
Airbus A350 successfully completes maiden test flight - marban
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-22899952
======
VeejayRampay
Airbus plans are a silly source of pride for me as a French 30-something.
They're one of the very few tokens of pan-European success in tech and
engineering. Airbus being a subsidiary of EADS, a company that works across
European lines (Germany, France, the UK), it's living proof that despite all
the natural hurdles and bickering, we can still be competitive and innovative
as a continental entity.

I wish there were more examples like this one in the midst of this silly
Eurozone crisis.

~~~
raphaelj
Actually there is a few other successful engineering examples in France, such
Alstom with its TGV, or even Dassault.

I find this really strange that whereas "traditional engineering" is pretty
strong and remarkable in France, there is almost nothing in computer sciences.

~~~
jobigoud
> there is almost nothing in computer sciences.

Or you don't know them or don't realize they are French…

\- OVH (Biggest server host in the world)
([http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/OVH](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/OVH))

\- Ubisoft
([http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ubisoft](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ubisoft)),

\- Capgemini
([http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capgemini](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capgemini)),

\- STMicroelectronics
([http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/STMicroelectronics](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/STMicroelectronics)),

\- Bull
([http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Groupe_Bull](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Groupe_Bull)),

\- DailyMotion
([http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dailymotion](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dailymotion)),

\- etc.

~~~
saryant
I wouldn't be proud of Capgemini.

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OldSchool
As an engineer, I find it amazing that aside from cleaner, more efficient,
quieter, and safer, we really haven't significantly improved mainstream jet
travel speed for over 50 years. Supersonic must be a major barrier for all
practical purposes.

~~~
Gmo
We had supersonic flight (Concorde, also by airbus btw) and it was far too
fuel inefficient (that and I think also they were not allowed in some
countries if I remember correctly)

~~~
jacquesm
> also by airbus btw

By its predecessor Sud Aviation and BAC.

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arethuza
A related BBC article about the advanced engines developed by Rolls Royce for
the A350:

[http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-
environment-22889969](http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-22889969)

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alexose
There's a surprising lack of information about this plane. From what I can
tell, it's similar to the 787 (in that it's made from composites) but with
marginally better fuel efficiency.

Does anybody know if it has a similar turbulence-dampening system? Or
increased cabin pressure? As an airline customer, I don't really care about
how many seats it has or its operating costs...

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TillE
They say it's very quiet from the outside during takeoff, but has there been
any word on what the cabin noise is like, compared to the A380?

That's the main reason I'll choose an A380 whenever possible. It makes a big
difference in how exhausting and miserable a long flight can be.

~~~
enraged_camel
Doesn't cabin noise become white noise after a while? That has been my
experience with trans-Atlantic flights.

~~~
joonix
I tend to agree with you. It's not the engine sound that bothers me, it's
little kids screaming, hearing sneezes, etc. that get to me. In fact, many
people have actually found the quietness of the A380 engines to be a detriment
to the flying experience because suddenly they can hear others' quiet
conversations and other such noises that remind you you're tightly packed with
300+ other people.

~~~
TillE
It also means I can actually hear the flight attendant. And personally, human
noise really doesn't bother me. I ride public transit all the time without
issue.

It's just the constant loud wind/engine noise that gives me a headache.
Objectively, the A380 is by no means _quiet_ (compared to a modern train for
example), but the level of cabin noise feels much less oppressive.

------
marban
Pilot on the test flight:
[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xJrLAktTWBo](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xJrLAktTWBo)

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archon
So does "successfully completes maiden test flight" mean "the aircraft passed
all of the tests we put it through" or "the aircraft didn't fall out of the
sky"?

~~~
JshWright
Generally speaking the purpose of the maiden flight isn't to actually test
anything (other than the obvious "does it fly"), but rather it's more to
collect that will be used to design the scope and scale of future tests.

~~~
archon
Thanks, that's what I wanted to know.

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nawitus
I wonder if the test pilots wore parachutes.

~~~
jloughry
> I wonder if the test pilots wore parachutes.

They did, and the test article has a special escape hatch installed (good
photo here):

[http://www.wired.com/autopia/2013/06/test-pilots-
discuss-a35...](http://www.wired.com/autopia/2013/06/test-pilots-
discuss-a350-first-flight/)

------
brianbreslin
So can someone clear up what model this replaces or competes with?

~~~
dombili
Some people may disagree with me, but I think 350 replaces 340. 350's got a
long range and it's extremely fuel efficient (more so than the new 787). 340
is a four engine airliner and it's not fuel efficient at all. That fact alone
makes 340 pretty much obsolete. Operating costs for both 787 and 350 is
probably much less than 340 (totally speculating here) so it's hard to justify
operating 340s when there are much better airliners out there that can save
you a lot of money in the long term. Operating other 4 engine airliners like
747 and 380 is justifiable because they carry way more people than 340 does
AND their new models (380 is already a new plane and 747 has gotten an
upgrade) are fuel efficient as well.

340s are already out of production and I'm pretty sure it's gonna be rare to
see one of them in the skies over time. Which is a shame. I like 340s.

~~~
TylerE
747's are being phased out in passenger service, actually. The larger 777
variants can carry almost as many (~375 for a 777-300 vs 415 for a 747-400),
while being more efficient. The current 747 fleet is rapidly being
transitioned by most operators into freighter roles.

