DBEA55AED16C0C92252A6554BC1553B2 Clicky DBEA55AED16C0C92252A6554BC1553B2 Clicky
March 28, 2024
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Today UAC announced the second test flight of their MC-21.  “The flight plan included checking of takeoff and landing characteristics and performance of the aircraft systems. The flight was carried out as part of the development test program, and passed without glitches.”

While this is obviously good news, and shows confidence in the aircraft, there needs to be a regular schedule of flights to show real progress.  For a clean sheet design with new engines there are a number of tests and revisions that can be expected.  The time between flights should grow shorter and flights should last longer to prove learning and refinements are being implemented.

As UAC gets its second flight done, we note according the Flightradar24, COMAC’s C919 has not flown again after it’s first flight.  Perhaps their learning curve is steeper with more refinements to do? The C919 first flight was more than twice as long as that of the MC-21.

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Co-Founder AirInsight. My previous life includes stints at Shell South Africa, CIC Research, and PA Consulting. Got bitten by the aviation bug and ended up an Avgeek. Then the data bug got me, making me a curious Avgeek seeking data-driven logic. Also, I appreciate conversations with smart people from whom I learn so much. Summary: I am very fortunate to work with and converse with great people.

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