certification purposes - will be conducted with the aircraft in take-off and landing configurations, and some will be carried out with fairings attached to the landing gear to identify the reduction in aerodynamic noise that they can offer. Airbus aims to certificate the A380 to the most stringent departure noise legislation - the "QC2" limit at London Heathrow. The manufacturer will run an early evaluation of aircraft noise, with a noise development test planned in the first quarter of next year at the beginning of the flight-test pro gramme. Champion says MSN007, mean while, will be "lightly" instrumented and will undertake a three-month test pro gramme focused mainly on route proving. The next batch will be the fatigue-test airframe and the first two customer aircraft - MSN003 and MSN005 - both of which are for launch operator Singapore Airlines, which is due to put the A380 into revenue service early in the second quarter of 2006. The maximum energy rejected take-off test required for certification will be under taken at the end of the flight-test pro gramme because it can sometimes result in major damage to the aircraft. The GP7200 test aircraft (MSN009) is due to fly in November 2005 and will be one of two A380s tasked with the develop ment and certification programme for this version. MSN009 will undertake perfor mance and powerplant tests, while a sec ond aircraft, fitted with a complete cabin, will perform the route-proving campaign. Airbus says certification of the GP7200-ver- sion "will be in time for entry into service [with launch customer Emirates] in the last quarter of 2006". By then, the first A380-800 freighter will be in final assembly and the focus will shift to ensuring that version is ready for service entry. The first example, a GP7200-pow- ered aircraft, is due to fly in the second quarter of 2007 and enter service just over a year later in mid-2008 with launch cus tomer FedEx Express. • Structure is key to performance EygHj For an aircraft of the A380's size, it has been more vital than ever to focus on weight reduction. The A380-800's 569t maximum take off weight means that even a 1 % saving equates to over 5,000kg. It is therefore no surprise that, at 22% of the total weight, the air craft has the greatest use of composites yet seen in airliner construction. The A380's structure also incorporates major use of other new construction technologies and materials. The major innovations are: • Carbonfibre-reinforced plastic 2% 2% Surface protections * Titanium and steel fe» Composites "•»' Aluminium • Glare "^>- Miscellaneous (CFRP) composites are used for the construction of the centre wingbox, rear pressure bulkhead, unpressurised fuselage and wing ribs, in combination with advanced technologies. Intermediate-modu lus carbonfibre material is also used in some areas. • Glare - a metal/fibre laminate - is used in the construction of the upper fuselage panels on the for ward and aft sections. This equates to 3% of the A380's weight, exclusive of the 22% that is composite. • Airbus has also introduced two categories of advanced alloys - aluminium alloys (for the wing box) and aluminium-lithium. • Laser beam welding technol ogy, first introduced on the A318, is used in combination with 6000- series aluminium alloys on lower fuselage panels. Speaking to Flight International late last year, executive vice-presi dent, A380 programme Charles Champion said that in early 2001 the A380's manufacturer's weight empty (MWE) was "several tonnes above target" because of changes to the specification to meet customer range, payload and noise requirements. 'Two weight-recovery pro grammes were instigated, and a series of Tiger Teams' were estab lished, which incorporated multidisciplinary experts to reach the target," says Champion. One key area where Airbus hopes to drive weight down is the interior fur nishings, with suppliers tasked with finding reductions of up to 30%. Airbus says that the fourth A380 (MSN007) will be the first built to production standard and incorporate weight savings. Airbus declines to be specific on the weight issue, saying that is about "four to five tonnes" over the target - ie 1-2% of the last published operating empty weight which was 276t (608,000lb). Airbus confirms the operating empty weight has been increased to meet customer requirements, but has not yet released what that weight is. It is clear the weight-saving effort will continue for the life of the programme, with new gains to be incorporated in later A380 ver sions. "A competitive new aircraft programme with a lifespan of 40 to 50 years requires the introduc tion of new materials and technologies that allow for further optimisation as the aircraft family evolves," says Robert Lafontan, senior vice-president engineering for the A380 programme. "Thus, the launch versions of the A380 family establish a technology plat form for future developments." Dimensions (m) Length Span Height Weights (t) Maximum take-off Option Maximum landing Option Maximum zero fuel Operating empty (typical) Maximum payload L^KJKIHBH 72.6 79.5 24.0 560 569 386 391 361 276* 84 Standard fuel capacity (I) 310,000 Accommodation Three-class pax Maximum pax Performance Typical cruise speed (M) 555 853 0.85 Maximum cruise speed (M) 0.89 Maximum altitude (ft) Range (km) with 555 pax 'last published data. Weight 4-5t behind target. 43,000 15,000 is currently ir^ww.f lightinternational.com FLIGHT INTERNATIONAL 13-19 JULY 2004 63
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