Onboard an 11-hour A321XLR Test Flight to Nowhere!

In this video, Chris joins the Airbus team on board the brand new Airbus A321XLR on a flight from Airbus headquarters in Toulouse to the North Pole. During this 11-hour flight we learn all about ‘Functionality and Reliability (FnR) testing’, also known as ‘Route Proving’. We also explore the systems and parameters being measured on this aircraft’s first polar FnR flight, and we take a look at how the crew work, eat, and rest during long test flights.
Keep an eye on our social media channels as we follow the A321XLR on its journey to certification.
Certain clips courtesy Arthur Allen, Airbus.
A321XLR image used in thumbnail courtesy Airbus.
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SECTIONS:
00:31 Pre-flight
01:16 Aircraft and cabin
01:50 Takeoff
02:49 Interview with flight test engineer
05:12 Aurora borealis!
05:39 Flight deck
06:02 Sound & temperature sensors
06:33 2 hours from landing
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#Airbus #TestFlight #A321XLR

[@FalconX88]

Tells you quite a bit about their confidence level to test fly a plane in a region with barely any airports to divert to in case of problems.

[@LorenzoGiordanoGomes]

Well it's still an A320 family aircraft, not anything totally different

[@Tleilaxu_Mentat]

That's SOP for this stage of testing, nothing special.

[@maxi-g]

Well it‘s an Airbus. I would step on the first flight after the airplane leaves the hanger for the first time. I would be afraid for my life if it was a Boeing

[@xr6lad]

It’s hardly a ‘new’ plane. It’s only a new variant.

[@FalconX88]

@@xr6lad sure but until now they didn't do 11h flights...

[@AidanEyewitness]

We are privileged to be able to see a test flight and hear what the test personnel have to say. This channel, like the app, is great!

[@BTC_YT9080]

1:16 that XLR livery be looking like a ready to scan QR code 😂😂

[@soccerguy2433]

the tail section literally has a QR code

[@JonahA-ro4sg]

It is a QR code

[@William2512]

😅😅😅😅😅😅

[@ZeAldhyr]

The beluga saying hello at 8:03 😄 Great video Chris ! Amazing to witness a flight test with extensive explanations from the engineers.

[@miks564]

I think this is a great move from Airbus, this will be a great tool for airline companies. That said, I do not fancy long flights on narrow bodies, in my opinion, 3 hours or more in a narrow body are struggle. My favorite aircraft is the A330 because I have very good experiences with it: I like how it looks on the outside, I love how it lands and how well it flies, it's basically a giant glider and even being older, it also features a much more quieter cabin than this one. However, exclusively as a passenger, nothing beats the A380.

[@Dodilafir]

My favourite is A340 and A380.

[@davidcole333]

I agree...single aisle long haul is good for the airline only, not for passengers. I will never fly on this aircraft.

[@wewillrockyou1986]

Gonna be honest, with modern economy cabins at least, I'd take a 321XLR over a 777 any day of the week... Just because of the seat width.

[@Chrisp707-]

@@davidcole333it’s not really for all airlines either. It’s really only certain airlines. It’s unlikely you’ll see a narrow body traversing the pacific not because it can’t but because it wouldn’t be profitable for any airline. Especially considering most of the destinations whether you’re coming to the west coast or leaving the west coast are high profile locations where the fees would be high.

[@luuk777w]

Have you flown recently on A321LR aircraft? I have, and in my opinion it was great! I had an Air Astana flight of 5.5 hours, and everything was great about. When the airline configures the narrow body for long haul, it really doesn't matter in my opinion.

[@kieronheath4813]

Excellent video, Chris and it was great to listen to Senior Engineer Mike explaining a bunch of complex operational concepts very professionally. Many thanks indeed to Airbus and FlightRadar24 🙏

[@reedsehon4881]

What a special report this was. Thank you for taking us along.

[@andimilan5348]

flightradar deserves a lot of subscribers

[@Flightradar24DotCom]

Thanks!

[@RoberttSmithh]

I can’t wait for this to be in service. Game changer in the long haul biz

[@davidcole333]

I absolutely hate the concept of single aisle long haul. Anyone who has flown long haul will tell you two aisle are necessary for mobility during the flight. It will be sheer torture to the passengers to subject them to 8 plus hours of hell on this pig.

[@eniolafolorunso1095]

Lol game changer in what way? The 757 already trailblazed the single aisle, long haul routes. This just expands on that with additional range, at the expense of speed.

