Airbus (Toulouse) has issued this statement, video and photo:
The first A320neo equipped with CFM International LEAP-1A engines completed its maiden flight on May 19 in Toulouse, France. The aircraft, registration F-WNEW, was flown by Experimental Test Pilots Philippe Perrin and Malcolm Ridley. Accompanying them in the cockpit was Test-Flight Engineer Jean-Michel Pin and monitoring the progress of the flight profile were the Flight-Test Engineers Tuan Do and Philippe Pupin. The flight lasted 4 hours and 25 minutes during which tests were performed to validate the aircraftโs flight envelope up to the maximum altitude (39,000 feet) and test the engine speed variation (low/high) in addition to checking systems behavior.
The newest member of the A320 Family, the A320neo, incorporates many innovations including latest generation engines, Sharklet wing tip devices and cabin improvements, which together will deliver up to 20 percent in fuel savings by 2020.The flight test campaign of the A320neo has accumulated more than 400 flight hours in around 130 flights since first flight on September 25, 2014.
Bombardier (Montreal and Toronto) issued this statement on the first flight of the CS300 yesterday (February 27):
Another major milestone in Bombardierโs CSeries aircraft program was reached on February 27 with the maiden flight of the CS300 airliner. The technologically advanced CSeries aircraft will provide operators with an all-new family of single-aisle mainline jets specifically designed for the 100- to 149-seat market segment.
The CS300 airliner โ bearing Canadian registration markings C-FFDK โ departed MontrรฉalโMirabel International Airport at 11:00 EST and returned at 15:58 EST. It reached an altitude of 41,000 feet (12,500 metres) and a speed of 255 knots (470 km/h).
At Bombardierโs Mirabel, Quรฉbec facility, some 2,000 Bombardier employees, Board members, partners, suppliers and customers braved frigid temperatures to witness the flight.
Capt. Andris (Andy) Litavniks, who was the co-pilot on the historic maiden flight of the smaller CS100 model on September 16, 2013, was pilot-in-command on todayโs milestone flight. Capt. Litavniks was assisted by co-pilot Christophe Marchand and flight test engineers Anthony Dunne and Mark Metivet.
โIt was an absolute privilege to fly the first flight of the CS300 airliner and Iโm absolutely ecstatic with how well it handled. Itโs a pilotโs aircraft and handled exactly as predicted by simulation,โ said Capt. Litavniks. โPilots will find it easy to transition from the CS100 to the CS300 aircraft or vice versa, which will greatly reduce training costs for operators using both models.โ
โOur CSeries aircraft program is progressing well, with results from testing as expected or better. The CS300 airliner will now join the five CS100 aircraft flight test vehicles that have amassed more than 1,000 flight test hours to date,โ said Rob Dewar, Vice President, CSeries Program. โWe are confident the CS100 aircraft will be certified in the second half of 2015, followed closely by entry-into-service. The CS300 airliner is expected to follow about six months later.โ
โIt was a thrill to see the first CS300 aircraft take to the skies for the first time and I heartily congratulate our teams for this achievement,โ said Mike Arcamone, President, Bombardier Commercial Aircraft. โWe continue to see increased interest from all over the world and as our performance targets are validated, we expect the enthusiasm for the CSeries family of aircraft to grow even more.โ
The CS300 aircraft offers the best seat-mile cost in its category, making it the most profitable solution for mid-sized markets with up to 150 passengers per flight, and ideal for a range of routes from short-haul to longer transcontinental markets.
Top Photo: Bombardier. C-FFDK in flight.
Below Copyright Photo: Gilbert Hechema/AirlinersGallery.com.ย Bombardier C Series CS300 (BD-500-1A11) C-FFDK (msn 55001) arrives back at Montreal (Mirabel) after the first flight.
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