Airbus A350XWB (partie 2)

Designated MSN3, this aircraft will be deployed for a variety of A350
XWB testing – including performance at high and medium altitudes, in
cold weather and hot temperatures and on long-range flights.

Build-up
activity for the no. 3 A350 XWB commenced during February on the final
assembly line, where the aircraft’s three fuselage sections were
transferred following their arrival in Toulouse aboard a Beluga
transporter. It joins the MSN5000 aircraft at Toulouse, currently
undergoing preparations for static testing in another hangar, and MSN1,
which is completing indoor ground evaluations.

Initial assembly
steps for MSN3 included installation of the jetliner’s 50-metre-long
electrical harness for flight test measurements, which – along a
complement of electrical cabinets – forms an advanced “supercomputer”
called METRO. This was followed by the fuselage sections’ successful
moulding at the final assembly line’s Station 50.

There are two
such Station 50 locations for fuselage join-up on the A350 XWB Final
Assembly Line: the first, which is designated Station 50A, and another
called 50B. MSN3 was the first aircraft joined on Station 50B, which had
a higher readiness level thanks to debugging that followed the initial
two jetliners’ assembly on Station 50A.

“The whole process also
is quicker thanks to high maturity of the sections and great efficiency
of the teams who have already trained on the first two aircraft,”
explained Airbus’ Loic Perrin, who in charge of Station 50.

Enders is not ruling out a second engine option for the A350 beyond the
Rolls-Royce Trent XWB should a manufacturer provide a good alternative,
but says the lack of an option is not hurting sales of the aircraft.