An Airbus A350-1000 in flight. (Drawing). – A. Doumenjou / Masterfilm
Is there a pilot on the plane ? On December 18, there were even two pilots in the A350-1000 which took off from the tarmac of Toulouse-Blagnac. But neither of them pulled the handle to pitch the test aircraft.
Takeoff at sight of Airbus was done in automatic mode thanks to a camera installed directly on the plane and a visual recognition program which allows the plane to stay in the nails on the runway.
An aircraft that can take off by itself thanks to technology alone? our #ATTOL demonstrator project recently proved just that! Learn how autonomy helped to make it happen: https://t.co/Ij5o15Ybeo pic.twitter.com/WSwCCXPxJC
– Airbus (@Airbus) January 16, 2020
The first of its kind for Airbus. On that day, the crew made eight takeoffs in automatic mode over a period of four and a half hours. The pilots adjusted the throttles and monitored the aircraft. “It started to move and accelerate automatically by maintaining the center line at the exact speed,” said captain Yann Beaufils, test pilot with the European aircraft manufacturer.
Automatically rolling and landing soon
A technological leap that marks an important step in the ATTOL project carried by Airbus. Launched in 2018, “Autonomous taxi, take-off & landing” aims to develop the autonomy of aircraft, as is already the case in the automotive sector. By mid-2020, the automatic rollover and landing sequences will also be tested.
No question for the builder to imagine an unmanned cockpit. “For autonomous technologies to improve flight operations and overall aircraft performance, pilots will remain at the heart of operations. Autonomous technologies are essential to support pilots, allowing them to focus less on aircraft operations and more on strategic decision-making and mission management, “said Airbus in its press release.
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