China’s first big jetliner just passed a crucial test that will take the country a step closer to becoming one of the world’s elite large airline makers.
The C919 airliner, which is produced by the Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China, or Comac, finished its final ground trial on Sunday in Shanghai.
Test pilots sped the C919 down the runway at Pudong International Airport, lifting the nose of the jet into the air and slamming on the brakes.
Before the airplane could make its maiden flight — expected before the end of May — the pilots had to demonstrate the jet can safely stop on the runway in case something goes wrong.
The 168-seat C919 is roughly the same size as Airbus’s A320 and Boeing’s 737-800, which are the most popular airliners in the world.
From the outside, China’s new airliner looks familiar. Its design is a hybrid of western aerospace companies and Chinese industry, and its engines are nearly identical to those on the newest Airbus models.
From the inside, the jet may actually be more comfortable than its western counterparts. Comac has added extra inches to the width of the cabin compared to the Boeing and Airbus designs.
When the jet finally takes to the sky, China will join the ranks of the few nations that have developed homegrown large airliners: the U. S., Russia, Brazil, Canada, the U.
