A ground-based workout for the A350-1000’s passenger cabin

As Airbus’ longest-fuselage A350 XWB version – the A350-1000 – continues to be put through its paces during flight trials, the jetliner’s cabin has undergone ground-based testing to validate the operation of systems for the comfort and well-being of passengers. 
A cabin simulator in Hamburg, Germany was utilised for these tests, which included environmental control, in-flight entertainment and cabin intercommunication data systems. The cabin was linked to test rigs for these various systems – ensuring they worked well together functionally, while also providing information to increase maturity. 
Preparations involved a close collaboration with the Design Office to determine which tests and data were needed. The project team assembled and connected all necessary test rigs and worked to synchronise them. 
"This was a big project," explained Thomas Bronn of the Flight Tests and Integration Centre at Airbus Commercial Aircraft. "We built it up day after day until we had a complete, fully representative testing profile."
The A350-1000 is Airbus’ latest member of its A350 XWB family, with deliveries of this version to begin in the second half of 2017.