Aviation International News senior correspondent Ian Goold has been involved in aerospace since 1964 and in aviation media for more than 40 years. He enjoyed a 20-year career at Flight International magazine, where he was latterly air-transport editor before turning freelance in 1993. A winner of the European Regions Airline Association Hank McGonagle award for excellence in aerospace journalism and a Royal Aeronautical Society Aerospace Journalist of the Year global&nbsp;award, he has edited or contributed to aerospace and aviation magazines, special publications, and websites in Africa, Asia/Pacific, Europe, the Middle East, and North and South America. Ian entered aerospace as an apprentice at the British Aircraft Corporation at Brooklands (Weybridge), where he worked on production and final assembly lines of the Vickers Super VC10, and BAC One-Eleven , and manufacture of Concorde major sub-assemblies. He subsequently graduated from the BAC Design Training School to work in the airframe structures drawing office (including design of international future projects, such as the Panavia Tornado multi-role combat aircraft) before joining Flight International in 1973. Apart from years of reading aircraft magazines and books, his first direct contact with aviation media had come during the early 1970s when he was involved at Brooklands with the Weybridge Man-powered Aircraft Group, which designed and built the tenth aircraft to fly under purely human power. As an aviation journalist, he has worked at more than&nbsp; 50 of the major biennial&nbsp;global and regional international aerospace industry shows at Le Bourget, Farnborough, Singapore, and Dubai (having missed attending only one "Farnborough" since 1960), plus innumerable NBAA, HAI, (U.S.) AOPA, and EBACE Conventions and ERA Assemblies. His favourite aircraft is the Hawker Hunter, of which – as a schoolboy – he heard hundreds make their first flights from Dunsfold, where also on September 24, 2013, he saw the penultimate landing of the VC10 (happily involving an example of which he had witnessed the maiden takeoff in 1970) a day before the last example made the design's final flight (unless, of course....).

Senior correspondent

Ian Goold

While Emirates Airline is widely expected to announce a follow-on order for the Airbus A380 at the Dubai Air Show today, the A380 Plus revealed at Paris is just the latest update plan for an Airbus type, with many updates of its other aircraft already well into testing or entering service. The OEM expects more sales will follow, with this week being the best opportunity it has to end the year on a high note.

 


Before October's first flight of the re-engined A330neo, Airbus test flying this year mainly focused on continuing clearance of A320neo variants. Activity ranges from the A380 flagship, for which flight-testing might be needed for an enhanced "Plus" variant, to the A319neo that will remain in certification testing until 2019.

 


The Airbus Flight and Integration Test Centre in Toulouse is engaged in continuing development of the entire current family. "We are constantly flying prototypes—we have 14—to test improvements," according to Airbus.

 


A320neo 

 


As Airbus continues A320neo (for new engine option) development, it has dropped plans for a second A319neo test airframe. The initial A319neo—manufacturer's serial number (MSN) 6464—is in its eighth month of flying with CFM International (CFMI) Leap-1A powerplants that will be replaced with Pratt &amp; Whitney (P&amp;W) PW1100G-JM geared-turbofan (GTF) engines late next year.

 


The manufacturer told AIN that it has enough test information from new engines fitted on A320neo and A321neo models. The new, more-efficient engines replace CFMI CFM56s and International Aero Engines V2500s on earlier variants now dubbed A320ceo (for current engine option) models.

 


"We will use one [A319neo]," Airbus said. "We have enough return on experience with the [first neo variants] and, given the high level of [A320 family] commonality, one aircraft was sufficient." Accordingly, because MSN 6464 will be re-engined with PW1124G-JMs after Leap-1A24 certification flying, which has gone "very well," the planned second test A319neo (MSN6620) has not been built.

 


Until the A330neo first flew on October 19, this year's Airbus flight-testing had centered on A320neo variants, with 4,000 flight-hours having been logged by mid-year. Alongside the A319neo, this work involved four A320neos and two A321neos, the alternative engine installations in the latter groups being split evenly.

 


Airbus said that because all engine-related certification flying had been performed with the A320neo, work on the larger A321neo and smaller A319neo has focused on engine-integration considerations. While the A320neo meets more recent certification standards, the manufacturer needed to "retune" fly-by-wire flight-control computers, which has included introduction of tail-strike protection for takeoff.

 


Initial A320neo MSN6101 has been dedicated to PW1100G-JM maturity for much of this year, which work will continue in 2018 alongside system testing for continuous airworthiness, said Airbus. A321neos MSN 6673, the Hamburg-assembled second P&amp;W-powered example, and MSN 7877 should continue flying until mid-2018 for Category III automatic-landing development. The latter machine is also being used for Cabin Flex interior configuration.

 


Cabin Flex introduces new emergency door arrangements that, combined with a higher maximum takeoff weight, permits operators to accommodate up to 240 passengers for shorter-range high-density services, or to fit a third belly fuel tank allowing trips of up to 4,000 nm&nbsp;with about 206 passengers.

 


A330neo

 


Airbus flew the re-engined A330neo—or A330-900—variant for the first time on October 19, with plans calling for a second example to follow shortly after to support certification. During last year and the first half of 2017, Airbus had flown some planned improvements during a 130 flight-hour program with A330ceo (current engine option) MSN871, including validation of upgraded flight-control laws, systems de-risking and initial checks of the manufacturer's Airspace cabin components.

 


Airbus plans a 1,100 flight-hour campaign with test aircraft MSNs 1795, 1813, 1819 and 1888. Three machines feature a medium flight-test instrumentation fit, while first-production airframe MSN 1819 carries less equipment as the Airspace cabin-installation aircraft.

