CRJ1000 first flight expected early next month

By Gregory Polek

>> August 2008
Aircraft, Regional Airlines

An integration fault in the Bombardier CRJ1000’s fly-by-wire rudder control system has forced the company to install a software revision in the flying prototype, caused delays to ground testing and contributed to the postponement of first flight until probably early next month. “When you put brand new hardware together like this there’s always a few surprises here and there,” CRJ program director Jean-Guy Blondin told AIN yesterday. “We’ve had one of those and that is being attended to.”

The first software iteration for the Liebherr-supplied fly-by-wire rudder system, installed late in July, “showed us a little glitch. We had to find the reason for that, test it on the ground again and produce the code that goes with the fix,” said Blondin. Bombardier also continues to work on what he described as “last little things,” such as engine and APU runs. Other minor items that required attention included an APU door that didn’t open wide enough and flaps that needed re-rigging. Yesterday, crews were preparing the airplane for a week of taxi tests, Blondin told AIN. He said that if the CRJ1000 prototype flies by the end of the summer, Bombardier would still meet its fourth quarter 2009 delivery guarantees.           
      

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