Efforts to revive the Fairchild Dornier AeroIndustries 728 programme are continuing with the prototype having recently completed its first power-on test and a first flight still scheduled before the end of the year.
The 70-seater's development was halted by the bankruptcy of former manufacturer Fairchild Dornier in 2002, before China's D'Long bought the programme and set up Fairchild Dornier AeroIndustries to manage it.
The test in February at the plant in Oberpfaffenhofen, Germany was intended to check the aircraft's electrical power distribution system. The resignation of the company's managing director Werner von Anhalt late last year has not slowed the project, says the company. He has been replaced by Jonathan Chu, managing director of parent company D'Long Europe.
The prototype is undergoing system checkout, having completed static tests late last year. The company will carry out ground vibration, centre of gravity, and cabin overpressure checks, as well as tests to the fuel system, auxiliary power unit, and its General Electric CF34-8D engines. Other tests include lightning strike and static interference.
Source: Flight International
