Ukrainian design bureau believes early 2006 certification can be achieved after regional twinjet performs maiden flight
Antonov is confident its new An-148 will be certificated on schedule early in 2006, following the regional jet's successful 1h 21min maiden flight on 17 December.
"All onboard systems and the aircraft's aerodynamics appeared to be just like we expected," says Antonov general designer Piotr Balabuyev. "The crew performed all tests set for the mission at 3,000m [9,800ft], including full acceleration, engine and yaw, so that we got all control and stability performance checked."
The An-148 took off from Kiev's Svyatoshin airfield, which is near Antonov's plant and the KiGAZ Aviant factory where the aircraft was assembled, and landed at the Gostomel flight test and research base. The Antonov crew of two pilots and a flight engineer reported no malfunctions, but had to end the mission early because of worsening weather conditions.
Balabuyev says he will insistthe Aviapribor avionics are retained on production aircraft, despiteairlines asking for a Western-sourced replacement: "The avionics set is the only one in the former Soviet Union to be fully compliant to all ICAO and EU requirements set for implementation by 2015," he adds.
The second An-148 will be completed this month as test flights of the first aircraft ramp up, says Balabuyev. "Since the first flight went so well, we will be making two to three flights a day," he says, adding: "The goal is to have all the flight-test programme completed by the end of 2005 to enable type certification in the first quarter of 2006."
The first An-148 has no mechanical back-up to its fly-by-wireflight-control system, which uses computer-adjustable "mini-yoke" pilot controls.
At 9,800ft the crew tried the aircraft at flap settings 0¡, 10¡, 20¡ and 40¡, gear up and down, accelerating at take-off power to 254kt (470km/h) and slowing to 114kt. The g-loads were kept between 0.5g and 1.5g, bank angle to 30¡ and angle of attack to 12¡, says second pilot Sergei Troshin.
Antonov is confident its new An-148 will be certificated on schedule early in 2006, following the regional jet's successful 1h 21min maiden flight on 17 December.
"All onboard systems and the aircraft's aerodynamics appeared to be just like we expected," says Antonov general designer Piotr Balabuyev. "The crew performed all tests set for the mission at 3,000m [9,800ft], including full acceleration, engine and yaw, so that we got all control and stability performance checked."
The An-148 took off from Kiev's Svyatoshin airfield, which is near Antonov's plant and the KiGAZ Aviant factory where the aircraft was assembled, and landed at the Gostomel flight test and research base. The Antonov crew of two pilots and a flight engineer reported no malfunctions, but had to end the mission early because of worsening weather conditions.
Balabuyev says he will insistthe Aviapribor avionics are retained on production aircraft, despiteairlines asking for a Western-sourced replacement: "The avionics set is the only one in the former Soviet Union to be fully compliant to all ICAO and EU requirements set for implementation by 2015," he adds.
The second An-148 will be completed this month as test flights of the first aircraft ramp up, says Balabuyev. "Since the first flight went so well, we will be making two to three flights a day," he says, adding: "The goal is to have all the flight-test programme completed by the end of 2005 to enable type certification in the first quarter of 2006."
The first An-148 has no mechanical back-up to its fly-by-wireflight-control system, which uses computer-adjustable "mini-yoke" pilot controls.
At 9,800ft the crew tried the aircraft at flap settings 0¡, 10¡, 20¡ and 40¡, gear up and down, accelerating at take-off power to 254kt (470km/h) and slowing to 114kt. The g-loads were kept between 0.5g and 1.5g, bank angle to 30¡ and angle of attack to 12¡, says second pilot Sergei Troshin.
Antonov is confident its new An-148 will be certificated on schedule early in 2006, following the regional jet's successful 1h 21min maiden flight on 17 December.
"All onboard systems and the aircraft's aerodynamics appeared to be just like we expected," says Antonov general designer Piotr Balabuyev. "The crew performed all tests set for the mission at 3,000m [9,800ft], including full acceleration, engine and yaw, so that we got all control and stability performance checked."
The An-148 took off from Kiev's Svyatoshin airfield, which is near Antonov's plant and the KiGAZ Aviant factory where the aircraft was assembled, and landed at the Gostomel flight test and research base. The Antonov crew of two pilots and a flight engineer reported no malfunctions, but had to end the mission early because of worsening weather conditions.
Balabuyev says he will insistthe Aviapribor avionics are retained on production aircraft, despiteairlines asking for a Western-sourced replacement: "The avionics set is the only one in the former Soviet Union to be fully compliant to all ICAO and EU requirements set for implementation by 2015," he adds.
The second An-148 will be completed this month as test flights of the first aircraft ramp up, says Balabuyev. "Since the first flight went so well, we will be making two to three flights a day," he says, adding: "The goal is to have all the flight-test programme completed by the end of 2005 to enable type certification in the first quarter of 2006."
The first An-148 has no mechanical back-up to its fly-by-wireflight-control system, which uses computer-adjustable "mini-yoke" pilot controls.
At 9,800ft the crew tried the aircraft at flap settings 0¡, 10¡, 20¡ and 40¡, gear up and down, accelerating at take-off power to 254kt (470km/h) and slowing to 114kt. The g-loads were kept between 0.5g and 1.5g, bank angle to 30¡ and angle of attack to 12¡, says second pilot Sergei Troshin.
VLADIMIR KARNOZOV / KIEV
Source: Flight International
