Flight testing of the Airbus A340-600 at Toulouse is ahead of schedule, says Airbus, with the first test aircraft having accumulated more than 250 flight hours in 90 flights. Deliveries of the stretched Rolls-Royce Trent 500-powered A340 will begin to launch customer Virgin Atlantic next June.
The test programme began in April with the maiden flight of the prototype, which is exploring the flight envelope and flight loads. Test aircraft number two entered the programme in June to undertake performance and systems trials. The third A340, which will fly in September, features a fully equipped cabin and will make long-range flights with passengers.
Airbus says the entire flight envelope has been explored, including diving speeds, enabling aerodynamic configuration to be fixed and the majority of aircraft systems tested. "The certification campaign is progressing ahead of schedule," says the manufacturer. Control laws for the A340-600's fly-by-wire flight control system have been checked, with fine tuning now taking place.
The next stage of the test programme includes evaluation of the autopilot, braking, take-off and landing performance, cabin systems and minimum velocity unstick. A series of hot weather and high altitude flights is planned for early September in La Paz, Bolivia.
Source: Flight International
