CRJ-1000 Makes First Flight

Bombardier's long and skinny CRJ-1000 prototype took to the Canadian skies for the first time during its maiden flight yesterday from their production facility at the Mirabel Airport in Montreal, Quebec. During the 25 minute flight, the CRJ-1000 reached an altitude of 30,000 feet and flew at a maximum speed of 260 knots. "We put the gear up, operated the flaps and slats and exercised our new 'fly-by-wire' rudder," says Jacques Thibaudeau, one of the test-flight crew members. Bombardier is saying it handles much like the CRJ-900 so transitioning flight crews to the larger 100-seater should be no problem. After a few more flights, the prototype will be flown to Bombardier's Test Flight Centre at Mid-Continent Airport in Wichita where it will be joined next year by the first production aircraft for its flight operations review and certification process. Entry into service is expected in the fourth quarter of 2009. Hopefully, the PointNiner crew will get a chance to see her during the testing phase like we have with the other CRJ stretches as Wichita is just down the road from our base of operations.



Pictures: Bombardier
[Bombardier via Flight Global]

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First CRJ-1000 Heads Outside

Bombardier's first and only CRJ-1000 broke its cover here and headed out for what looks like a tank of Jet A at Mirabel Airport in Montreal. One thing's for sure...this ain't your daddy's Challenger jet. In fact, it's twice as long! This stretched out flying tube is longer than a classic 737 now. Entry into service is expected next year.

Photo Credit: Justin Jones via Airliners.net

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Bombardier finally launches the CSeries

This announcement wasn't too much of a surprise, but it is good news nonetheless for Canadian manufacturer Bombardier. The much delayed, nearly shelved, redusted and refined C-Series aircraft was finally launched today at the Farnborough Air Show with launch customer Lufthansa signing a letter of intent for 60 aircraft. What was almost bigger news than the launch was Bombardier's announcement to build the C-Series final assembly plant at its Mirabel-Montreal site instead of a proposed Kansas City plant as hoped by this blogger. I am glad to see that highly contentious decision finalized though, just for the sake of seeing a C-Series aircraft in the air soon. Powered by the revolutionary Pratt & Whitney Geared Turbofan, the new C-Series of aircraft is being touted by Bombardier as "the greenest single-aisle aircraft in its class." Its 2 x 5 seating will lend to two initial developments of the C-Series. Both a 110-seater and a 130-seater aircraft are planned but I'm sure that could be adapted as is the thing to do with this manufacturer. Bombardier sees a market for 6,300 aircraft in the 110 to 149-seat category which they would love to fill with C-Series. Bravo, Bombardier. It's about time. Now, if we can only get Northwest to retire their DC-9s for some of these.

Here's what she'll look like in Lufthansa colors. Nice.
(photo credit: Flightblogger)

(via Bombardier)

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Not everyone so lovey dovey with Bombardier in the Show-Me-State

About a month and a half ago, we told you that Bombardier is considering a new assembly plant for their proposed C-Series of airliners in Kansas City, Missouri. And although the state was willing to give them the biggest tax credit in Missouri history to entice the aerospace giant, not everyone from the Show-Me-State is as interested in aiding our neighbors to the North. Here's a anti-Canuck video being aired in Missouri right now by one interest group with a very one-sided approach.

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New CRJ-1000 pics

Bombardier has again dropped some new photos of their CRJ-1000 regional jet. And no, your screen does not need to be adjusted, these pics are not strecthed to fit. This is really how long and skinny the plane will be. The fine French Canadians are anticipating a 2009 4Q delivery.




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C-Series to be built in K.C.?

It seems as though Kansas City is appearing to be a likely candidate to receive Bombardier's (said with French Canadian accent) newest assembly line. According to the AP, the aerospace giant is considering the Midwest town for a $375 million aircraft plant that will build its newest line of passenger aircraft, the C-Series. While still in the preliminary stages of negotiations, the state of Missouri is supposedly working on tax credit legislation to entice our neighbors to the North. Obviously everyone in K.C. and in the Show-Me-State are psyched for this deal, but its not without its hurdles. Supposedly Bombardier made a commitment to build the plant somewhere in Canada and Canadian officials are expecting the airplane manufacturer to honor that commitment.

If K.C. gets the plant, it will be built somewhere on the enormous site that is Kansas City International Airport. Supposedly Bombardier reps have already been scoping the land. The C-Series aircraft is currently slated to consist of 2 aircraft presently; a 110 seater and a 130 seater. This would put Bombardier up there with the big boys competing directly with Boeing and Airbus

My APU is on FIRE (said in your best French accent)

Defective fan blades on General Electric CF34-3B1s should be taken out of service before another in-flight fire or engine failure occurs -- so says the NTSB, labeling the associated safety risks "unacceptably high."

Ok, so your APU is not on fire because of defective fan blade, however, saying "Oh my gosh, my left engine is on FIRE (in your best French accent) is much worse and not preferred...especially because the French play a role in Airbusness.

In its Mar. 5 recommendation letter, the safety board cites two previous failures, both involving Bombardier CRJ-200s. The first event occurred July 27, 2006, shortly after Air Nostrum Flight IB8174 departed Barcelona International. During climbout through 23,000 ft., the flight crew heard a loud bang and the aircraft experienced severe vibration. The No. 1 (left) engine fire warning continued for 9 min. 39 sec. and ended as the aircraft returned safely to the airport on one engine.

The second event occurred May 24, 2007, when an Atlantic Southeast Airlines flight was in cruise flight at 23,000 ft. The pilots also reported a loud bang and severe aircraft vibrations, and inspectors determined that the blade in the No. 2 (right) engine separated below the platform in the blade attachment area. The ASA flight diverted to Blountville, Tenn., landing without incident. The NTSB expressed concerned that the ASA blade fractured "early" in its service life - after only 4,717 cycles and 5,845 hours.

The CRJ just keeps giving more reasons to hate on it.

CRJ 1000 makes the 757-300 look stubby

These photos from Flightblogger are, I believe, the first known photos of the first CRJ 1000 by Bombardier. I remember when the 900 came out I thought it was too skinny and long. This one is almost obscene. It looks like it could snap in half. Forget the 757-300, it makes the Fairchild Metro look like a widebody.