10 Things You Didn’t Know About the Airbus A350
The Airbus is one of the most recognizable aircrafts that’s ever been created. The company has been around for a long time, but it’s still one of the leading manufacturers of passenger aircrafts today. As a matter of fact, just three years ago, they first released one of their best products ever: the Airbus 350. This wide-body airliner was designed to compete with the Boeing 777 and the 787, and they did very well at that task. Many airlines utilize the Airbus A350 now as a standard mid-sized aircraft. There are plenty of interesting things about the Airbus A350 that you probably never heard about, so here are 10 things to get you started.
1. Tons in weight
That’s obviously a given considering it’s a mid-sized airliner, but the A350 actually weighs 308 tons. That’s difficult to imagine considering it’s hard to imagine what a ton actually weighs. But if you’re familiar with aircrafts at all, just imagine 241 Cessna Skyhawks because that’s how much 308 tons would be like.
2. Composite materials
A large part of the A350 makeup is made out of weight-efficient materials. That amounts to about 70% as a matter of fact. Even though it weighs a lot, it could’ve been more had it not been for the combination of these composite materials, titanium, and advanced aluminum alloys.
3. Surveillance system
The A350’s surveillance system is state-of-the-art. Instead of having eight avionics boxes, the A350 only has two. The “Airbus Aircraft Environment Surveillance System” is integrated with the Traffic Collision Avoidance System, Mode S Transponders, the Weather Radar, and the Enhanced Ground Proximity Warning System. It makes flying this aircraft a lot easier compared to older models that have so many different avionics boxes.
4. Tons of testing
Before the Airbus even took flight in 2015, it underwent rigorous testing and certification. There were many things that were proprietary in this aircraft, and in order to ensure the safety for future passengers, it was necessary to undergo the most extreme testing any airliner could’ve undergone.
5. Lighting system
Mood lighting is something unique when it comes to the A350. Flying this plane will give you a completely different experience from the usual stark bright lights that you get in other planes. The A350 boasts of a full-LED lighting system that’s capable of more than 16 million different color options. That’s something that’s unheard of before in the world of aircrafts.
6. Range in flight
One other thing that the A350 can boast of is its flight range. This big and heavy aircraft is capable of more than 8,000 nautical miles. This means that it can fly from New York to London about two and a half times without ever needing to refuel. It saves a ton of money and time as well.
7. Large seats
The A350 is also known as the Airbus XWB, and that XWB stands for “extra wide body.” This extra wide body is especially useful for passengers because the A350 offers the largest seats in the category. The aircraft measures 220 inches along its cross-section. So from armrest to armrest, the seats in this aircraft are actually five inches larger compared to its competition.
8. Air quality
There’s also no comparison to the A350 when it comes to the air quality. The Honeywell air management system changes the air inside the aircraft every couple of minutes to ensure that the interior environment of the craft is draft-free. This is an excellent benefit for passengers, especially those who are flying long distances. We all know what it feels like after being in the air for so long.
9. Avionics
There’s more advancement in avionics in the Airbus A350. The IMA or integrated modular avionics in this aircraft can manage up to 40 functions versus the 23 of its predecessor, the A380. This aircraft has the capability of detecting fires, cabin environment systems, and many more.
10. Maximum speed
The A350 is pretty fast compared to most commercial airliners. During testing the A350 clocked in at Mach .9 or 685mph. The average for commercial airliners today is only 590mph. This is a great achievement for such a large aircraft, and it’s something that engineers at Airbus are looking to improve on even further.