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These plastic pipes filled with warm water help Airbus test passenger comfort on the A350
Airbus has been flying A350 test aircraft with passenger seating since February, but the European manufacturer has just now welcomed journalists (and its own photographers) on board at Germany's Aircraft Interiors Expo. The plane is outfitted with an array of test equipment, including plastic pipes filled with warm water mounted on each seat. Temperature-controlled pipes are used to simulate a full cabin after hours of flight, likely to give Airbus an idea of how ventilation systems work to keep the interior comfortable and cool. This is also one of the first A350s to be outfitted with proper coach and business seats, giving us an idea of what we might experience on Airbus' answer to the Dreamliner once it begins scheduled flights later this year.
Airbus A350 cockpit tour with test pilot Jean-Michel Roy (video)
What's it like to fly the A350? Only a handful of pilots know for sure, but Jean-Michel Roy has a pretty good idea. The Airbus test pilot has flown a variety of yet-to-be-certified aircraft over the years, and he'll soon step behind the controls of the company's answer to Boeing's Dreamliner, the A350. While the first batch of pilots are back at the aviation giant's Toulouse HQ preparing for the next test flight, Roy is schmoozing with customers a few hundred miles to the north, at the Paris Air Show. It's an arguably safer task for the industry vet, but something tells us he's itching to climb aboard this latest wide-body aircraft. We were hoping for such an opportunity here in Paris, but a delayed rollout means attendees will be lucky just to see the A350 perform an unscheduled flyover sometime over the next few days, with a cockpit mockup serving to satisfy airline execs for now. As deep-pocketed buyers queued up for a first look at the A350 flight deck, we managed to sneak a quick peek, with Jean-Michel Roy on hand to answer questions and provide a video tour. As you might expect, the cockpit is as modern as they come, with large LCDs taking the place of traditional avionics. In fact, the layout looks more like something you'd find on a stock broker's desk -- it's quite a contrast to the aging panels many commercial pilots still use today. The overhead system controls are presented in a layout similar to what you'll find on an A320 or A330, as is the flight control unit just below the windshield. The screens below, however, are much more accessible, offering up aircraft manuals, charts, checklists, camera feeds, weather information -- you name it. A trackball and keyboard make it easy to enter info, while side-mounted joysticks let the pilots control orientation while also serving to create a cleaner look and feel. Fly past the break for a first-hand look at this state-of-the-art demo deck.%Gallery-191609%
Airbus A350 completes maiden flight, uber-efficient Trent XWB engine shines
With the Paris Air Show scheduled to lift off in earnest on Monday, Airbus is hoping to steal a bit of the limelight. After being conceived in 2004, the A350 finally took the public skies today in France, showcasing a highly-efficient Rolls-Royce XWB engine all the while. The jet is arguably being launched to compete with Boeing's 787 Dreamliner, and as you'd expect, it's the magic inside of the shell that's most impressive. The Trent XWB engine was built specifically for the A350, replete with titanium blades and a mixture of technologies that have led to it being deemed the "world's most efficient" airplane engine... as said by Rolls-Royce, anyway. To date, over 600 orders for the A350 have been placed, but the outfit is hoping to land even more contracts in the days ahead. Ideally, each will ship with a power port in every seat, satellite internet connections and an allergy for mechanical failures. (A boy can dream, right?)
WSJ: Airbus to drop lithium-ion batteries from A350 to meet delivery schedule
Amidst the ongoing brouhaha over rival Boeing's Dreamliner-grounding battery troubles, Airbus has decided not to use lithium-ion batteries in its newest aircraft, the A350, according to industry officials cited by the Wall Street Journal. The European plane maker is said to be making the change in an effort to stick to its plan of pressing the jet into commercial service by the middle of next year. While the craft's early test flights this summer will still make use of four lithium-ion batteries for on-ground electrical power and as backup in the air as originally intended, it will be delivered to airlines with conventional nickel-cadmium batteries instead. Safety considerations are undoubtedly part of the picture, but since the A350 is already behind schedule by a couple of years, its manufacturer can't afford any further delays -- anticipated in case regulators find fault with the use of lithium-ion packs in flights. As Boeing struggles to find a fix and get the 787 back into the air, it seems Airbus has taken the easy way out. [Image credit: Airbus S.A.S / H. Goussé]
Toshiba packs NB100, A350 with 3G and ships them off to EMEA
Toshiba has announced that its Satellite A350 and NB100 would soon be finding their way into Europe, Middle East, and African (EMEA) markets with an added bonus: HSPA technology. We've got precisely nada on the price tag for these iterations, however, which normally retail for around $800 and $500 without 3G. If you're on the lookout for a laptop with some extra portability, both models are expected to hit retail channels first quarter of this year.[Via Notebook Italia]
Sony's Alpha A350 DSLR gets reviewed
For some, tossing around phrases like "live preview" and "flip-out swivel screen" would be enough to sell Sony's Alpha A350, but we know you're more discerning than that, right? Right. Truth be told, Sony's feature-packed Alpha only turned out okay -- not great -- during a review session with the folks over at CNET. Still, the unit did offer a sturdy feel, a fantastically useful LCD monitor and satisfactory color / dynamic range. Unfortunately, the extra $200 or so you pay for 14-megapixels (over 10MP on the A300) wasn't deemed worthwhile, as the extra processing "exacted a performance toll" in real-world use. The bottom line? These critics felt the Rebel XSi would be a better bet if you're just looking for a nice resolution bump, but for the vast majority of folks, you're likely better off snagging the A300 and putting your leftover dough towards a decent piece of glass.
Hands-on with Sony's new a300 and a350 DSLRs
Just in case you thought that Sony was, you know, making up those snazzy new alpha DSLRs with articulating, live-view LCDs, we're here with a plethora of hands-on shots to prove that they're the real deal. Since you already know the specs by now -- 10.2 megapixel (a300) or 14.2 megapixel (a350) sensors, 2.7-inch screen, ISO up to 3200, and traditional CF slots -- we'll just let you get right to the eye candy below.%Gallery-15043%
Sony's new Alpha A300 and A350 get official
We knew they were coming, and here they are -- say hello to Sony's Alpha A300 and A350. The 10.2 megapixel A300 and 14.2 megapixel A350 are just as we'd heard, with flip-out 2.7-inch swivel screens and live preview that retains the ability to autofocus. The CompactFlash DSLRs also go up to ISO3200, and feature burst modes of 3fps (A300) and 2.5fps (A350). Both cams will hit in April, the A300 with a 18-70mm kit lens for $800, and the A350 in a $900 kit or an $800 body-only package. There are also a couple new lenses, but no word of the mysterious A900 yet.Read - Alpha A300 and A350Read - New Alpha lenses %Gallery-14951%
Sony A300 and A350 DSLRs with swivel-screen and live view leaked
With just days to go until PMA, it looks like security's starting to slip a little bit -- a little creative sonystyle.com URL trickery led Beline at the Dyxum forums to images of those Sony A300 and A350 DSLRs we'd heard about. The A300 is an update to the A200, adding in live preview and a flip-out swivel screen, while the A350 looks like it'll be a 14.2 megapixel unit and probably includes live preview and the swivel screen as well. We're hearing that an A900 is also in the works, but that's a just a whisper -- looks like there might be some surprises in store this week after all.Update: Tons more pictures here, for the curious.[Thanks, Mike]
