First Global 7000 test aircraft comes together

Bombardier’s first Global 7000 flight-test aircraft, FTV1, is taking shape at the company’s facility in Toronto, Ontario. A pair of GE Passport engines were mounted on the ultra-long range prototype, Bombardier announced on 14 September, adding that the aircraft is now structurally complete and functional test procedures have begun.

 

The second test aircraft, FTV2, is also in final assembly, Bombardier says. Its major structural components are joined, including the rear, centre and forward-fuselage sections and cockpit. Two additional flight-test vehicles are in various stages of production and assembly, the airframer adds.

The Canadian company will not disclose when the 7,200nm (13,520km) range twinjet will make its first flight, but it has pegged service entry for the second half of 2018. The aircraft's 7,900nm-range stablemate, the Global 8000, is slated for delivery around 12 months later.

In July Bombardier announced a two-year delay to the timetable of both clean-sheet aircraft, citing an “unspecified development challenge.”

The company has meanwhile appointed a dedicated senior executive to steer the programme through development and certification. Bombardier veteran Michel Ouellette “will oversee the complete programme” in his role as senior vice president, Global 7000 and Global 8000 programme, to “ensure that the aircraft are successfully brought to market.”

(Kate Sarsfield - Flightglobal News)