Aerospace 10 - Bombardier CS300

The latest Bombardier CSeries aircraft, the larger CS300 variant made a successful flight from the Mirabel airfield in Quebec today.

http://cseries.com/#/category/videos

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/

Aerospace 6 - It's Innovation!

It’s a plane!  It’s the CSeries!  It’s innovation!  Yes, it’s another example of Bombardier creativity.  Today, the first CSeries aircraft took off, like a whisper, from Mirabel Airport in Quebec.  It was a few months behind the original schedule but this compares quite favourably with the years of delay for Boeing’s B-787 ‘Dreamliner’, which continues to reveal problems.

The flight lasted for a few hours, and the test pilots enthusiastically reported a perfect flight.

Illustration by Bombardier Inc.

What happens next?  Well, in my opinion, many airlines who have been placing meaningless Letters of Intent with Airbus, Boeing, et al., will be reassessing their biased agendas and sending representatives to Montreal (If they are not already there).  After all, you are reminded of the old technology inherent in the Airbus and Boeing aircraft that will not become available until 2017 ... compared to the 20% more efficient CSeries becoming available next year (2014).

Look out, also, for news from Porter Airlines, who have already announced their conditional order of 12 CSeries aircraft (Conditional on a runway extension at the Billy Bishop airport) and, then, imagine the impact of WestJet trying to bring their new Q400’s into Billy Bishop.  It's going to be interesting.

Stay tuned (As they say).