Airbus locks in maiden flight date for Beluga XL
After strenuous ground testing and lots of teasers, Airbus has finally announced the time of which the Beluga XL will meet the clouds.
The aircraft is set to takeoff on the 19th of July and will be live streamed by Airbus on their Twitter page starting at 0830GMT. Keep in mind that this date is whether permitting.
The Beluga XL is Airbus’ newest and largest specialized cargo aircraft. Based of the A330, the Beluga XL holds the full name of Airbus A330-743L. Powered by two Rolls-Royce Trent 700 engines, the XL can carry additional components of greater size.
The maximum takeoff weight of 227 tonnes is more than enough to carry the load of two A350 wings at a time, assisting in the ramp up in A350 production. Current A300 Belugas take nine trips to deliver parts of A350s ready for assembly so this aircraft will be a huge benefit to Airbus’ wide body production.
Airbus plans to keep the existing A300 based Belugas in service when the XL commences operations. The mixed fleet will remain in place for at least five years to support growing narrow-body aircraft production.
Production began in in late 2016 and more pieces continued to arrive through 2017. The first aircraft rolled out complete with no engines and paint in January 2018. Engines were fitted in March of 2018 while the second frame was undergoing the conversion process.
Airbus had a special livery lined up for the aircraft long before final assembly started, electing to allow employees to vote for which design to use. Out of the six designs available, the majority of employees chose a design that resembled the Beluga as an icon of the Airbus family and the whale that the aircraft is named after as seen in the photo below.
The aircraft will undergo a short flight test campaign compromising of 1000 hours. Control tests, system validation tests and operational testing are those that Airbus will be focusing on.
For those curious about the specifications, here’s the list sourced from Airbus:
AIRCRAFT DIMENSIONS
Overall length 63.1 m
Height 18.9 m
Fuselage diameter 8.8 m
Wingspan (geometric) 60.3 m
Wing area (reference) 361.6 m2
BASIC OPERATING DATA
Engines Rolls Royce Trent 700 engines
Range 2200nm at max payload (53 tonnes)
DESIGN WEIGHT
Maximum take-off weight 227 tonnes
Maximum landing weight 187 tonnes
Maximum zero fuel weight 178 tonnes