MK A350-941
Air Mauritius took delivery of its first A350 MSN 145 named Le Morne Brabant, a mountain which is on the World Heritage Site, south west of the island on 20 October 2017. The aircraft was flown direct to Mauritius from Toulouse. Before the first touch down at SSR Airport Plaisance, the aircraft flew at low altitude over the island, greeted Le Morne, before finally doing a fly pass and landing at the airport. I had the opportunity to visit the aircraft the following day and I am pleased to share some of the pictures, which I hope will answer some of the questions you may have.
Arrival MK7 A350 to Mauritius
Le Pouce mountain is saying: TOP
Over Bagatelle
Over Ebene
Over Quatre Bornes at 2000 ft
To Cascavelle
A350-941, MSN 145, 3B-NBP
Length: 66.80 m (219 ft 2 in)
Width: 64.75 m (212 ft 5.2 in)
Height: 17.05 m (55 ft 11.2 in)
MTW: 268900kg, MTOW: 268000kg
MLW: 205000kg, MZFW: 192000kg
Max Fuel: 141000l
Note: escape hatch on top right side of nose fuselage
Winglet
Winglet help reduce spiral-shaped vortices at wing tip, thus reducing fuel consumption.
SSA Probes
Below the windshield, three Slide Slip Angle probes (SSA probe) transmit data through ARINC 429 to the related Air Data and Inertial Reference Unit (ADIRU)
Bright and shining under the Mauritian sun.
The Lion mountain keeping an eye on 3B-NBP!
Landing gear bogie
Nice and clean landing gear, not for long!
Pitch trimmer actuator on the left and right multi-disc carbon brake and wear indicator rod.
Pitch trimmer actuator
LH main landing gear
TPIS
Tyre Pressure Indicating System
LH landing gear wheel well
Lock Stay Actuator and above on the rear spar two fuel pumps with its protective cage.
Two gear pins, prevent inadvertent gear retraction when aircraft on ground.
Rolls Royce Trent XWB
Fan diameter 3.00m/118" and 22 blades
Rolls Royce Trent XWB
Engine rated at 84,200 dbf (375 kN)
Fan blades
22 titanium fan blades
Fan exhaust duct
Fan and turbine exhaust ducts
Nice and glossy paint under the fuselage
On top, downlink springs and just above the tyres, nose gear steering actuators.
On top, Hydraulic Block and servo valve, midway, RVDTs and between the wheels , Aft tow fitting and bracket
Nose landing gear
Michelin tyres filled with nitrogen. For the purpose of wheel balancing, red dot on tyre is facing the TPIS sensor in the wheel hub.
LHS Probes
LH Standby Static Probe, Standby Pitot Probe, MultiFunction Probe 1 (MFP1), Integrated Static Probe (ISP), Angle of Attack Probe (AOA)
RHS Probes
RH Standby Static Probe, MuliFunction Probes (MFP)
CDS and AFS control panel
The four screens: Control and Display System (CDS) consisting of Primary Flight Display (PDF), Navigation Display (ND), System Display (SD), Multifunction Display (MFD). Each side of the lower screen, Integrated Standby Instrument System (ISIS) and standby magnetic compass which is not visible and is installed on the top of the windshield centre part. Each side of the thrust levers, the Keyboard and Cursor Control Unit (KCCU). On the glareshield, Auto Flight System (EFIS/FCU - AFS control panel)
How about an iPhone app for remote control!! 🙂
OIS
Left screen, Onboard Information System (OIS) Display. Applications and electronic documentation for flight, cabin and maintenance. All six Liquid Crystal Display (LCD) display units are interchangeable.
System Display (SD) and Multifunction Display (MFD)
Standby magnetic compass behind centre sun visor
17" screen in Business Class.
Business Class
28 seats lie flat.
Full flat seat.
Passenger seat control
Seat and light control
Right hand side, Nespresso machine in forward galley.
Economy Class
298 seats in Economy Class and 18" wide seats.
Video screen
11,6" screen in Economy Class. Note protective covers fitted on the two other seats, will be removed before next flight!
CIDS
Cabin Intercommunication Data System (CIDS). Use for communication, passenger address, cabin interphone, service interphone, and cabin lighting and passenger lights by cabin crew.
Rear Galley
Cabin Crew Rest
Cabin Crew Bunk
Cabin Crew Rest Area
Overhead Bin
My ex-colleagues at MK
Jean-Pierre Parahan, Jacques Gentil, Ashok Keerodhur, Loganaden Sunnassy.