Guangming. com May 5 th (Reporter Zhan Wei)This afternoon, the domestic large passenger plane C919 will make its first flight at Shanghai Pudong International Airport. From 1970, when the project was initiated to develop "Yun 10", to 2007, it was decided to carry out the reform of aviation industry system, and the project was initiated to develop C919. The civil aviation industry in China experienced a difficult and bumpy development course. The moment of the first flight of C919 bears the struggles and dreams of several generations of China civil aircraft people. Let us have a more comprehensive understanding of C919.
On May 4th, in the hangar of Zhuqiao Base of China Commercial Aircraft Corporation Flight Test Center, the staff inspected and maintained the domestic large passenger plane C919. Xinhua news agency
Why is it named C919?
According to Comac China, the full name of "C919" is "COMAC919".
Among them, "COMAC" is the abbreviation of the English name of Commercial Aircraft Corporation of CHINA Ltd, which developed C919. The "C" in the abbreviation is the first letter of "COMAC" and the first letter of China’s English name "China".
The first 9 means "everlasting", and the last two 19 means that the maximum capacity of C919 passenger plane is 190 passengers.
Previously, the internationally renowned aircraft manufacturers were Air Bus and Boeing, and from A to B to C, they just lined up.
What kind of research and development process has C919 experienced?
According to official website of China Commercial Aircraft Corporation, C919 is a large jet civil aircraft developed by China in accordance with international civil aviation regulations and with independent intellectual property rights, with 158-174 seats and a range of 4,075-5,555 kilometers.
It took 10 years from 2007, when the major scientific and technological special project of large aircraft development was formally approved, to 2015, when the first aircraft of C919 was assembled and rolled off the assembly line in China Commercial Aircraft Assembly and Manufacturing Center, and today, the domestic large aircraft will soon fly from blueprint to flying in the blue sky for the first time.
During this period, researchers have planned 102 key technical problems for advanced pneumatic layout, structural materials and airborne systems. In preparation for the first flight, the C919 has completed 118 test projects and experienced 21 taxiing tests including low, medium and high taxiing, and passed the expert technical review in March 2017 and the release review in April.
Why is the first flight important?
The first flight of an airplane refers to the first flight of a newly manufactured airplane from the ground. Every plane has its first flight, but the first flight of a new model has its special significance. It is not only an important link in a series of work chains, such as changing ideas into drawings, drawings into objects, and objects can fly, but also an important milestone in the turning point of new models from static to moving and the birth of new models.
According to the relevant person in charge of Comac, as long as the plane begins to taxi and leave the ground during the first flight, the most basic system functions will be preliminarily assessed. The test pilot will comment on the aircraft’s handling stability, take-off and landing performance, power plant and driving equipment for the first time. Generally, the first flight time of light aircraft does not exceed 30 to 40 minutes, and that of large aircraft is 1 to 2 hours. Generally, the first flight chooses a good weather, with visibility not less than 5 to 7km, and no low clouds and crosswinds. The flight weight of the first flight plane should be reduced as much as possible, so as to minimize the take-off speed from the ground and shorten the take-off taxi distance, thus improving driving conditions.
How to fly on the first flight?
The maximum altitude of the first flight of C919 is 10,000 feet, the maximum speed is 170 knots, and there are 15 test points. The whole process is divided into five stages, namely, ground inspection stage, climbing stage, level flight stage, simulated approach, landing and go-around stage and landing stage. Traditionally, the C919 did not retract the landing gear during the first flight, and kept the flaps down.
In addition, when the C919 makes its first flight, a second plane will accompany it. The task of companion flight is to observe the first flight plane in real time in the air, record flight data, take photos and videos, and make every effort to ensure the safety of the plane during its first flight. In case of any problems, the crew of the accompanying plane will immediately warn the crew of the first flight, report to the ground control personnel and guide the first flight to land safely. In addition, the accompanying aircraft will also monitor the air environment of the first flight to ensure that no other aircraft will break into the flight route of the first flight and put an end to any hidden dangers of stealing secrets.
