München-Boston - LH424 A350

Gone forever are the days of four-engine jets made of aluminum. The latest episode of PilotsEYE.tv introduces its audience to the new Airbus A350, a marvel of commercial aviation, produced using the most advanced construction methods and materials yet. The A350 brings numerous advantages in its reinforced carbon-fibre frame, but most significantly, it boasts 20% less weight and 25% lower fuel consumption.

The episode’s “main man” is Lufthansa head of the fleet Captain Martin Hoell, who allowed PilotsEYE to accompany him on his visits to production facilities in Hamburg and Bremen and even to the final assembly line (FAL) in Toulouse. From the A350’s cockpit on the maiden flight from Munich to Boston, Captain Hoell describes the individual stages of manufacturing needed to make the first of the 25 aircraft, for whose phasing in he is responsible.

For the first time in the ten years of PilotsEYE.tv’s existence, it was possible to film the “holy grail” of aviation documentaries: an acceptance flight. What might sound mundane is actually one of commercial aviation’s biggest challenges, as, for the example, all hydraulic systems necessary for actually steering the plane are turned off during the testflight. A real “high-level emergency test”.

Next episode

S01E20 - Bangkok-Singapore - 3S530/531 B777F