One jet I haven’t talked much about is the upcoming Bombardier CSeries aircraft.
The CSeries is going to be the next step up from the CRJ series of aircraft, with a design that would hold from 110 to 150 people in an aircraft. The first unit will be the CS100, with capacity for 110-125 passengers. The plane would be powered by 2 Pratt and Whitney PW 1500G Geared Turbofan engines – giving a range of up to 2,950 nmi.
CSeries – FTV1 – unveiling – from the Bombardier Youtube channel.
So where is the project at? Nearing first flight as it seems according to different reports. Whilst the first flight date has not been anywhere confirmed (and will probably only announced a week before or so they’re ready to fly), Marc Duchesne – a spokesperson for Bombardier has stated at the Montreal Gazette
“The first CSeries aircraft, FTV1 (flight test vehicle one) is on its way to achieving first flight by the end of June 2013.”
The Bombardier CS100 is expected to enter service in mid-2014, whilst the Bombardier CS300 will enter service by the end of 2014. Customers of the CSeries will be watching as they hope minimal delays hit the project. These include:
- Lufthansa (for Swiss International Airlines)
- Korean Air
- Republic Airlines
- PrivatAir
- AirBaltic
- Porter
Getting to – and conducting a first flight is an important step in any aircraft development as there is physical form to the ideas that have been offered and promised. It also provides soliciting tool to other airlines who are looking to upgrade their CRJ900/ERJ195 fleets. or even older/smaller capacity Airbus and Boeing aircraft.
June is going to be a pretty busy month in the aviation calendar – the big highlight will be the Paris Air Show where hopefully we’ll see mega orders from airlines and lessors as they begin to upgrade their fleets. Airbus Execs will be paying close attention to their A350 which is also heading to first flight at the same time whilst Boeing execs will be considering the launch of the 787-10X… and maybe more details about the 777X will escape at that point
There are some big headlines in the offing for June – and I can’t wait to find out what some airframers and airlines have in store…