Bombardier Aerospace has announced that the cockpit and all fuselage sections for the CSeries aircraft's first flight test vehicle (FTV1) have arrived at Mirabel, Québec, and that the assembly of FTV1 is underway.
Additionally, the first wings for the all-new CSeries aircraft are now being mated to the test airframe that will be used during the Complete Airframe Static Test (CAST). Testing of the avionics, electrical, flight control, fly-by-wire, hydraulic, landing gear and wiring systems for the CSeries aircraft, as well as virtual flights, are progressing steadily at Mirabel on ‘Aircraft 0' − the on-the-ground Integrated Systems Test and Certification Rig (ISTCR) for the CSeries aircraft. Located at the company's Experimental Test Facility in St-Laurent, Québec, the CAST is designed to demonstrate the static strength of the airframe and show compliance with certification requirements. The Mirabel facility will be the production site for the CSeries aircraft and the assembly process will include a fully automated moving line using the latest lean manufacturing principles. “The CAST, FTV1 and ‘Aircraft 0' are all key elements in the testing and development of the CSeries aircraft and we are delighted with the progress on each of these three test platforms, said Rob Dewar, vice-president and general manager, CSeries, Bombardier Commercial Aircraft. “Aircraft 0 is permitting us to validate the CSeries aircraft's systems in an efficient, on-the-ground setting that allows us to work seven days a week and 20 hours a day. Our findings will allow us to optimise the time spent in the flight test programme. The integrated systems tests on ‘Aircraft 0' are designed to mitigate risks and provide the necessary reliability before first flight. To date, tests have shown no unexpected results and all is going as planned.” The CSeries aircraft wings were built at Bombardier's new, state-of-the-art 55,742m2 manufacturing and assembly facility in Belfast, Northern Ireland, which is responsible for the design, manufacture and integration of the advanced composite wings for the CS100 and CS300 jets, including all flight control surfaces and high-lift systems. A spokesperson for Bombardier Aerospace, Belfast, said: “We are delighted to have delivered the wings for the new CSeries aircraft to Canada, where they are now being joined to the test airframe. This is a tremendous achievement for us in Belfast, and is the result of innovative research and development, advanced engineering design, and pioneering manufacturing and assembly processes. “The wings have been produced using our unique Resin Transfer Infusion (RTI) composite process – developed and tested here in Belfast – and which we believe represents a step change in aircraft wing technology. “The CSeries aircraft wings are the largest and most complex composite structures manufactured and assembled in the UK using this RTI technology. Not only are they helping to drive us to the forefront of advanced composite technologies, but our achievement further strengthens the UK's strategic goal of being the world leader in aircraft wing design and manufacture. “These CSeries aircraft wings are the first of many that we will produce in our new wing factory, which formed part of the £520 million investment that we announced in 2008, and which has now become a reality.” www.bombardier.com
