Two pilots, eight cabin crew members and 129 ‘travellers’ recently completed a five-hour-long initial virtual flight in Hamburg on a ground-based prototype of Airbus’s A350 XWB.
The test simulated all phases of a commercial flight, from boarding and meal service to snacks and deplaning. After stowing away their hand luggage, the passengers were able to move around to different seats, while the crew operated various systems from the flight attendant panel (FAP), including the all-LED lighting and intercom.
The interior features systems that will be included on the A350 XWB, allowing Airbus to verify operations and analyse human factors at the jetliner’s service entry, which is planned for the second half of 2014.
The virtual flight is part of Airbus’s early test programme to ready the aircraft for entry into service. As part of the testing process, five development aircraft will fly around 2 500 hours.
