This week, two different plane models took to the skies for the very first time; Canadian manufacturer Bombardier flew their brand new CSeries aircraft for the first time on Monday, and Tuesday, American aerospace giant Boeing sent their stretched 787, the 787-9, to fly the skies.
On Monday, it was Bombardier's turn to take the first flight spotlight. The entire aviation world looked to Montreal as the CS100, the smaller of the two models, lifted off from Mirabel Airport, just outside Montreal. Taking off just before 10 AM local time, the two and a half hour flight went smoothly, almost without a hitch; the only problem reported was an advisory notice that crew say would not have stopped a commercial flight. Chief test pilot Chuck Ellis said to the media that the flight went exactly according to predictions. "In many ways, we didn't learn anything new; we validated everything we did know," he said.
After more than 10 years of development and a couple of delays, the CS100, which seats 110, is on track to begin deliveries next September. The CS300, which seats 130, is expected to take flight in about six months, and start deliveries at the end of 2014. As the crown jewel of the Canadian aerospace company's commercial jets, the CSeries is expected to compete with Boeing's 737 and Airbus' A320, starting Bombardier's entrance into the mainline aircraft arena. So far, the CSeries has received 177 firm orders from 15 customers, but the manufacturer hopes that this successful test flight will lure more customers.
Just the very next day, across the continent in Seattle, Boeing's newest 787 variant would take to the sky for the first time as well. The 787-9, a stretch version of the 787-8, is 20 feet longer and carries 38 more passengers in a three class configuration for a total of 280. Thanks to the addition of a forward fuel tank added later in the design process, the 787-9 has an increased range as well, able to fly an additional 300 miles per flight. So far, Boeing's order book for the 787-9 variant consists of 388 firm orders from ___ customers. Thanks to the increased capacity and increased range, Boeing believes that, now that it's off the ground, that this stretched 787 will be easier to sell and more profitable than the base model.
The first flight of the variant started an hour later than originally planned, but ultimately went smoothly. Finally taking off at 11 AM local time, the 5+ hour flight took the new jet to 15,000 feet, north around the city of Everett, amd then east toward central Washington, going as far east as Spokane, despite original plans to fly west over the Puget Sound first. The plane landed at Grant County airport in central Washington at approximately 4:20 PM local time. The flight went well according to chief test pilot Randy Neville, "The aircraft did exactly as expected."
