2nd prototype of C919 jetliner completes 1st test flight

The test flight of the 10102 also checked the folding of its landing gear, which were not folded away during the maiden test of the 10101.

The 10102 rolled off the assembly line on Nov 23 and had completed five taxi tests before the maiden flight, greatly shortening the time between the completion of assembly and its first test flight.

The first C919 prototype coded 10101 saw its first test flight on May 5, after taxi tests in March. It completed its first long-distance flight on Nov 10, flying for 2 hours and 23 minutes from Shanghai to Xi'an, covering more than 1,300 km and reaching an altitude of 7,800 meters (25,590 feet).

Among the six aircraft to be put into test flights, the first three are for testing functions, structures and operations; the fourth for aviation electronic equipment and lighting; the fifth for in-cabin environmental control, cabin systems and flying under extremely hot or cold weather; and the sixth on cabin systems and the reliability of functions.

The third prototype coded 10103 is expected to complete its first test flight in 2018.

The C919 is a single-aisle jetliner similar to the Boeing 737 and the Airbus 320.