China's First Big Passenger Plane Takes-off for Maiden Flight

China's first large domestically made passenger aircraft has completed its maiden flight, mounting a major challenge to Boeing and Airbus. After about 90 minutes in the air the plane landed safely back at Pudong airport in Shanghai. The plane is a key symbol of Beijing's soaring ambitions to enter the global aviation market. Made by state-owned firm Comac, it has been in planning since 2008 but the flight was repeatedly pushed back.



For Friday's maiden flight, the plane carried only its skeleton crew of five pilots and engineers and took off in front of a crowd of thousands of dignitaries, aviation workers and enthusiasts. Ahead of the flight, state television said the plane would fly at an altitude of only 3,000m (9,800 feet), some 7,000m lower than a regular trip, and reach a speed of around 300km/h (186mph). The C919 is designed to be a direct competitor to Boeing's 737 and the Airbus A320.



The C919 is a single-aisle twin-engine plane with a capacity to seat up to 168 passengers will have a range of between 4,075 and 5,555km (2,532 - 3,452 miles). According to Chinese media, it will cost around $50m, less than half of a Boeing 737 or Airbus A320.

The plane still relies on a wide array of imported technology though, it is for instance powered by engines from French-US supplier CFM International. Orders have already been placed for more than 500 of the planes, with commitments from 23 customers, say officials, mainly Chinese airlines. The main customer is China Eastern Airlines.

Europe's aviation safety regulator has started the certification process for the C919 - a crucial step for the aircraft to be successful on the international market. China has had ambitions to build its own civil aircraft industry since the 1970s, when leader Mao Zedong's wife, Jiang Qing, personally backed a project. But the Y-10, built in the late 1970s, was impractical due to its heavy weight and only three of the aircraft were ever made.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-china-39814146

Meanwhile citizens of the 'Giant of Africa' are still so occupied with tribalism, nepotism, corruption and backwardness; we're still so busy blaming other tribes and religions for our stagnation.

cc: lalasticlala

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http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-4476430/First-China-passenger-plane-takes-maiden-flight.html

Innoson how market

macanu:
Innoson how market

Innoson only started few years ago, China has been on this for almost 50 years.

china ti take over.

They all look the same to me.

The dragon is about to shake the global aviation sector

This is impressive.

Orders have already been placed for more than 500 of the planes, with commitments from 23 customers, say officials, mainly Chinese airlines. The main customer is China Eastern Airlines.

This is exactly why China's manufacturing industry keeps moving at a steady upward pace.
Just the other day on CNN they were launching the first domestically built aircraft carrier, and now it's a domestically built airplane.

This is just impressive.

This guys are really moving forward..!! It seems as if they are in race.

Keep it up Chinco .!!!

Seun:
They all look the same to me.

the specs differs.......and that is more important than the looks.

Moreover this will help them develop local capacity (technology) while cornering a fair share of the global market (money).