From Henri K blog
, the prototype 10101 of the Chinese mid-
airliner C919finally conducted its second test flight yesterday at Pudong International Airport in Shanghai.
The plane that keeps its original livery in white, blue and green took off from runway 4 at 07:22 am with a crew of five. This first C919 prototype then flew northward over the East China Sea, flying over Hoânh Sa, Chongming, Qidong and Nantong, before returning to Shanghai and landing 10:08, after a flight that lasted 2h and 46 minutes.
This is twice as long as the inaugural flight that took place on May 5 this year, with a flight area twice as wide.
The C919 also reached a top speed of 250 knots with the gear retracted for this new test. On its first flight five months ago, Chinese regulations forced the aircraft to restrict its speed to about 180 knots and the train pulled out.
The air traffic control tower in Nantong had indicated on his account of Weibo (Chinese Twitter) that the C919 would normally land around 11:00. It is therefore unclear whether this information was incorrect or that the second flight was indeed shortened.
It should be noted that an
ARJ21-700, registered 107, also made its test flight at the same time as the C919, so it is the first time that two airliners "Made in China" fly together. The message is very symbolic.
The course of the C919 during its second test flight (Image: Flight Radar 24)
The altitude and speed of the C919 during its second test flight (Image: Flight Radar 24)
In preparation to continue its flight tests in Yanliang (阎良), near the city of Xi'an, where the China Flight Test Establishment (CFTE) is the biggest and best equipped test center, the C919 # 10101 will still conduct some thirty test flights, with more than 200 checkpoints, before leaving the Shanghai area.
It is in Yanliang that the C919 will carry out most of its qualifications in order to obtain the type certification (TC) of the Chinese authorities CAAC, an essential first step for the plane to ensure its commercial flights in China.
The flight from Shanghai to Yanliang from a distance of 1,400 km will be the first real test for the C919 program.
For the rest of the program, the second prototype of C919, registered 10102, is currently being assembled in the FAC of the COMAC aircraft manufacturer in Shanghai. The aircraft's electrical system is already connected and powered since July 28, and the aircraft is expected to fly for the first time before the end of the year.
A new airport and four other prototypes will also be built to speed up the testing phase.
The second test flight of the C919 (Photos: COMAC)
Meanwhile, C919's backlog continues to grow. On September 19, at the Beijing Air Show, COMAC signed new orders for 130 aircraft with four Chinese leasing companies, bringing the total to 730 aircraft according to
.
Although C919's current 27 clients are mainly Sino-Chinese companies or companies, which demonstrates the political support of the Chinese state to the program, China has not lost hope of seeing its flagship of aeronautics fly in the skies of other continents.
During his visit to Germany at the end of May,
in obtaining the EASA CT for the C919, without which the aircraft could never enter the airspace European.
Knowing that this kind of certificate is not only a technical issue but also a political one, especially for a new potentially threatening actor, it is necessary to see what kind of exchange of interest could be used by China to persuade Europe and the United States (FAA) to eventually accept the C919.
But at the latest news, EASA has already agreed to process the application for certification of the Chinese aircraft.
To be continued.
Henri K