 


The first flight was used to assess handling, check systems and expand the flight envelope up to 30,000 feet before checking performance in approach configuration at height before landing.

 


A340

 


The A340 twin-aisle quad-jet has reentered flight-testing. Since September 26, A340-300 prototype MSN 001 has been conducting the first part of a 150 flight-hour campaign that could produce significant drag and fuel-consumption reductions.

 


The outer-wing sections have been replaced with natural laminar-flow units for the Breakthrough Laminar Aircraft Demonstrator in Europe (BLADE) program. The first element of the A340BLADE campaign, expected to be completed by year's end, covers assessment of aircraft handling, flight envelope extension, and initial natural laminar-flow measurement, according to Airbus Research &amp; Technology senior v-p Axel Flaig. Next year's second flight-test series will "extensively test and characterise laminarity robustness in representative operational conditions."

 


A350

 


As the newest Airbus design, the A350 large twin-aisle twinjet is very much part of the Toulouse test scene, with recent experiments involving alternative winglets. "As part of continuous improvement, we are undertaking tests to study a modified wing-tip, [which] remains a development study," according to Airbus. "It is too early to report any findings. Everyday testing is a normal part of evaluations. Feedback, new developments, research and technology are all sources for further improvement, even though not all ideas are adopted commercially."

 


The A350-1000—the largest twin-aisle Airbus—recently completed functional and reliability testing as the manufacturer prepared for formal type certification this month. Other recent scheduled testing for A350-1000 MSNs 059, 065, and 071 has included: remaining certification flights (involving performance and handling qualities, autopilot and braking and landing performance); cross- and tail-wind testing; and engine air-inlet distortion and transients.

 


A380plus

 


Airbus said that flight-testing for a mooted A380Plus enhanced variant, for which a development study was revealed five months ago, would not require protracted trials. A relatively short two-aircraft campaign would assess and certificate handling qualities and performance improvement.

 


Changes being considered include "wing twist, new fairings, and sharklet [wingtips]," which could&nbsp;offer up to 4 percent fuel-burn savings, according to Airbus. "We need to assess impact on aero/structure-coupling behavior and measure fuel saving…with the improved aerodynamics."

 


Much of the overall improvement would arise from consolidation of previously revealed upgrades, including 4.7-meter winglets, an optimised maintenance programme and enhanced cabin features that contribute to a claimed potential 13 percent cost per seat reduction.

 


BelugaXL

 


Flight-testing of the BelugaXL, an A330-200-based transporter to carry major subassemblies, is scheduled to begin during 2018's third quarter. A 10-month certification program will involve the first of five planned aircraft, which is to be fitted with full flight-test instrumentation.

News and developments about airplanes, helicopters and unmanned air vehicles used in all varieties of operations, including airlines, military, business, commercial, general aviation and private.

Airbus Presents Updated Airliners to Middle East Carriers

A range of updates to its product range should mean follow-on orders from Middle East airlines.

2024 Corporate Aviation Leadership Summit

Charlotte Bailey

News and issues about aviation maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO), covering all segments of the aviation industry; and modifications for aircraft and engines. Subjects include product support of aircraft, engines and avionics, MRO company mergers, acquisitions, announcements and personnel, Airworthiness Directives, Supplemental Type Certificate approvals and other topics.

News and information on safety procedures and concerns.

News and issues relating to the aerospace industry that are related to the science, engineering and business of flight in space involving civil, industrial and military applications, and similar topics related to flight in the atmosphere of the Earth that are not covered more directly by other AINonline subject channels. In other words, both astronautical and aeronautical subjects, except for those aeronautical topics that are specifically covered elsewhere on this website.

ATR 72 aircraft performs pre-modification flight in Toulouse

Kepplair Starts Converting ATR 72 Into Water Bombers

Curt Epstein

News and issues relating to business, corporate and private aviation, primarily regarding turbine-engine-powered airplanes and helicopters. Subjects include aircraft, engines, maintenance, operations, personnel, acquisitions, accidents, safety, security, and training.

Only the piston aircraft segment posted a decline

GAMA: Bizjets, T-props, and Rotorcraft Deliveries Up

Hanneke Weitering

Two captains held the prototype 33 feet above the water for 30 seconds

Regent Flies Electric Seaglider with Crew for First Time

News about bills, laws, regulations and other governmental decisions affecting aviation and aerospace. Topics include FAA re-authorizations, taxes on fuel and aviation activities, environmental legislation, ICAO decisions, governmental mediation of labor conflicts and World Trade Organization disputes and decisions.

Icing approval would open year-round service to northern communities

Horizon Begins Icing Tests for Cavorite X7 eVTOL

Kerry Lynch

Deal to close this year

Bombardier To Grow Manufacturing Capacity with MHICA Buy

David Donald

Essential news and analysis on the defense aerospace business. Your trusted source for new and ongoing programs and requirements in military aircraft (manned and unmanned), engines, avionics, weapons and associated systems, including ground-based air defense.

The two NATO allies will purchase seven of the tanker/transport aircraft

Spain and Poland Agree to Buy A330MRTT Tanker Transports

News and developments about aircraft engines, including turbofan, turboprop, turboshaft and piston.

News and issues relating to international air transport and cargo carriers, national airlines and regional airlines, including aircraft, engines, personnel, acquisitions, accidents, safety, security and training.

GE Aerospace has tested the GE9X, Leap 1A, Leap 1B, and more with the 747.

GE Aerospace Flies Boeing 747 To Test New Engine Tech

Charles Alcock

News about commercial airlines, including regulations, aircraft orders, safety, acquisitions, and mergers.

News about environmental issues relating to aircraft operations, including noise issues, emissisions, and regulations. See Fuel for biofuel.

More In Aircraft