GRAHAM WARWICK / WASHINGTON DC
Ambitious test programme put Bombardier ahead of Raytheon in the race for super mid-size jet certification
Bombardier and Raytheon began flight testing their rival super mid-size business jets just days apart last week, but the Canadian firm expects to certificate its Continental as much as nine months ahead of the US firm's Hawker Horizon thanks to an "aggressive" test programme.
Raytheon flew the Horizon for the first time on 11 August from Beech Field, Wichita, Kansas, completing a 2.5h flight during which the aircraft reached 10,500ft (3,200m) and 225kt (415km/h).
Across town, Bombardier flew the Continental for the first time on 14 August from Wichita's Intercontinental Airport, the aircraft reaching 17,500ft and 210kt during a 2h flight.
Bombardier plans a 1,500h-plus flight test effort involving five aircraft, which would lead to Canadian certification in the third quarter of next year, followed shortly after by US and European validation, says Continental project test pilot Jim Dwyer.
Raytheon plans a 2,500h test programme involving four aircraft and leading to US certification in mid-2003, says Horizon chief test pilot Tom Carr.
"We have a 15-month flight-test programme, which is pretty aggressive for a clean sheet aircraft," says Dwyer. "It's going to challenge us, no doubt about it." Four Continentals are expected to be flying by the year-end, assigned to performance, systems, avionics and miscellaneous testing. Bombardier intends to incorporate all modifications resulting from testing in the fifth aircraft to ensure it begins function and reliability testing in final production form.
The first three Horizons are assigned to performance, systems and automation testing. The first aircraft flew with the full Honeywell Primus Epic integrated avionics suite, "including the full panel, full utilities and cursor control devices", says Carr.
The second aircraft will be assigned to testing the Pratt & Whitney Canada PW308 engines.
Dwyer says the first Continental is in production configuration, with full Rockwell Collins Pro Line 21 integrated avionics. "The aircraft as flown has all production systems, including anti-ice," he points out. "The autopilot is installed and functional. It's a deliverable aircraft."
The aircraft is powered by Honeywell AS907 engines.
Although the two aircraft are competing for the same super mid-size sector of the business jet market, they are different in character. Designed for US transcontinental flights, the $14.67 million Continental has a 5,700km (3,100nm) range. The $16.85 million, composite-fuselage Horizon is being promoted as an "intercontinental" aircraft, with a 6,290km (3,400nm) maximum range providing transatlantic capability.
Raytheon has orders and options for more than 150 Horizons, including 50 firm orders and 50 options from fractional ownership operator Executive Jet and others for its own Raytheon Travel Air fractional programme.
Bombardier has firm orders for 115 Continentals, including 25 for the company's Flexjet fractional programme. The Canadian company plans to begin green deliveries by the end of next year, and Raytheon is projecting first deliveries later in 2003.
Source: Flight International
