A400M performs first taxi trial

Steyr

http://www.flightglobal.com/articles/2009/11/24/335420/picture-a400m-performs-first-taxi-trial.html

**PICTURE IN LINK**

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DATE:24/11/09
SOURCE:Flight International
PICTURE: A400M performs first taxi trial
By Craig Hoyle

Airbus Military's A400M transport has undergone its first low-speed taxi trial, with the milestone having taken place near Seville, Spain on 23 November. "The Airbus Military A400M airlifter has moved under its own power for the first time", the company says.

In a series of tests spanning 90min, aircraft MSN001 was moved at speeds of up to 20kt (37km/h), with its pilots having "tested the normal, alternate and emergency braking systems, the anti-skid system, the nose wheel steering and reverse power," Airbus says. The transport also made 180° turns and was taxied in reverse, it adds.


"We were impressed with the ease with which we could taxi the aircraft in terms of the precision and ease of use of the nose wheel steering, and the effectiveness of the braking systems," says chief test pilot military Ed Strongman.

Airbus - which only ran MSN001's four Europrop International TP400-D6 turboprop engines together for the first time on 18 November - says further taxi tests will be conducted "at increasingly high speeds" over the next few days. It expects the A400M to make its delayed flight debut before year-end.

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I wouldnt mind seeing here with a Celtic Boss Roundel on the Side and a Tri-Colour on the tail..

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No vids available of the taxi trials yet but here's one of her engine runs.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fTFitHATBWc

She's a nice looking transport. Can't wait to see her airborne!

testicle

Pardon my ignorance but do props on the same wing usually spin in opposing directions?

garfieldsghost

When I was a kid my dad brought me to the Farnborough airshow, where they had a full scale mock-up of the A400M - or 'Future Large Aircraft' as it was called then. We had a look around inside, where they had assorted trucks and jeeps in the cargo bay. I also remember the cockpit looked quite spacious and was fitted with side-mounted joysticks. It seemed bloody huge until you compared it with a nearby C-5!

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testicle
Pardon my ignorance but do props on the same wing usually spin in opposing directions?

"This counter-rotation characteristic is known as Down-Between-Engines (DBE) and the A400M will be the first aircraft ever to use such a configuration. The advantages of DBE have far-reaching effects both aerodynamically and structurally. Firstly, airflow over the wings is symmetrical, improving lift characteristics and the lateral stability of the aircraft. Secondly, DBE allows for an optimum wing design by eliminating most of the effects of torque and prop-wash on each wing, concentrating the airflow over the most efficient portion of the wing located between the engines. DBE also reduces the “critical engine” effect of severe yaw in the event of an outboard engine failure. The result allows a 17% reduction in the area of the vertical tail surface.

Further aerodynamic advantages inherent in DBE have been found to give a 4% increase in lift from the wing at slow speed, which enables, for the same total lift, a simpler, lighter flap system to be employed. As a consequence of the lessening of the aerodynamic forces applied to the flaps, the surface area of the horizontal tail-plane can also be reduced by 8%."