Mistubishi MRJ

Bernie Baldwin ‏@LARA_Editor 22 minil y a 22 minutes

Hideyuki Kamiya reports that 1st MRJ90 flight test aircraft has completed 22 flight. FTA 2 expected to fly during May. #RAA16.

Mitsubishi Aircraft hopes to advance the start of flight testing of the first MRJ90 in the U.S. from the fourth quarter of this year to some time in the summer, raising the possibility that it could gain certification as much as two months earlier than the official time frame of mid-2018. Speaking with AIN on Tuesday at the Regional Airline Association convention in Charlotte, North Carolina, Mitsubishi Aircraft head of strategic marketing Hideyuki Kamiya reported that following 22 flights of MRJ FTA1 in Japan, results have proved encouraging enough to consider ferrying the airplane to the U.S. well ahead of schedule.

Meanwhile, schedules call for first flight of the second MRJ flight-test vehicle this month. As with FTA1, that airplane will perform function and performance tests. So far FTA1 has flown as high as 36,000 feet and a top speed of 250 knots. Flight-test milestones included trailing cone evaluation during the sixth flight, RAT deployment during the 12th mission, emergency descent on the 13th, engine and APU restart on the 14th, emergency landing gear extension on the 18th and the first stall test during the 19th flight.

All told, Mitsubishi plans to ferry four of the five flight test articles to the U.S., while the fifth—painted in the livery of launch customer ANA—performs autopilot testing in Japan. Plans call for FTA 3, now undergoing ground testing of control surfaces, to perform flight characteristics and avionics testing. Mitsubishi recently installed both Pratt & Whitney PW1200G engines on FTA 4, scheduled to perform interior, noise and anti-icing trials

Mitsubishi Aircraft hopes to advance the start of flight testing of the first MRJ90 in the U.S. from the fourth quarter of this year to some time in the summer, raising the possibility that it could gain certification as much as two months earlier than the official delivery target of mid-2018.

Touchdown Mitsubishi Aircraft MRJ JA21MJ #MRJUSA @PORTOFMOSESLAKE pic.twitter.com/1PfpXiXXy9

— Isaac ✈ Alexander (@jetcitystar) 29 septembre 2016

Meanwhile, the first flight test MRJ70 is progressing. Mitsubishi began manufacturing the parts for the aircraft in 2015 and the MRJ70 will fly for the first time in 2017.

“We will have two flight test aircraft for the MRJ70. Most of the characteristics are the same as the MRJ90—the difference is just in the length of the fuselage—so fewer flight tests will be required. We expect one year’s separation for entry into service between the MRJ70 and the MRJ90.”

The Mitsubishi Regional Jet is facing yet another delay and is unlikely to meet its mid-2018 delivery date target, the president of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd. said in a recent interview.
“We are not yet in a situation where we can achieve” the delivery date, MHI President Shunichi Miyanaga said in an interview Thursday, citing difficulties in passing the safety tests.

Mitsubishi said the latest setback "is due to revisions of certain systems and electrical configurations on the aircraft" to meet certification requirements for regulatory approvals.

That review found that some components in the avionics bay would need to be relocated and wiring moved to meet certification requirements for continued operation in extreme situations. Examples include scenarios where there is an explosive device onboard or water leakage from the cabin into the avionics bay.
Fukuhara stressed that the necessary design changes will not affect the MRJ’s performance, fuel consumption or functionality of its systems. The Japanese manufacturer will however require an additional two years because the changes are required to undergo preliminary design work, where additional analysis and tests are required.

Stuck in Honolulu (HNL) with a hydraulic issue is one of 4 production model Mitsubishi MRJ 90 test aircraft. Next stop Moses Lake, WA. pic.twitter.com/wPmLlmyrao

— Nicholas Augusta (@naugusta) 23 mars 2017

This is a Mitsubishi Regional Jet MRJ-90 at -40 degrees Celsius. #MRJUSA pic.twitter.com/yTdLCxxqi6

— Isaac ✈ Alexander (@jetcitystar) 31 mars 2017