The latest Bombardier CSeries aircraft, the larger CS300 variant made a successful flight from the Mirabel airfield in Quebec today.
The flight lasted five hours and reached an altitude of 41,000 feet at a speed of 255 knots (470 km/h). “It was an absolute privilege to fly the first flight of the CS300 airliner and I’m absolutely ecstatic with how well it handled. It’s a pilot’s aircraft and handled exactly as predicted by simulation,” said Capt. Litavniks. “Pilots will find it easy to transition from the CS100 to the CS300 aircraft or vice versa, which will greatly reduce training costs for operators using both models”.
Bombardier is creating the future with its CSeries aircraft — the only 100% new family of airliners specifically designed for the 100- to 149-seat, single-aisle market. Benefitting from a clean-sheet design that includes leading-edge technology and systems integration, advanced materials and latest generation aerodynamics, the CSeries aircraft offer a 15% cash operating cost advantage, a 20% fuel burn advantage, exceptional operational flexibility, widebody comfort and an unmatched environmental and noise footprint.
Bombardier has booked orders and commitments for 563 CSeries aircraft, which includes firm orders for 243.
The following link to a FlightGlobal magazine article is well-worth reading:
http://www.flightglobal.com/news/articles/analysis-is-air-show-debut-a-make-or-break-moment-for-412630/
Bombardier are to be complemented. Let us hope their innovative success will fly high in the world. Many Canadian success stories have ended in disaster but Bombardier have survived better and will continue to do so.
ReplyDeleteNow, it is crucial that they ramp up the CSeries production to ensure that, not only do they deliver the first production CS100 to a customer on schedule, but hopefully, deliver the first CS300 ahead of its schedule. In other words, CS100 Q4 2015, and CS300 Q1 2016. This should put them years ahead of the competition, and force the naysayers into hiding.
DeleteBrowsing the CSeries Website will show an enormous amount of activity, not withstanding other aircraft such as the CRJ NextGen aircraft.
They raised $848 million in equity last week, which was 40% higher than the $600 million that they were hoping for. There is also talk of raising another $2.25 billion in bonds which should upset those analysts who think that cash flow is is in a dangerous area.
Personally, I haven't two cents to rub together ... Asian tours cause that affect ... otherwise I could easily be tempted by their low share price.
How about you?
The CSeries programme has passed the midway point of the test programme with four to 10 months remaining before a scheduled entry into service, Bombardier’s top salesman says.
DeleteFour CS100s and one CS300 now in flight test have accumulated more than 1,100 flight test hours, says Ross Mitchell, Bombardier’s vice-president of business acquisition, on 9 March at the ISTAT conference.
“We are most of the way through the programme,” Mitchell says.
The flight test hours have been accumulating rapidly since the test fleet returned in September from a 100-day hiatus caused by an engine malfunction.
At the time of the 29 May grounding, the test fleet had amassed about 300 flight test hours after eight months of testing.
In the six months since return to flight, the five test aircraft have completed at least 800 test hours.
Bombardier originally said the CS100 certification programme would consume about 2,400 flight test hours. Last month, Bombardier executives said that number was only a guideline rather than a specific target.
That estimate of 2,400 flight test hours includes a percentage that will be completed on a ground-based simulator, Mitchell says. Bombardier has commissioned the integrated systems and test certification rig (ISTCR) in Mirabel, Canada, to gain credit with Transport Canada for a certain number of flight test hours. By including the credit from the simulations, the CSeries test programme is now past the midway point, Mitchell says.
Moreover, the tests completed so far are more likely to have raised issues that could cause further delays, he says.
The entry into service in the second half of 2013 represents a delay of about two years compared to Bombardier’s original schedule.
Despite that delay, the aircraft design appears to be performing successfully in flight tests so far, Mitchell says. The company’s original performance targets – including a 15% reduction in specific fuel consumption and nearly 3,000nm range – are being met based on testing results, he says.
“We are going to meet everything we said. We’re got to hit the range targets. We’re going to hit the payload/range targets. We are going to give you the cost we said we would,” Mitchell says. “We are going to save airlines a lot of money when they get this airplane. We may not be on time but we made a promise and we’re keeping it.”
With thanks to FlightGlobal.
New Airline in Malaysia, flymojo Executes Letter of Intent for up to 40 Bombardier CSeries Airliners
ReplyDeleteExcellent news. One could make a smart remark about airlines in Malaysia but that would not be gracious.
DeleteFly Mojo, yea.
Addendum:
ReplyDeleteThere are now 6 FVT's in the CSeries programme. Nearly 1,400 flight hours have been completed. One aircraft recently completed a 7.5 hour flight and, upon landing, it was said to still have sufficient fuel for another 2 hours ... quite remarkable.
Customer orders now stand at 400 aircraft.
The following link to a FlightGlobal magazine article is well-worth reading:
Deletehttp://www.flightglobal.com/news/articles/analysis-is-air-show-debut-a-make-or-break-moment-for-412630/