Airbus has been continuing performing testing of the A350-900 with a series of crosswind handling trials at Reykjavik’s Keflavik airport.
Its MSN1 test aircraft arrived in Keflavik from Toulouse on 3 July, says the airframer, with testing starting the same day.
The Rolls-Royce Trent XWB-powered jet initially carried out a set of departures and approaches on the east-west runway 29 before switching to the opposite-direction runway 11.
Meteorological data for Keflavik shows crosswinds from the north at the time of the testing, with wind speeds of around 25kt.
The test crew subsequently started including approaches to the north-south runway 02/20.
Airbus says that, following the crosswind tests, the A350 still has to undergo a maximum-energy rejected take-off. The aircraft is also to undertake route proving this summer.
The five aircraft in the test fleet have completed over 2,100h of the certification programme in more than 500 flights.
Airbus adds that it is preparing to secure approval for its full-flight A350 simulator – based on electrical motion rather than hydraulics – which will be put into operation in the fourth quarter, the same time period in which Qatar Airways is due to receive its first aircraft.
Source: Cirium Dashboard
