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Pressemitteilung: Testing the A350F’s cargo loading and main deck door actuation systems / For the new A350F now taking shape, building a next-generation freighter is about much more than simply removing passenger seats. Its wings and engines are only half the equation; the operational heart of the aircraft lies in its ability to secure and protect up to 111 tonnes of payload. By testing the Main-Deck Cargo Door (MDCD) actuation system and the Cargo Loading System (CLS) on large physical test rigs, Airbus teams in Bremen, Germany, are turning the digital concepts into a certified reality. Preparing the A350F’s operational readiness Indeed, as the first flight and subsequent flight test campaign of the A350F draws closer later this year, these key components are being put through their paces: The “Cargo Door Actuation System System Integration Bench” (CDAS SIB), and “Cargo Zero” respectively, are already helping to achieve A350F certification readiness, industrial maturity, operational reliability – and of course to de-risk the flight test campaign. Overall the systems integration testing works toward aircraft-related milestones, with one of the first milestones being ‘power on the aircraft’ and to be ’ready for ground testing,’ followed by first flight clearance. Testing the main-deck door: validating aircraft cargo door and actuation systems Before describing the test rig operations, it is first worth appreciating that the A350 Family was from its very outset conceived as a 'more electric' aircraft. It made sense therefore that the new MDCD's opening/closing mechanism would be driven by electrical rather than hydraulic power. On the one hand it avoids the need for hydraulic fluid lines to the door and on the other hand it minimises the required space envelope thanks to Geared Rotary Actuators capable of opening or closing the door within 60 seconds and even operating it in a 40kt wind! (....)