The second Comac C919 prototype completed a two-hour maiden sortie on 17 December.
Flight Test Aircraft two (FTA-2) departed from the fourth runway of Shanghai Pudong International airport at 10:34 local time. Onboard the aircraft were two pilots, two engineers, and an observer.
Comac
During the flight, the pilots were able to test the function of the aircraft's major systems including its landing gear, and navigation and communication systems. They were also able to test the jet's take-off and landing performance, retract its flaps, and get a sense of its acceleration and deceleration characteristics, says Comac.
The jet landed at 12:34 local time without incident.
Comac
Comac says FTA-2's first flight marks another milestone since the transfer of FTA-1 to Xian.
The Chinese manufacturer is using six flight test aircraft and two ground test aircraft for its C919 narrowbody programme. These six flight test aircraft will need to complete more than 1,000 verification tests across three main sites in Shanghai, Xian and Dongying. The two ground test jets will undergo static strength tests and fatigue tests.
The target is to obtain type certification around 2020-2021. The C919 has so far garnered 785 commitments from 27 customers.
Source: Cirium Dashboard
