A380 long-duration workout for Thales IFE

[Edwin P K 0]

A380 long-duration workout for Thales IFE

 

September 19, 2006 – THALES Avionics’ i-5000 IFE system got its most protracted airborne workout earlier this month, when it featured in the Airbus A380 Early Long Flight (ELF) test programme.

 

The system is fitted to A380 MSN002, the first to be fitted with a fully furnished three-class cabin. On September 4-8 the aircraft was used for four flights gradually increasing in duration from seven to 15 hours and carrying a total of 1,900 passengers. The campaign was designed to subject the aircraft’s cabin systems to the kind of usage likely to be experienced in commercial service in order to uncover and remedy any problems before certification and first airline deliveries around the end of this year.

 

Another of the prototype A380s, MSN007, is fitted with Panasonic Avionics’ eX2 IFE.

 

On September 4 MSN002 took off from Toulouse with 474 passengers on board for a first ELF mission lasting 7hr. Flight time was gradually increased over the rest of the full-load flights, culminating in a 15hr sortie on September 8.

 

The flights were set up as far as possible to simulate standard airline levels of service, with cabin attendants provided by Lufthansa. On each the passengers - Airbus employees and 20-30 specialists from the manufacturer and its cabin systems suppliers – made full use of systems such as air conditioning, lighting, IFE, galleys, toilets and waste-water.

 

Airbus deputy media relations manager David Voskhul, who travelled on the third flight, described the passenger experience as good. “The aircraft felt quite stable and the cabin was quiet in the cruise,” he said. “I hardly noticed that we had started taxiing, and boarding and disembarking were very quick despite the need to use airstairs.”

 

The next stage in the A380 entry-into-service process is the route-proving programme, scheduled for around the end of the year. Until a few days ago this was to have been performed with the Panasonic eX2-equipped MSN007. But delays in completing the latter mean that the load will now fall on MSN002.

 

MSN007 was due to fly the 300hr of route-proving time required for certification during the fourth quarter in conjunction with customers Lufthansa and Singapore Airlines. “But we realised that if we waited for MSN007 to be ready it would be very difficult to keep certification on schedule for this year,” says Airbus flight-test VP Fernando Alonso.

 

A significant proportion of the required 300hr must be accumulated on one aircraft. So Airbus plans to carry out 150hr with MSN002 in November and to obtain credits for the other 150hr from the ELF flights and other airborne testing.

 

Meanwhile, Airbus will confirm before the end of the month details of the revised A380 production plan. Certain elements of the configuration specified by launch customer Singapore Airlines will have to be certificated using either MSN007 or the first customer aircraft, so the airline’s schedule is likely to be affected. SIA says it is “working with Airbus towards delivery of the first A380 in December, but Airbus can only confirm the date after they have completed their technical review at the end of September.”