A350 - Satser på Paris Air Show, og jeg er der......

 

Airbus Names First A350 Flight Pilots as Countdown Begins

Airbus SAS (EAD) has nominated the pilots and engineers who will conduct the first test flight of the new A350, signaling the countdown to the wide-body aircraft's maiden voyage may be just a matter of days.

The first flight will have a crew of six, including two test pilots and a project test-flight engineer who will sit in the cockpit, Airbus said. Three additional flight test crew members, all experimental flight test engineers, will work at dedicated stations on the plane to manage the flight's progress.

The first take-off will mark the beginning of more than nine months of testing, in which pilots put the aircraft through increasingly complex maneuvers to ensure its airworthiness and safety. The first plane doesn't carry passengers, and is stuffed with computers and equipment to record performance data.

A first flight in coming weeks would be a public-relations coup for Airbus ahead of the Paris Air Show, the year's biggest aviation expo, which starts June 17. While the organizers haven't confirmed the plane's appearance at the event, Airbus may choose a so-called "fly-by" if civil aviation authorities give it clearance.