Acceptance Flight Tests : Keeping the Customer Satisfied

Jim Fawcett, Flight Test Engineer, Airbus Flight Test Department, Hamburg, Germany

Abstract

When a customer comes to spend a substantial amount of money on a new aircraft, how is it demonstrated that his aircraft is entirely in line with his expectation?

As a company, Airbus has to work hard to ensure that customers are kept satisfied by continually offering the best product in the marketplace. That means keeping up to date with new technologies, dealing with issues of component obsolescence in elements of the aircraft which are particularly mature, and also providing specific options and configurations when the customer requests them.

However, Airbus always has to bear in mind that the delivery of a new aircraft is a highly regulated activity, both by the airworthiness authorities but also by commercial lawyers.

Although in acceptance flight testing, development work leading to the certification of a new aircraft type, or of any new modifications or service bulletins is never performed, Airbus does have to ensure that each aircraft does not deviate from the type certificate. Airbus also has to demonstrate that commercial agreements are respected: does the aircraft meet the contractual requirements? These could be on a modification level – for example, I ordered mood lighting instead of basic lighting in the cabin, does it work? – or on a more global aircraft level – again, as an example, is the aircraft performance in line with any contractual guarantees that may exist?

In the real world, things are done the other way around, as it has to be certain that the certification and contractual requirements will be met before presenting the aircraft to the customer.