In its more than 17 years of history, the Airbus A380 with MSN 1 has accomplished
more than most other A380s. Indeed, as a prototype jet and current testbed,
it has done more than the majority of other commercial aircraft.
Today we look at the past, present, and future roles of Airbus' very first A380.
Even before this particular aircraft moved on to being a testbed for other propulsion systems,
the airframe holds the special status as being the very first
Airbus A380 ever built. The aircraft has the very special manufacturer serial number (MSN)
number 1 and has always held the registration F-WWOW.
The first airframe of any type is the prototype- and this is the aircraft
that typically goes through the most testing in the pursuit of all the necessary certifications
with civil aviation regulators. This includes tests like water ingestion,
extreme hot and cold weather operations, high-speed rejected take-off, and more.
As is the case for some other aircraft prototypes, MSN 1 went on to become
a testbed for other projects not related to the A380. Indeed, the jet played a key
role as a flying testbed for the Airbus A350's powerplants, the Rolls-Royce Trent XWB engine.
Fitted under the aircraft's wing as its Number 2 engine,
the A380 played a part in conducting all the necessary performance testing for the powerplant.
According to Airbus, the engine for A350 experienced a successful maiden flight on February
18th, 2012. This maiden flight quote "demonstrated performance and fuel efficiency during an airborne
evaluation of more than five hours." More recently, F-WWOW has taken to
the skies to test the burning of 100% sustainable aviation fuel on one engine.
Powered by its four Rolls-Royce Trent 900s, March 25th, 2022, saw the aircraft take off
from Toulouse for a flight lasting three hours. As we reported at the time, the flight used 27
tonnes of unblended sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) provided by French oil and gas company
Total Energies. The second and third test flights took place on Tuesday, March 29th,
to examine the performance of SAF during take-off and landing. The aircraft took off from Toulouse
and landed in Nice. After spending nearly three hours on the ground, the A380 took off from Nice
and returned to its home in Toulouse. The jet also performed additional
flights on April 4th and 7th, with activity presumably also related to the burning of SAF.
If all goes according to plan, MSN 1 will be flying with a hydrogen
engine and hydrogen tanks by 2026. First announced in February 2022, the aircraft
will need to undergo some structural modifications before then to accommodate both the test engine
and the tanks. Additionally, a good amount of on-the-ground testing will need to take place.
A statement by Airbus explains the choice of
the prototype A380 airframe for this upcoming endeavor:
"The A380 MSN1 is an excellent flight laboratory platform for new hydrogen technologies.
It's a safe and reliable platform that is highly versatile to test a wide range of
zero-emission technologies. In addition, the platform can comfortably accommodate
the large flight test instrumentation that will be needed to analyze the performance of
the hydrogen in the hydrogen-propulsion system." The superjumbo and its huge capacity within the
fuselage is ideal for testing the four hydrogen tanks Airbus intends to store in its cabin.
These will be installed near the rear of the aircraft in a lengthways position.
Do you think the hydrogen propulsion testing will be the last project for MSN 1? Or do you think
Airbus will use it for something else afterward? Share your opinion by leaving a comment!