Bombardier announces successful inaugural flight of its latest prototype - the CRJ1000

04 September 2008

Canadian aircraft manufacturer Bombardier Aerospace announced today that the prototype CRJ1000 NextGen jetliner, serial number 19991, made its successful inaugural flight from the Bombardier facility at Mirabel, Quebec. The aircraft is a modification of the preceding CRJ900 prototype.

The flight, crewed by pilots Jacques Thibaudeau and Chuck Ellis and flight test engineer Eugene Lardizabal took off at 10:02 a.m. EDT and lasted three hours and 25 minutes. It reached an altitude of 30,000 feet (9,144 m) and a maximum speed of 260 knots (481 km/h).

"We put the gear up, operated the flaps and slats and exercised our new 'Fly-by-Wire' rudder," said Thibaudeau. "All systems worked as they were designed to do. The aircraft handled similarly to the smaller CRJ900 airliner so flight crews will have no problem in transitioning to the 100-seat CRJ1000 NextGen aircraft."

"A first flight is an important milestone in the development of a new aircraft such as the CRJ1000 NextGen regional jet," said Jean-Guy Blondin, Director CRJ Programs, Bombardier Commercial Aircraft. "We are very satisfied with the readiness of our prototype which is embarking on its journey to Type Certification, thanks to the dedicated work of our suppliers and employees."

"The Wichita flight test team, supported by our product development team will be following a disciplined approach to flight testing and remain on schedule for subsequent milestones before our 100-seat aircraft enters commercial service in the fourth quarter of 2009," said David Tidd, Director CRJ1000 Product Development Team, Bombardier Commercial Aircraft.