The nacelles surrounding the jet engines on the Airbus A380 are as huge and innovative as the airplane itself! During the Paris Air Show, a streamlined maintenance team from nacelle manufacturer Aircelle services these units after each demonstration flight.

Another A380 demonstration flight comes to an end… the largest commercial jetliner in the world settles in for a landing, reaches the taxiway and shuts down its engines, to be towed to its place of honor in the static display line. There, Serge Colladon and his team of Aircelle technicians inspect the nacelles to see if any servicing is needed.

“The maintenance team in Toulouse is 19 men strong,” explains Serge. “Four of us were detached to Le Bourget to help Airbus throughout the air show, and we have been fully integrated in their tech support team.”

The A380 super-jumbo jet has logged about 30 flights to date, with the nacelle and its electrical thrust reverser actuation system (ETRAS) performing flawlessly ( see Friday’s article).

Serge Colladon describes their daily routine: “After the flights each day, we open the cowls for a visual inspection and to check if there are any problems, such as excessive play in a part, a foreign body, etc. The changeover to an all-electric system eliminated our worries about hydraulic fluid leaks. Everything has gone very smoothly so far!”