How about the localization of C919?
Zhou Guirong, deputy chief designer of C919 large passenger aircraft, said that at present, the overall localization rate of C919 aircraft can reach more than 50%, including domestic enterprises and joint ventures at home and abroad. The safety requirements of aviation products are very high. The development of the whole localization, whether at home or abroad, is in accordance with the same set of international standards and methods, and the trial is also in strict accordance with international standards and norms.
China Commercial Aircraft Corporation insists on "main manufacturer — Supplier "development mode, maximize the gathering and utilization of domestic and foreign resources, and build a" life community "of the civil aircraft industry. There are 22 provinces and cities, more than 200 enterprises and 36 colleges and universities involved in the development of C919 large passenger aircraft. Sixteen material manufacturers and 54 standard parts manufacturers including Baosteel have become suppliers or potential suppliers of large passenger aircraft projects. China Comac also signed strategic cooperation agreements with six central enterprises, including aviation industry corporation of china, and established strategic cooperation relations with seven major domestic banks.
In the development of C919 large passenger plane, researchers have planned 102 key technical problems, including integrated design of aircraft engine, control law design of fly-by-wire flight control system, active control technology, etc., aiming at advanced aerodynamic layout, structural materials and airborne system.
Take most of the front fuselage of C919 as an example, which includes the front passenger cabin, the front cargo cabin and the recirculation fan cabin, and contains more than 1,600 parts, involving nearly 2,000 tooling. This section adopts the third generation aluminum alloy — — Al-Li alloy material, which is the first time in domestic civil aircraft application. Al-Li alloy material is considered as the most ideal material for aerospace at present. China Commercial Aircraft Corporation and AVIC Hongdu Aviation, a joint supplier, have completed 20 batches of material performance data tests under stable process conditions through the tests of 2,500 test pieces in recent three years. Around the establishment of material fatigue rating (DFR) data system, DFR fatigue tests of typical structural details in different processing and manufacturing States were carried out, with more than 3,000 test pieces. The processing technology of Al-Li alloy structure, such as chemical milling, machining, hole-making, hot-pressing subsidence, mirror milling and heat table treatment, has been fully verified. Through tackling key problems, the model material specification system and performance data system for design are gradually established.
How did the C919 market react?
Focusing on the most mainstream air transport market, C919 is a trunk aircraft developed in full compliance with international mainstream airworthiness standards and international mainstream market operation standards. At present, C919 large passenger aircraft has 23 domestic and foreign customers, including China International Airlines, with a total order of 570 aircraft, including international customers such as GECAS.
What is the significance of C919 to China?
Large aircraft is a high integration of modern high technology and is called "the jewel in the industrial crown". C919 means that China’s civil aviation will no longer rely on foreign imports, and China’s aircraft manufacturing has truly embarked on a road of independent development.
Driven by the C919 large passenger aircraft project, a technological innovation system of civil aircraft has been formed, which is based on China Commercial Aircraft Corporation, market-oriented and combined with Industry-University-Research. China Commercial Aircraft Corporation (Comac) has built a technical responsibility system around the realization process of civil aircraft products and the technical requirements of full-life cycle service, and planned to promote the technical system construction with standards and specifications as the main carrier. Through scientific research and innovation research, model technology research and other ways, it has continuously formed new civil aircraft technical achievements and supplemented and improved the civil aircraft technical system.
Millions of fine parts, covering high-end manufacturing of almost all industrial categories — — Domestic large aircraft soaring in the blue sky will undoubtedly drive China’s manufacturing industry to the "smile curve".
From the upstream, the development of large passenger aircraft can drive the group breakthrough of key technologies in new materials, modern manufacturing, advanced power, electronic information, automatic control, computers and other fields, and can promote the development of many high-tech industries, with a technology diffusion rate as high as 60%. The technological upgrading of its industry will inevitably require great progress in many basic disciplines, including fluid mechanics, solid mechanics, computational mathematics, thermophysics, chemistry, information science, environmental science and so on. From the downstream, the commercial operation of large civil aircraft has a great impact on civil aviation transportation, aviation maintenance, aviation finance, tourism, logistics and other industries.
