A321neo takes to the sky for the first time
Copyright Michael Lindner
The aircraft, registration D-AVXB, was flown by Experimental Test Pilots Martin Scheuermann and Bernardo Saez Benito Hernandez.
Accompanying them in the cockpit was Test-Flight Engineer Gérard Leskerpit and monitoring the flight’s progress were Flight-Test Engineers Sandra Bour Schaeffer and Emiliano Requena Esteban.
The flight lasted five hours and 29 minutes during which tests were performed on the engine speed variation (low/high), systems behaviour and to validate the aircraft’s flight envelope. The A321neo will join the NEO flight test fleet and perform a partial flight test programme to validate the impact on handling qualities, performance and systems.
The A321neo is the largest member of the A320neo Family and incorporates many innovations including latest generation engines, Sharklet wing tip devices and cabin improvements. The first A321neo will be delivered at the end of 2016.