Comac and Bombardier have dropped plans to pursue cockpit commonality in the C919 and CSeries, after detailed study found too many differences between the types.
In an interview with Flightglobal in Shanghai, C919 vice-chief engineer Chen Ying Chun says wide disparities between the two aircraft types meant it was, from the start, hard to create a common cockpit.
“We did look at commonality in the cockpits, but after two periods of analysis, looking at each other’s philosophy, standards, plans and technical means, we found that each has its own advantages, and we couldn’t reach an agreement,” says Chen.
He adds that both airframers spent a large part of last year looking at the issue, but have since moved on with their individual projects.
“Basically in the development of the C919, Bombardier is not involved,” says Chen. “They have experience in building regional jets, but not so much in narrowbodies.”
Bombardier and Comac signed an agreement in 2012 to find commonality in four areas, one of which being the cockpit crew interfaces on the two aircraft.
Bombardier had previously told Flightglobal that it was sharing its CSeries cockpit design with Comac, with the Chinese airframer left to decide how much it would adapt to the C919, a less mature programme.
The two airframers had wanted to make the look and feel of the two aircrafts' cockpit similar, so as to reduce training and maintenance costs for airlines who purchase both jets. Besides joint sales, Bombardier is hoping that a collaboration with Comac will help the CSeries sell in China, while Comac's strategy is for its cooperation with the Canadian airframer to help sell its narrowbody internationally.
Source: Cirium Dashboard
