The much-anticipated C919, the large homegrown passenger jet, has finished its first high-speed taxiing test and is one step closer to its debut flight.

Shanghai-based State-owned Commercial Aircraft Corp of China, the manufacturer of the C919, completed the high-speed taxiing test in Shanghai on April 16.

Since the first C919 rolled off the assembly line, COMAC has been conducting tests in preparation for its first flight. So far, it has completed most of the ground-based pre-flight evaluations, including the low-speed and medium-speed taxiing tests, to examine the whole aircraft and its key components and connecting parts.

Wang Ya'nan, editor-in-chief of Aerospace Knowledge magazine, says high-speed taxiing tests are usually conducted at speeds of 230 to 260 kilometers per hour, with the front landing gear slightly lifted to simulate takeoff.

"It is hard to evaluate the intervals between each high-speed taxiing tests. It could be two to three days or one week. It could be very fast if everything went right and no big technical faults occurred," Wang says.

"Usually, every later high-speed test will be conducted at a faster speed than the previous one, and more similar to real conditions before takeoff."

He says COMAC will evaluate whether the experimental performance is consistent with designed capability, and the company will have to finish all of the steps to guarantee the success of its flight.

The Boeing 787 and Airbus A350, both wide-body planes, reportedly required fewer than 10 high-speed taxiing tests.

The C919, a single-aisle, 168-seat twin-engine jet, is a commercial aircraft for medium-haul flights. The homegrown plane is expected to compete with the updated Airbus A320 and the new-generation Boeing 737, which currently dominate the market.

zhuwenqian@chinadaily.com.cn

(China Daily European Weekly 04/21/2017 page25)