The A380: an aircraft that speaks for itself

MAP, a French acronym meaning Mise Au Point, can be translated as engineering support to final assembly line and flight tests. The role of MAP - and of Mark Cousin as head of MAP - is to find solutions to all the minor problems that occur during the testing and production of an aircraft.

During the test and certification programme, Mark and his 250-strong team, are under a lot of pressure to find quick solutions to any issue in order not to delay the programme.

“In this job, it is important to liaise with the design office to fully understand a problem and fix it so it does not occur on all production aircraft. MAP continues throughout the life of an aircraft but is naturally much more intense during the development phase,” he explains.

Mark already worked in MAP for the A340-500 and –600 models. “The A380 is a bigger challenge because it’s all new. It is the first all-new aircraft since the A340 and clearly it represents a big step in technology, the biggest since the introduction of fly-by-wire. So it is exciting to work on it,” he says.

On a tour or a show like the Asian Aerospace air show, one or two MAP people usually come with the aircraft to perform tests and to find fixes to any minor problems. In Singapore, whenever the A380 is not on show, it is used for tests such as hot weather trials for hydraulics and electric systems.

Given the attraction the aircraft holds for the crowds everywhere, Mark also helps out with the visiting public.

“It is good to see the level of interest the A380 generates with the public,” he says. And the A380 speaks for itself. During the Asia-Australia tour, we received lots of visitors including pilots not particularly favourable to the aircraft. Once they saw the cockpit, they changed their minds and told me they would ask to be on it. It is night and day compared to an older generation aircraft. The cockpit is bigger, roomier, much quieter and with good ergonomics.”