Installation of the cabin interior of Bombardier's first production CRJ1000 NextGen aircraft has been completed, and the freshly-painted aircraft is now in the final stage of preparation for flight.
While Bombardier has not disclosed which carrier will accept delivery of the first production CRJ1000, it is describing initial deliveries next year of the 100-seater as between Britair and Air Nostrum. The latter today confirmed a firm order for 35 CRJ1000s, after formalising an agreement to take a further 15 of the type and converting some backlogged CRJ900s.
Following initial flight of the first production CRJ1000 at Mirabel, the aircraft, bearing serial number 19001, will be flown to the Bombardier flight test centre in Wichita, Kansas where it will join the prototype, aircraft 19991, in the flight test and functional and reliability testing programmes.
The prototype aircraft made its inaugural flight from Mirabel on 3 September 2008, completing over 450 flight test hours by May "a bit more than 50% of the estimated total flight test hours required for the programme", says Bombardier.
"The prototype aircraft has met or exceeded published speeds and altitudes and flutter tests have been successfully accomplished. Flights into natural icing conditions have also been successfully completed [and] the aircraft weight is on target," adds the airframer.
Transport Canada have seen and reviewed the prototype aircraft and its pilots have had opportunities to fly it. The agency has also approved the escalation of "C" check intervals for the CRJ1000 to 6,000 flight hours, or approximately three years of airline service.
Bombardier says the second production model, aircraft 19002, is now on the assembly line.
The manufacturer's firm order backlog for the CRJ1000 now totals 64.
Source: Air Transport Intelligence news