[@Nick_J_]

@@davidcole333Don’t be a baby. It won’t be anywhere near that bad.

[@rtbrtb_dutchy4183]

@@davidcole333why do you need two isles? If you want to stretch your legs, don’t you simply stay in your isle? I’ve never gone over to the other isle. 🙄

[@rtbrtb_dutchy4183]

@@eniolafolorunso1095it’s absolutely a game changer. The hourly operating cost remains significantly lower than the B757. The airplane won’t need major airports either. So instead of the hub and spoke, they can do direct flights to and from small cities.

[@paullubahn5912]

The intricate design of the Concorde is simply phenomenal. And to think this jet was being designed at the time of the 747 design and first flight. The 60's were a magnificent time for aviation. Also the lunar race and landing.

[@WilliamMurphy-uv9pm]

Concorde was never a commercial success. Unique aircraft and technically ahead of its time. Wonderful. Still needed to make money. And did not. The crash, not Concorde's fault, allowed the airlines to run away from it. Not because it was a bad plane; but a financial disaster.

[@SRBAnimate]

Air Canada ordered like 20 of these things. If they can finally fly to Athens direct during the winter, my life will be complete.

[@eco8842]

Awesome an introvert boring Canadian likes to go to Athens.

[@moekitsune]

@@eco8842 What's your problem?

[@widget787]

Athens to Montreal would be just doable in Winter, Toronto is absolutely out of range. And this is even with the additional extra tank, if AC ordered theirs without there is no way they will make this route with the XLR in winter.

[@supsnail]

Such an incredible plane which is long overdue to fly in the sky regularly :)

[@Notmahfoozkhan]

Really great video and introduces us to a whole new world of aviation

[@AirlinersLive]

Really interesting video Chris! It's really impressive to see the capabilities of these modern aircraft. Stunning view of the northern lights too

[@ZamZamBoi3019]

Loved the video! I was waiting for this for a while

[@Gednur]

Like the way Jim speak and explained about this flight operation. Crisp and cool short video👍

[@hangie65]

Excellent content and a nice overview of what a test flight at Airbus is like. Thanks for posting.

[@strafrag1]

Excellent video. Thank you. I was surprised meals were served. I thought that one would have had to bring their own? Cheers, Peter.

[@wilflewis7384]

Brilliant - thank you for a great video. Amazing quality testing by Airbus.

[@flyingdentist]

well done Chris.

[@charliecox6701]

Great to see Chris back on KZbin 😊

[@elmirtheflight]

Here after the A321XLR was approved, can't wait to see them fly commercially!

[@heroknaderi]

This is so cool. I enjoyed it. This means I can do DFW-LHR and back no problem. Even LAX-LHR round trip.

[@DHDAviation]

Great video! Thanks for showing us how these test flights are done! Also love your dinner.

[@avionreview3]

Amazing video Chris!! It´s so fascinating to learn the XLR features. Kudos!

[@tomstravels520]

Would have like to have seen the video of the magnetic/true north switch

[@rtbrtb_dutchy4183]

Not really that much to see. The heading just swings around a bit.

[@jdf1stats]

Loved your video Chris! Have they confirmed the maximum range yet?

[@JonahA-ro4sg]

After seeing this video I’m warming up to the idea of a single isle aircraft I can’t wait for them to be delivered

[@WorldWide_Dom]

Absolutly Fantastic, if this aircraft can get "off the ground" then the XLR will be a game changer and a revolution for smaller airports! 😃😃

[@grahamcook9289]

The A321 A21N stretched variant currently flys with Jet Blue between London Gatwick and New York JFK. Slower than larger carrier aircraft such as the B777, B787, A330 and A350, although cheaper.

[@QiuyuanChenRyan916]

They are advertise london to vancouver on this thing. That could makes Victoria or Abbotsford to London Gatwick or manchester an option

[@jasonw98]

Well can't wait to be cramped into this on ULCC

[@eriktm1296]

Never saw such a clean cabin wondows 😂😂

[@bungee7503]

Nice work, Jum.

[@mwvlei]

Wow, great video!

[@Republic3D]

I like that one of the Airbus guys has a yellow LEGO lanyard. :D

[@offtheice]

Great video as always!😊

[@TonyTheYouTuba]

You have the best job!

[@LexWinchesterr]

Gorgeous bird, I can’t wait to fly on it!

[@notactuallymyrealname]

how neat!

[@andrewsmall6568]

Fascinating. How was media allowed on a test flight?

