|
A380 Arrives with 100 Hours on the Clock
The A380’s quiet arrival here on Sunday was the aircraft’s 22nd flight, and the aircraft has more than 100 hours in the air, according to Claude Lelaie, senior vp of Airbus’ flight division. The aircraft is now flying with updated flight control system software, improving the turn coordination and smoothing out the aircraft’s handling. (The first set of software was “very good, but not perfect,” Lelaie says. In recent tests, the A380 has taken off at an MTOW of 1,219,365 lbs and landed at 1,124,550 lbs, has flown to its 375 kts airspeed limit, and has performed stalls in all configurations. Good surprises in the program so far: Availability has been excellent, with the aircraft capable of daily test flights, and the aerodynamics are as predicted, although detailed drag measurements have not yet been made.
back
to ShowNews home
|
