For those who like shiny new planes and are now at a loss now the 787 has finally rolled out, lets turn our attention to the Airbus A350XWB.
Airbus has completed the first frame of its new A350XWB that will be certified to fly as part of the test campaign.
Images – Airbus SAS
The frame – MSN001 exited the assembly line in Toulouse, and has been through work that has allowed electrical power-on of the aircraft’s entire fuselage and wings.
The plane is due to go through full electric and hydraulic tests – as well as full system tests.
As you can see, the engines are missing. These will be added after the system tests, and the aircraft painted.
There are currently two A350XWB frames in existence – one flyable one and one static one used for test purposes.
The A350 family will have three subclasses initially based on the length of the aircraft. The current aircraft is a -900 model (with an -800 and -1000 model to come), and will come either with Rolls Royce Trent 1000 or a variation of the GE GEnx engine.
For those looking forward to seeing the A350 in the air, the first flight of this aircraft is pencilled in for mid 2013, and entry into service in late 2014.