[@alancats]

Nice video. Does anyone know if the additional weight from the fireproofing material placed on the rear internal fuel tank (as required by European regulatory authorities) actually reduced the A321XLR's maximum range? I had read about a 200 nautical mile reduction.

[@stephen_101]

Bear in mind Airbus would have been slightly conservative with their estimates. So even if there is a reduction in range, their conservative initial estimates will be able to somewhat absorb the hit. I doubt it will be anything above 200nm. A slight MTOW bump and aero cleanup would also help.

[@ryanlittleton5615]

Can't wait for these! Such a shame Boeing won't make a new 757, but the XLR looks really sweet though.

[@daapz]

Man, I'd love being a passenger in one of these flights.

[@peterfairlie2296]

Will the primary flight controls also be available to all the passengers over the WiFi too? 😎

[@sunnyfon9065]

Wow, beautiful!

[@TheRuben_music]

Airbus

[@kristo_playz0892]

i spotted this on flightrader yesturday

[@tormagnedyrskog2085]

Awesome, your channel has way too few subscribers compared to the quality of the content!🤩

What you say is so true!

[@drdoolittle5724]

Very good and thank you! Do you know whether the concerns about the extra fuel tank safety has been satisfied?

[@_Erogaki]

It was satisfied by reducing the range. They must have done something with the tanks.

[@gumnaamaadmi007]

The Business Jet version of the XLR is gonna sell aplenty.

[@un_ours_blanc]

Those meals look so good :DD

[@tonymcflattie2450]

North Pole! Incredible

[@andrewj591]

Thank God u rested

[@12345fowler]

Nice, but if you do a 11 hour flight north and south on the same longitude you won't have any jet lag and this should be easier for body clock adjustments.

[@lars7935]

If you start and end at the same location you also won't have jetlag...

[@jounaas]

Lol there are no jetlag if staying in the same timezone

[@industrialist2002]

True engineers, true pro's. I'd love to fly on the XLR some day

[@vaidyasethuraman452]

clear winner in narrow body long haul , competition no where near .

[@eduardodaquiljr9637]

So how do you differentiate a wide body 787 and narrow body 321xlr in terms of comfort ambiance and numbers of flight stewardess?

[@bobwadiwala4219]

Ahaha Chris from Airways ?!!

[@Bloblobloblown]

Cool flight radar 24 has an official channel...

[@RestoringReality]

So now the North East coast of Greenland is the North Pole? I don't think so.

[@gunvaldsandhaland7757]

I Am Looking Forward To Be Passenger One The A321XLR

[@Trainsallday]

8:04 Hello Beluga....

[@marcialsanchez3913]

Nice new walls

[@elliott7268]

As cool as this is to see I'm certainly not going to be jumping on a narrow body long haul flight anytime soon, or ever if I can avoid it.

[@rtbrtb_dutchy4183]

Why? Cuz u switch isles on a twin isle? U need to do laps? 🙄

[@elliott7268]

@@rtbrtb_dutchy4183 no... more space, quieter, usually wider more comfortable seats, just the bigger cabin makes you feel so much less cramped and for some less claustrophobic. And wide body's are just so much cooler. Idk what you're on about bud. I'm a pilot and I spend a lot of time on planes in the cockpit and out. I don't need to "change isle or do laps" or whatever you're gabbering on about.

[@rtbrtb_dutchy4183]

@@elliott7268 seats are the same. That depends on the airline anyway. You can have as much space in a narrow body than a wide body. You’re not the only pilot bud. 🙄 and I’m surprised that if you are, that you aren’t familiar with seats and their size etc. Narrow body long haul flying isn’t new.

[@jpmasters-aus]

Long haul wide bodied aircraft have sealed off crew rest areas, eg for cockpit crew immediately behind the cockpit, or up or below. What do they provide on this aircraft?

[@jsurfin1]

With a max of 11 hours flying time, provided the crew has a layover at the destination, 2 pilots is enough per FTL and there won't be a need for a crew rest area.

[@TheRuben_music]

I wonder if you work for Boeing

[@jpmasters-aus]

@jsurfin1 - It is my understanding, happy to be corrected that over 8 hours one relief pilot is required. Now it could be that there have been successful negotiations between the airlines and the pilot unions to extend that. I understand that has been a long term strategy of Qantas.

[@jpmasters-aus]

@TheRuben_music It has been said that once you have avgas in your system it never leaves you. I started my professional career as a manager in one of the Australian domestic airlines as they were back then. I have maintained a general interest in aviation since then.