For China, the breakthrough of large-scale aircraft technology will not only promote the development of a number of new industries, but also force the upgrading of China’s industrial standards by continuously expanding the industrial chain and introducing airworthiness certification in China, thus promoting the overall improvement of China’s industrial manufacturing capacity and level. Some experts said that in the 21st century, only a breakthrough in high-end large-scale equipment manufacturing such as large aircraft can support the foundation of China as an industrial power. At the same time, it also contributes to the transformation of China from a "manufacturing power" to a "manufacturing power".
C919 memorabilia:
In 2007
On February 26th, the 170th executive meeting was held in the State Council, and the Report on Demonstration of Large Aircraft Scheme was adopted in principle, and the major scientific and technological projects for large aircraft development were formally approved in principle.
On August 30th, the Political Bureau of the Central Committee held the 192nd Standing Committee, listened to and agreed to the Report of the Leading Group for Major Special Projects of Large Aircraft in the State Council, and decided to set up a preparatory group for large passenger aircraft projects.
the year of 2008
On May 11th, China Commercial Aircraft Corporation was established on the Huangpu River.
On July 3rd, China Commercial Aircraft Corporation held a demonstration mobilization meeting for large passenger aircraft project in Shanghai.
In 2009
On January 6th, China Commercial Aircraft Corporation released the first single-channel conventional layout 150-seat large passenger aircraft model code "COMAC919", referred to as "C919".
On September 8th, the Asia International Aviation Exhibition and Forum opened in Hong Kong, and the C919 large passenger aircraft model was exhibited for the first time.
On December 16th, the basic overall technical scheme of C919 large passenger plane passed the expert review organized by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology.
On December 21st, China Commercial Aircraft Corporation and CFM Company formally signed a letter of intent for strategic cooperation on the power plant of C919 large passenger aircraft, and selected the LEAP-1C engine developed by CFM Company as the only foreign startup power plant for C919 large passenger aircraft.
On December 25th, the main structure of C919 large passenger aircraft nose engineering prototype was officially delivered in Shanghai.
2010 years
On November 15th, a 1:1 demonstration prototype of C919 large passenger plane was exhibited for the first time at Zhuhai Air Show, and 100 start-up orders were obtained.
On December 24th, the Civil Aviation Administration of China officially accepted the application of C919 large passenger plane in type certificate.
In 2011
On April 18th, the first meeting of the Model Qualification Approval Committee of C919 large passenger aircraft was held in Shanghai, and the development of C919 aircraft entered the formal airworthiness review stage.
On December 9th, the C919 large passenger aircraft project passed the national preliminary design review and moved to the detailed design stage.
On December 19th, the first part of the C919 large passenger aircraft project — — The beam of the front boarding gate was started in Chengdu, and the manufacturing of the fuselage was fully rolled out.
In 2012
On July 31st, the Special Certification Plan for C919 Aircraft (PSCP) was signed in Shanghai.
On December 4th, the static fatigue test project of strength research of composite rear fuselage section, one of the seven components of C919 aircraft, was completed.
On December 13th, the Design & Research Department of Sexuality and Product Support of China COMAC received the model data review form fed back by the reviewer, and the reviewer officially approved the CP status of the C919 Aircraft System Safety Review Plan in the first stage.
On December 29th, China Commercial Aircraft Flight Test Center organized a review meeting on the test modification scheme of 101 aircraft riveting area of C919 aircraft and a seminar on the construction scheme of C919 aircraft test system.
In 2013
From January 17th to 18th, the composite structural design evaluation meeting of C919 large passenger plane and the key design evaluation meeting of central wing structure were held in Shanghai. At the meeting, it was finally evaluated that the composite structural design of C919 large passenger aircraft can continue the next stage of work, and the key design of the central wing structure of C919 large passenger aircraft passed the review.
