FTV1 Is Being Repaired, Other Flight Test Aircraft In Full Operation

In a video released to the media and others, Bombardier says its CSeries flight test program is moving forward towards certification of the airplane.

In the video, Robert Dewar, Bombardier's Vice President for the CSeries CS100 program, says that FTV1, the airplane that had an engine incident, "is being repaired." He said that the repair process is "a good validation of the technology" of the carbon-fiber wing structure. "The repair went very well," he said.

FTV2 has returned to flight, Dewar said, and is "performing exceptionally well."  He said the fly-by-wire technology is performing as expected in the airplane.

FTV4 is also making good progress. This is the airplane that is being used to evaluate aircraft performance. Dewar said that the anti-skid tuning system is being completed in Salina, KS, and the final performance engines have been received. He said that they are working on getting the final performance data for the airplane.

The first interior has been installed on FTV5, Dewar said.

As for the CS300, "it's powered on, painted, engines are installed, and we're getting this aircraft ready to enter the flight test program."

Finally on the ground testing side, "all the structural testing is going well. We're actually on track to finish all the testing this year." Dewar said that the fatigue article has undergone over 7,000 flight cycles.

He said that with the flight test program back underway, the company is now looking forward to entry into service for the new airliner.

(Image from YouTube video)

FMI: www.bombardier.com