One of the latest models of modern airliners is the Airbus A350 aircraft. He is the embodiment of the most advanced ideas of engineering. But, of course, this airliner, despite its obvious advantages over competitors, has its drawbacks. Let's talk about the history of the development of the Airbus A350 aircraft, describe its main technical characteristics, and also get feedback from the first passengers and experts.
The line of aircraft "Airbus"
But first, let's talk about the line of passenger airplanes of civilian air transport company Airbus, since the final model of this group of airliners is the Airbus A350.
The French company "Airbus" was founded in 1970 by combining several manufacturers of aircraft. Since its inception, it has become one of the largest players in the market. Engaged in the production of both civilian and military equipment.
Since its inception, Airbus has entered into a fierce battle with the Boeing American firm, which was then dominant in the civil aviation market. And, I must say, this rivalry was not unsuccessful. Already the first aircraft, released by a European concern in 1972 (A300), began to be very popular with airlines. The new airliner was the world's first twin-engine wide-body aircraft, that is, having two aisles between passenger seats. In 1974, it was commissioned by the largest French airline Air France and is still in use today.
Then followed the release of the following models of airliners: A310, family A320, A330, A340, A380. Moreover, the A320 line, along with the Boeing 737 family, is currently the most popular in the world.
The latest in 2013 was the release of the new Airbus A350. This will be discussed further.
Background of creation
The creation of a new aircraft by Airbus was planned as a response to the release by Boeing Corporation of the 777 airliner (1994) and the announcement of the Boeing-787 project (development began in 2004). The latter was positioned as the most economical aircraft in the world in its class.
In response, Airbus planned to release an improved and more economical version of the A330, calling it the A330-200 Lite. It was the economy that was put at the forefront in the development of this model, which we started talking about in the same 2004, when the Boeing 787 project was announced.
But, as it turned out during the design process, fundamental changes were required to achieve this goal. Therefore, in 2006, it was announced the launch of a new project, called the "Airbus A350 XWB." The last letters were deciphered as Extra Wide Body, which in translation into Russian means "ultra-wide fuselage." It was immediately announced that the new aircraft would be more fuel efficient than the Boeing 787, and its maintenance costs would be 8% lower.
Process of creation
So, 2006 was the starting point in the process of creating a passenger long-range wide-body aircraft with two Airbus A350 engines.
Actually, the development did not take as much time as it usually takes to create an aircraft of this class. It lasted six years. This is due to the fact that in the process of work a minimum of structural changes was introduced to the initial plan, as well as the company's desire to release, finally, a worthy competitor, which began surfing the Boeing-787 airspace in 2009.
At the end of 2012, the aircraft under the serial number MSN1 was transported from the assembly shop. In mid-2013, he made his first test flight, and from the beginning of 2015 regular passenger traffic began with the A350 airliner.
Modifications
It should be noted that this model had three modifications at once: 350 - 800, 350 - 900 and 350 - 1000.
"Airbus A350 - 800" began to be operated in 2014. Its cabin is designed to carry 270 passengers, and the flight range is 15,700 km. This is a modification with a shortened fuselage.
"Airbus A350 - 900" was commissioned in the same year. Its capacity was 314 passengers, but the distance it could fly was a little less - 15,000 km. This modification is considered basic.
"Airbus A350 - 1000" made its first scheduled flight only in 2015. Its capacity is 350 passengers, and the flight range is 14,800 km. This model has an elongated fuselage (compared to the base).
To service all of these modifications requires two pilots.
Specifications
Now let's learn more about the design and technical characteristics of the Airbus A350 aircraft.
The basic model has a length of 66.8 m, and modifications - 60.5 m and 73.8 m, respectively. The wingspan is 64 m. The height of all modifications of the aircraft is 16.9 m, and the working area of the wing is 443 m 2 .
The main design feature of the new Airbus was that it consists of more than 50% composite materials, which exceeds the Boeing 787's. Also in the A350 were used saber-shaped wingtips, which were never used on other models of the corporation "Airbus".
All modifications of airliners are equipped with two Trent XWB engines, which are capable of providing a maximum speed of 945 km / h. In addition, the aircraft is equipped with a Honeywell HGT1700 auxiliary engine.
Passenger compartment and cabin
Each of the modifications of the airliners has a cabin with three levels of comfort: first class, business and economy. Naturally, in each of them there are significant differences in the level of service and comfort. Passengers, depending on their financial situation and needs, can choose any of the three offered classes in the "Airbus A350". The layout of the cabin is shown in the image below.
Not a single aircraft in the world can do without a cockpit. This is the point from which the flight control of the airliner is carried out. The cockpit of the “Airbus A350” is equipped with the latest electronic devices, created with the latest technology, which allow you to drive the car both manually and using autopilot.
Reviews of passengers and experts
And now let's find out what the opinion of the first passengers and experts about the new aircraft was.
Most of the company's customers note the increased comfort of the cabin compared to other Airbus models, as well as the special softness of flight, without air holes and other minor troubles.
Experts emphasize that the new aircraft is indeed the most economical airliner in its class. Among the shortcomings, leading analysts noted the high cost of manufacturing a machine, and, accordingly, its selling price. So, in the world market, a new French aircraft, depending on its modification, costs from 260.9 to 340.7 million dollars. For comparison, the Boeing 787 is estimated at between 218.3 and 297.5 million. But the savings in fuel and maintenance can more than make up for this difference with long-term operation. Also among the shortcomings is an increased level of automatism in management, although in some cases this can be considered a virtue.
However, most of the world's experts give a generally positive assessment to the Airbus A350 airliner.
Prospects
Currently, the "Airbus A350" is recognized as the most economical and cheapest in service aircraft of its class. In terms of technical characteristics, it surpassed its main competitor, the Boeing 787. Now we have to wait for the American company to retaliate and see what a miracle of technology it can oppose to its European rival.
High economic characteristics made it possible to ensure great demand for the new French aircraft from leading world airlines. So, at the moment there are already orders for the supply of 764 units of aircraft from 39 air carriers. Among them are such as the Qatari company Qatar Airways, Vietnamese Vietnam Airlines, Finnish Finnair, Portuguese TAP Portugal, Spanish Iberia. “Airbus A350”, the layout of the cabin of which allows you to efficiently distribute passengers of various financial incomes, and the capacity - to save on additional flights, will certainly continue to be popular with customers until a worthy competitor is opposed to it.
But the development of technology does not stand still, and the appearance of new airliners with even higher quality and economic characteristics is only a matter of time.