On January 19th, the static test of the IPS suspension section of C919 aircraft was successfully completed 4.2g
On November 28th, the FTB (Flight Test Platform) hanging test piece of C919 aircraft rolled off the assembly line in Shen Fei.
On December 30th, the C919 aircraft iron bird test-bed was officially put into use in China Commercial Aircraft Shangfei Hospital, and the system verification of the C919 project was officially started.
On December 31st, the first aircraft nose of C919 large passenger aircraft project was rolled off the assembly line of AVIC Chengfei civil aircraft.
In 2014
On May 15th, the front fuselage section of the first aircraft of C919 rolled off the assembly line in Hongdu, AVIC.
In July, the central wing of the first aircraft of C919 completed the final assembly in AVIC Xifei.
On July 23rd, the assembly of the flat tail parts of the first aircraft of C919 was officially started in Pudong base of the final assembly manufacturing center of China Commercial Aircraft Corporation.
On August 21st, the middle and rear fuselage section of the first aircraft of C919 rolled off the assembly line in Hongdu large parts factory of AVIC.
On August 29th, the mid-fuselage/center wing and aileron section of C919 aircraft passed the airworthiness inspection in AVIC Xifei and reached the delivery status.
In September, C919 aircraft tire explosion hazard test was successfully completed.
At 9: 19 on September 19th, the first aircraft of C919 began to dock at the newly-built assembly manufacturing center of Comac in China. This marks an important milestone in the development of the C919 large passenger aircraft project.
On September 23rd, the prototype and test platform of C919 aircraft communication navigation monitoring system (CNS system) were delivered in Shanghai.
On November 24th, the first wing of C919 aircraft arrived at Pudong base of China Commercial Aircraft Assembly Manufacturing Center.
On October 30th, the front section of the rear fuselage of the first aircraft of C919 was delivered at AVIC Shenfei Civil Aircraft.
In 2015
On February 6 -8, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology organized a detailed design review meeting of the C919 large passenger aircraft project in Shanghai, and the expert review committee unanimously agreed that the C919 project passed the national detailed design review.
On February 11th, the rear fuselage of the first aircraft of C919 was manufactured by China Aerospace Science and Technology Third Academy Aerospace Haiying (Zhenjiang) Special Materials Co., Ltd., passed the airworthiness review and was officially delivered to China Commercial Aircraft Corporation.
In February, the C919 aircraft avionics comprehensive test-bed was delivered to China Commercial Aircraft by Ang Avionics and officially put into trial.
On March 6th, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology held a review meeting on the transition of the C919 aircraft to the full-scale trial production stage in Beijing, and the C919 large passenger aircraft project was transferred from the detailed design stage to the full-scale trial production stage.
On April 18th, the first cabin door of C919 aircraft arrived at Pudong base of China Commercial Aircraft Assembly Manufacturing Center.
On July 22nd, Comac China and CFM International held a ceremony to celebrate the delivery of the first CFM LEAP-1C engine.
On September 4th, 102 front fuselage and mid-rear fuselage of C919 project manufactured by AVIC Hongdu successfully passed the airworthiness manufacturing compliance inspection of China Civil Aviation Jiangxi Supervision Bureau, and successfully completed the signing.
On November 2nd, the first aircraft of C919 rolled off the assembly line in China Commercial Aircraft Assembly and Manufacturing Center.
the year of 2016
On April 11th, the static test of C919 large passenger plane was officially launched.
In June, the construction of C919 intelligent assembly line with horizontal tail was listed in the smart manufacturing project to be selected by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology.
In November, China Eastern Airlines became the first user of C919 aircraft in the world.
On December 25th, the first aircraft of C919 was delivered to the flight test center.
the year 2017
On April 18th, C919 large passenger plane passed the first flight release evaluation.
On April 23rd, C919 large passenger plane completed the high-speed taxiing and front wheel lifting test.
Plan, May 5, the first flight.
(Comprehensive Guangming Daily, Xinhua News Agency, China News Service, Beijing Youth Daily)