Flying with the Aircraft family

Pilots who fly the A350 XWB will feel at home in its advanced cockpit, wow it's very wonderful which inherits the commonality features from Airbus’ fly-by-wire aircraft family while also benefitting from the latest in display technology and integrated modular avionics.

The A350 XWB retains the same excellent handling qualities as the A320, A330/A340 and A380 families, and is flown utilising similar operating procedures. For Airbus-rated pilots, this means reduced training time in the transition from one aircraft to another, as shorter-duration Difference Training classes replace the Full Type Rating course.

Additionally, pilots can fly multiple aircraft types within an Airbus fleet by using the proven Mixed Fleet Flying concept, resulting in significant benefits for airline profitability, pilot productivity and scheduling flexibility.

Airbus is building on its cockpit design heritage in taking the A350 XWB’s display technology a step beyond the A380. Six very large LCD screens replace the 10 large LCDs on the A380, providing ample room to show all flight and system information needed today, with additional display area available for future requirements.

In addition, the A350 XWB’s six identical screens are fully interchangeable and have the same part number for reduced spares requirements, while their advanced design and mature technology cut maintenance costs by up to 80 per cent.

The A350 XWB will be a faster, more efficient and quieter aircraft as the result of its advanced wing design – which combines aerodynamic enhancements already validated on the A380 with further improvements developed by Airbus engineers.

Built primarily from carbon composite materials, the wing is optimised through extensive use of Computational Fluid Dynamics and wing tunnel testing for a fast cruise speed of Mach 0.85. This reduces trip times, improves overall efficiency, and extends the aircraft’s range.

All three A350 XWB family members share the same wing planform – with a 64.7-metre wingspan, a total area of 442 sq. metres, and high swept leading edge. In addition the internal wing structure will be scaled to meet the specific requirements of each aircraft variant.

Innovative concepts are being applied to the A350 XWB wing’s high-lift devices (flaps, slats and spoilers) that will reduce noise and drag while also improving the aircraft’s low-speed performance.

One of these innovations is the stream-wise deployment of trailing-edge flaps. On a traditional swept-wing jetliner, the outboard flaps extend at an angle to the airflow. For the A350 XWB, flap deployment is along the direction of flight – resulting in better lift efficiency and improved low-speed performance, while reducing aerodynamic-generated noise.

Other A350 XWB wing enhancements include the adoption of a drop-hinge mechanism to improve the flap’s deployment kinetics, along with the introduction of a downwards movement for the upper wing spoilers to fill the gaps that occur when flaps are extended. In addition, the A350 XWB’s flight computer will perform in-flight trimming of the inboard and outboard flaps, creating a variable camber wing that adapts to different flight conditions.

The A350XWB’s new wing is being validated using the latest computational fluid dynamics techniques accompanied by thousands of hours of wind tunnel testing.

review from www.airbus.com