[@robwhite6894]

Is there a reason the test is at night? A 9PM departure for a 12+ duty does not sound like fun, however fascinating the job may be.

[@davidh9844]

Just how long was that test flight? In terms of hours flown, as well as miles/km flown. Thanks!

[@mostofall8456]

Super!

[@mandandi]

Sounds rather quiet in the cabin; engine noise intrusion is minimal.

[@noob.168]

bro looks like a mime

[@grahamcook9289]

Why not fly to Fairbanks instead of returning to Toulouse?

[@riki.kappe5342]

Nice to meet you, thank you very much. The plane was tested many times in this way. It will be bought by an airplane company. Nice video. thank you very much. Thank you for your continued support.

[@jayeetachakraborty9299]

why is the a321xlr "a21n" on flightradar 24 it should be "a21x"

[@SKYSTAR767]

Did he say in the back of the aircraft? Wow that aircraft is extremely quiet wow

[@TheRuben_music]

Yes Airbus' new planes are amazing!

[@ragibnafiz8548]

been waiting for this video since the facebook post. got to made the first comment

[@oljjjjj]

Did anyone notice him saying 7 hours flight and 2 hours still remaining? Does that mean it’s a 9 hour flight? Or did he make a mistake?

[@Tleilaxu_Mentat]

I'm curious as to how much the agreed upon added fuel tank reinforcements would impact actual usable range vis-a-vis A321LR, and if the rumors are true that its Boeing operatives who were bleating on about it to European authorities in an attempt to hinder or weaken the advantages that the XLR would bring versus the dinosaur 737 family. Boeing has nothing in 10-20 years to compete with this thing, so they're just resorting to undermine the competition in any way possible. 😬

[@miks564]

It’s more like 35 years already that Boeing hasn’t given a proper response to the A320 family. They basically put some new more efficient engines and sell the dinosaur as a superior state of the art aircraft. As long as it decrease operational costs to operators and dispense new pilot certification, those seem to be happy as well. …and same goes for the vast majority of passengers that know little about these flying machines and many will even prefer a 737 to an A320 because of the manufacturer.

[@NovejSpeed3]

This is nothing. The real thing holding the A320 family back (esp the 321s) is the wing. Now Airbus has designed a new one, possibly with 777X foldable type wing tips. The new winged A321 Neos (possiblybcalled the A322) will be the true game changers and I think the final nail in Boeings narrow body commercial production coffin.

[@miks564]

@@NovejSpeed3 Nothing is holding back the A320 family, because there's lack of competition in the narrow bodies. That's why they become the most successful aircraft to date. Better wings will help, but the main problem are the materials the aircraft is made of that make them heavier than if it they were made of modern light materials. The best next thing is the smaller A220-300, but that's still Airbus, since they acquired the design from Bombardier.

[@ACPilot]

@@miks564Well, lets see… 737NG series, and 737MAX series, in response to what? The A320NEO series “they basicly put some more efficient engines on it” and sell their old design as new..

[@miks564]

@@ACPilot There's a big difference. A320 are computer operated aircraft. Meaning, despite still having one or another old legacy system on board, the neos are basically modern aircraft with all the modern flight systems available today, but in an old airframe. That also explains how easy it was for Airbus to compensate the A320 flight behavior for the more powerful engines. The Max is still the same pulleys and cables running along the airframe manual kind of aircraft. That's also the reason Boeing isn't able to get other Max versions approved. After the requalification of the MAX, FAA closed the eyes to the -9 as a compromise to allow Boeing to get the aircraft back in the air, but they kept the requirement of having EICAS installed (like in any other Boeing aircraft) on all remaining Max variants. This means Boeing has to somehow interconnect the 737 old flight systems with computer systems even if only for monitorization and troubleshooting purposes. Seems easy, but of course it isn't because 737s never had this level of monitorization on board. Boeing needed to start a new narrow body design by the time they launched the NG as a response to the original A320s. But instead they kept 'milking the cow'. 737s and A320s are direct competitors because they do the same with similar efficiency (cost of operation), but the similarities end there.

[@markos.5539]

do they have xlr cable support on the A321 XLR?

[@lenmetallica]

Yes they do. In fact, all modern Airbus aircraft are fitted with 5 Pin XLR input/output on the flight deck.

[@haruki5401]

Where’s the other guy?

