By Li Hongmei
The inauguration of the testing platform for the large passenger aircraft C919, announced by the Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China (COMAC) on Dec. 30, represents the entry of the aircraft project into the system certification stage, paving the way for the assembly of the prototype aircraft in 2014.
The testing platform for C919, dubbed "China's big plane," will test various components of the aircraft system, a crucial procedure for the certification of the aircraft's airworthiness. This is the third commercial aircraft testing platform in China, following that for the Y-10, a freight plane, and the ARJ21-700, a turbofan-engine jet. The testing platform for the C919 is equipped with a cockpit viewing system, enabling test pilots to respond to simulated abrupt weather changes or malfunctions in the aircraft control system.
Liu Junhui, a project manager at COMAC, said that the C919 testing platform will continue functioning until the final certification of the aircraft, conducting tests for its virgin flight, test flight and airworthiness certification, according to the Chinese-language Dongfang Daily. The platform will be available to suppliers for carrying out the certification of key systems, including mechanical equipment, power supply, and avionics equipment.
The testing platform is the brainchild of a team of over 100 engineers.
The C919's virgin flight has been postponed to 2015 after the addition of new materials, technologies, and advanced craftsmanship, according to COMAC.
"We strive to assure the safety and quality of the aircraft, as well as compliance with international standards, even if it leads to postponement in the schedule," said Jin Zhuanglong, COMAC chairman.
R&D for the big aircraft is a protracted, 10-year-long process, but is proceeding in an orderly fashion, according to COMAC. The corporation, however, is confident that the prototype aircraft will be assembled in 2014, when a general system test and airworthiness certification will be carried out simultaneously.
The C919 project, China's second indigenous big civil passenger aircraft, was launched in March 2007 and entered the stage of detailed design in Dec. 2011. So far, COMAC has landed orders for 400 C919s.
