A380 cold weather test this weekend - "I hope it gets colder."
GLOBEANDMAIL.COM
Cool Iqaluit plans a warm welcome for Airbus By PAUL WALDIE
Saturday, February 4, 2006 Page A5
John Graham has everything ready for the arrival of the world's largest passenger jet in Iqaluit this weekend. But there's just one more thing he needs -- colder weather.
Airbus is scheduled to fly its A380 super jumbo from France to the Nunavut capital tomorrow morning for some cold-weather testing. The double-decker aircraft, which is expected to go into service later this year, seats 555 passengers, which is about 145 more than a Boeing 747. It can also be modelled to include cocktail bars, casinos, showers, libraries and sleeping quarters.
"Iqaluit is world famous for its cold-weather testing in the aircraft industry," said Mr. Graham, who manages the Iqaluit airport. "But the blasted weather this year. It's not that cold, believe it or not, up here in the Arctic."
Normally, the temperature in Iqaluit at this time of year is below -30, which is perfect for cold-weather airplane testing.
But like much of Canada, the city is enjoying a relatively mild winter so far, and daytime highs have been around -20.
Mr. Graham is hoping for lower temperatures by Monday and he can't wait to see the "big bird" come racing down the runway. "It's actually really special that it's gong to make its first trip to Canada here at Iqaluit," he said. "It's a beautiful machine."
Airbus is no stranger to Iqaluit. The company has been testing its aircraft in the northern city for several years. Other companies such as Boeing Co., Bombardier Inc. and Eurocopter have also used the Iqaluit airport as a proving ground for their aircraft.
Why Iqaluit? "It's cold and dry with a long runway," said Ted Lennox, president of LPS Aviation Inc., an Ottawa-based consulting firm that has been working with Iqaluit on the Airbus project.
"It also has the proximity to a lot of the manufacturers of aerospace equipment and it's not that far from Europe."
Along with a 2,745-metre runway, the airport boasts a large apron area where Airbus officials can work on the plane undisturbed. The airport also has no noise controls and no curfew.
Cold-weather testing is crucial for new airplanes. About 50 engineers are expected to arrive with the A380 and they will test everything from how the engines start in freezing temperatures to what happens to the cabin interior under cold conditions.
The airframe, instruments and brakes will also be examined.
There's even a test called "cold soaking," which involves leaving the plane shut down for hours at extremely low temperatures. "Then you start it and you see how easily everything works and comes back up," Mr. Lennox said. "This is very rigorous testing."
Airbus will likely send the plane to Iqaluit a few more times after this first mission, and Iqaluit is hoping the work will help drum up even more business.
This visit alone is expected to generate more than $500,000 in economic benefits to the community, said Alex Campbell, the deputy minister of Economic Development and Transportation in the Nunavut government.
"This one is a significant one with the Airbus A380 being this size and the number of people that come with it," Mr. Campbell said. "It's big news for a community of 6,000 people."
Last June, Mr. Campbell was part of a delegation from the Nunavut government that went to the Paris Air Show to pitch the city to aircraft manufacturers. It was that visit that got Iqaluit the contract to test the A380.
"It went well," Mr. Campbell said. "We did a lot of promotion and a lot of educating of people regarding Nunavut."
Like everyone else in the community, Mr. Campbell can't wait to catch a glimpse of the plane when it pulls up to the airport terminal. But yesterday he had just one thing on his mind.
"I hope it gets colder."