[@fallguyjames]

I didn’t know flightradar has this gorgeous guy

[@composimple364]

It’s so cool, but where will the flight attendants rest? Haha

[@wakeupcall2665]

Have you seen the railings at around the six minute mark? Those are for the curtains to shield the resting cabin crew from passenger view. The crew complement most likely be for full service airlines 5-6 cabin crew and 2 pilots (who take their rest on the flight deck - as it is done already on sectors not requiring a three pilot crew (Europe to Mauritius for example is such a route, departing early afternoon allowing for a 14 hour duty time outbound) which means savings for the airline company.

[@TheLuftie]

11h in a small tube !!!!

[@michaelhayden725]

Qantas will be interested in this report as they are believed to have ordered several of this type. The plan is to use them on long haul skinny passenger ports.

[@XavierLignieres]

I heard that these were primarily due to replace the 737 fleet on international routes where the a220 will replace the b737 and 717 on domestic routes.

[@kelvinyang7475]

What’s the load? Is it filled up to the MTOW?

[@MrSchwabentier]

If they do an 11 hour flight it definitely is

[@rtbrtb_dutchy4183]

@@MrSchwabentierhe means passenger ballast. Just full of fuel and a few passengers isn’t MTOW.

[@MrSchwabentier]

@@rtbrtb_dutchy4183 full of fuel leaves you with 10-11t payload. Add in some test equipment and „a few people“ get you close to MTOW pretty quickly

[@haruki5401]

Where is the other guy? 😅

[@unggrabb]

How much fuel was used?

[@HughNeylan]

I support having brownies for breakfast

[@AirbusA350Aussie]

Scoot should replace a321nx to xlr

[@The_Internet_Cop]

What was it's TOD?

[@vedantdhanorkar7984]

Top of DESCEND

[@Donuts_random_stuff]

1:17 you said “fox”, isn’t it “foxtrot”???

[@rtbrtb_dutchy4183]

A lot of people shorten foxtrot to fox.

[@esm7708]

Foxtrot has kind of died a death.

[@owens_aviation]

Odd question: is there any way you could get the official route with waypoints taken on this flight? I'm trying to recreate this flight in my simulator.

[@Flightradar24DotCom]

We can ask if that information is available.

[@owens_aviation]

@@Flightradar24DotCom Thank you! Let me know...

[@the_bottomfragger]

Nice video, however I'm still hoping to get as many widebodies as possible on long haul travel in the future. This won't match up to an A350 anytime soon for me.

[@TheRuben_music]

Yeah like you have a choice hehe

[@the_bottomfragger]

@@TheRuben_music I do. First of all I'll support carriers with good service and aircraft choice and happily pay a bit more, also there's a reason why long haul budget carriers are struggling. Not that many people actually enjoy spending 8 hours without any legroom or any place to stretch your legs when you do get up.

[@TheRuben_music]

How many flights do you take in a year? My worst flight ever was a 9-hour trip in a 747 aircraft. If you sit in the aisle seat on any aircraft regardless of its size, you have enough legroom. I fly approximately 4-6 times a month. I have never seen anyone standing in the aisle for more than 1-2 minutes. Your problem is not a universal problem, it is just complaining. @@the_bottomfragger

[@mitseraffej5812]

Long way in a small airplane.

[@Dan-yw1qh]

Boeing is smoking in the corner xD

[@ready4taxi]

Absolutely jealous

[@james7149]

Any aviation vloger reviewing long haul travel including for example, “Qantas Sunrise” should sit in the back in an economy seat. That’s the true test for these long haul narrow body flights. Isn’t it fair to assume that budget airlines will “sardine can” economy?

[@marcd6897]

He wasn’t reviewing the flight comfort or the served meals but was attending an 11 hour long Airbus test flight.

[@fibreglass9976]

Yes, this wasn't a normal flight trip review/report but trials of the new A321 Neo XLR aircraft!

[@yohanmaduranga1]

If you don't like budget airlines can pay an fly full service carrier. You get what you pay . It's that simple. Actually this is a test flight. No one bought tickets to fly.

[@rockerobertson4002]

11 hours? Is that right?

[@tally1604]

Where is Gabriel?

[@airedition]

Still around not to worry!

[@McLadenLLC]

personally, i would wish the 321XLR to be fitted with 3+2 econ plus seats if it was ever to be an option. otherwise it's true nightmare for 11hr flight.

[@Flightradar24DotCom]

That would be nice! But is 3+3 really any worse than 3+4+3 on a widebody?

[@odzergaming]

3-3 A321 has ame eat width as most widebodies