Airbus A350-1000 to visit Sydney in February

[Nigel C]

5Nm lightning alert during that last shot Grahame?

You should have been running for cover!

[Grahame Hutchison]

Thanks David and Greg, the Apron lighting helps a lot when it's quite dark.

Nigel, I did jump slightly when that bolt of lightning dropped.

[Grahame Hutchison]

When you're visiting 12 destinations and traveling more than 55,000 kilometres, you need a day off somewhere on the Demonstration Tour. Airbus A350-1000 F-WLXV on a Crew Rest Day at the Qantas Jet Base at Sydney Airport - Flying day tomorrow

[Greg Hyde]

Airbus showcases A350-1000 in Sydney

Airbus showcased its Airbus A350-1000 to Qantas in Sydney on Monday morning during the type’s first visit to Australia.

The biggest member of the Airbus’s A350 XWB family was in Sydney as part of a world tour ahead of the type’s first delivery to launch customer Qatar Airways on February 20.
F-WLXV, as flight AIB107, departs Sydney on its demonstration flight. (Victor Pody)

The aircraft, MSN065 F-WLXV, is Airbus’s third A350-1000 flight test airframe, and operated a short return flight from Sydney Airport with a number of Qantas senior executives onboard, including Qantas Group chief executive Alan Joyce.
Alan Joyce ahead of the demonstration flight. (Bernie Proctor)

Qantas is particularly interested in the A350 design for its Project Sunrise requirement for an aircraft capable of flying nonstop from the east coast of Australia to both London and New York (for which Boeing is expected to offer a development of its Boeing 777-8X). The aircraft will also be demonstrated to Air New Zealand in Auckland on Tuesday, while in the past Virgin Australia has also shown interest in Airbus’s newest widebody design.

“When we look at the total [A350] backlog 35 per cent of the total orders of the A350 belong to customers in Asia Pacific,” head of A350 marketing Marisa Lucas-Ugena told media ahead of the demonstration flight.

http://australianaviation.com.au/201...000-in-sydney/

[Grahame Hutchison]

The Crew said they would get up early, and they didn't disappoint - Airbus A350-1000 departing Sydney for Auckland this afternoon. The Middle East and Asia Pacific Tour continues, and from Auckland it is Tokyo, Manila, and home to Toulouse.

[Erik H. Bakke]

Fantastic shots

[Grahame Hutchison]

Thank you Erik