Getafe, Madrid, Spain, October 11, 2023 – Airbus Group SE (Paris: AIR) and the Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF) worked together to successfully complete the automatic air-to-air refuelling (A3R) flight test campaign with the Airbus A330 Multi Role Tanker Transport (MRTT) and F-15 fighter, ahead of its certification in the first half of 2024.
Over the course of three weeks in August, a RSAF A330 MRTT made more than 500 automated wet and dry contacts with the air force’s full fleet of receiver aircraft, including the F-15SG aircraft, a customised variant of the US-built F-15E Strike Eagle air-to-ground fighter jet.
The flight tests with F-15SG were conducted in Singapore, covering the whole operational AAR envelope in different weather conditions under the supervision of the Spanish certifying authority, called INTA (National Institute for Aerospace Technology).
Toulouse, France 5 May 2021 – Airbus (OTC: EADSY) is saddened to learn of the passing of Bernard Ziegler, at the age of 88. Ziegler, one of Airbus’ engineering pioneers, was instrumental in the introduction of the world’s first digital Fly-By-Wire (FBW) and side stick controls in a commercial passenger aircraft with the A320 in 1988.
Ziegler’s career spanned some four decades. He realised the full potential that digital FBW could bring, including flight envelope protection incorporated into the control software. Ziegler’s legacy lives on with digital FBW on all current generation Airbus aircraft, and its adoption as the standard on all modern passenger aircraft globally.
Born in 1933, in Boulogne sur Seine, Ziegler graduated from the French “Ecole Polytechnique” in 1954 and, later, from several engineering and flight training schools (Ecole Nationale de l’Air, Ecole de Chasse, Ecole Nationale Supérieure de l’Aéronautique, Ecole du Personnel Navigant Essais). For ten years, he was a fighter pilot in the French Air Force.
During the early 1960s he studied aeronautical engineering at ENSA (l’Ecole Nationale Supérieure de l’Aéronautique) in Toulouse, which is now ISAE-SUPAERO. He then attended prestigious flight test pilot school EPNER, before taking up a career as a military test pilot.
Ziegler joined Airbus as its chief test pilot in 1972 and was given the task of setting up a new flight test division. He put together a team that shared the objectives of both the design office and the partner countries, fostering collaboration between flight test crews and design engineers.
As a test pilot, he flew the first flight of the first A300 in 1972. The programme was later on an early testbed for FBW which transfers the pilot’s commands to the aircraft via digital signals. FBW provides significant benefits through commonality, improved flight safety, reduced pilot workload, fewer mechanical parts, and real-time monitoring of all aircraft systems.
He also flew the A310, A320 and A340-200. In June 1993, Ziegler participated in the longest flight ever undertaken by a civil aircraft, when an A340-200, dubbed the “World Ranger”, flew around the world from Paris with just one stop in Auckland in just over 48 hours.
Up until his retirement in December 1997, Ziegler was Airbus Senior Vice President of Engineering.
– The ATR 72-600F will provide cargo operators with advantages of the latest generation market-leading regional turboprop
ATR, the world number one regional aircraft manufacturer, today announces the successful first flight of its new purpose-built regional freighter aircraft. The flight took off at 14:00 from its Saint-Martin site and lasted two hours. During the flight, crew onboard performed a number of tests to measure the new aircraft’s flight envelope and flight performance. The first delivery of this aircraft will be to FedEx Express, the world’s largest cargo airline and express transportation company, who placed a firm order for 30 aircraft, plus 20 options, in November 2017. The arrival of this new freighter further cements ATR’s leadership position in the regional freighter market where ATR cargo aircraft already represent a third of the in-service regional freighter fleet.
The brand new straight-from-factory cargo aircraft will offer a number of unique advantages to operators. With a Large Cargo Door included as part of the original design and the same wide cross section as all ATR aircraft, the freighter will be able to accommodate bulk cargo and industry-standard pallets and containers. The aircraft will also provide operators with the very latest avionics suite, which can be continuously upgraded. This effectively futureproofs the -600F’s state-of-the-art cockpit by allowing cargo airlines to take benefit from future innovations, which will further enhance the aircraft’s efficiency.
P3 completed 34 flights in Sicily, reaching an overall 100 flight test hours. Flight envelope has been opened beyond 10,000 feet and at an airspeed of 135 knots.
In March 2019, Kopter transferred its third prototype (P3) together with a team composed of 20 flight test engineers, pilots and mechanics to Sicily to set up an additional flight test base in Pozzallo.
Pozzallo provides the perfect operational conditions to conduct the SH09 intensive flight test campaign needed in the frame of certification. It offers very limited restrictions and favorable weather conditions throughout the year, while giving the opportunity to experience a demanding climate with hot temperatures, high humidity, strong winds and a salty atmosphere.
Since its arrival and over a period of two months, the flight test crew performed 34 flights with P3, allowing the aircraft to reach around 100 flight test hours. In this timeframe, the first major inspection has been carried out successfully.
The major outcome is the opening of the SH09 flight envelope up to 10,000 feet altitude and up to a speed of 135 knots. During all flights, P3 performed as expected and generated a large volume of valuable data that is being used to finalize the design of the serial production SH09.
The next phase of the flight test campaign, after implementing some aerodynamic refinements further improving P3 handling qualities and the retrofit of the main gear box housing, will see P3 going higher, faster and further. It will allow gathering the remaining data needed to finalize the configuration of Pre-Series aircrafts n°4 and n°5 (PS4 & PS5), which will contribute to the certification flights next year.
2020 remains the target for EASA certification. Kopter management and team are fully committed to deliver the SH09 with the highest levels of safety, performance, flight qualities and competitiveness.
