COMAC has commenced taxi trials of the C919 narrow-body passenger jet, more than a year after rolling out the first prototype in Novembe...
COMAC has commenced taxi trials of the C919 narrow-body passenger jet, more than a year after rolling out the first prototype in November 2015.
The low speed taxi trials are being carried out from company’s facility in Shanghai Pudong International Airport.
The first engine run was achieved in early November 2016, running them for 10 minutes at ground idle power.
The Chinese manufacturer had targeted to fly the C919 by the year end.
Resembling the Airbus A320 family design and dimensionally similar, the C919 is the second single aisle commercial jet designed by COMAC after the ARJ-21 regional jet.
The C919 is powered by the CFM LEAP-1C integrated propulsion system (IPS) which include the engine, nacelle and thrust reverser.
— OedoSoldier (@OedoSoldier) December 28, 2016
The IPS had received joint European Aviation Safety Agency and the US Federal Aviation Administration certification on Dec. 11, clearing a key regulatory hurdle for launching the C919 into commercial service.
COMAC launched the C919 program in 2009 to rival the duopoly of Boeing's 737 family and the Airbus A320 family in the single aisle market.
The 150 seater will have two version, one with a range of 4,075 km and an enhanced version with a 5,500 km range.
The airframe is designed for flying 90,000 flight hours or for 30 calendar years. The type has received orders for more than 500 aircraft, mostly from Chinese airlines.
