Amanda Jacob

Bombardier CSeries on schedule for June flight, Learjet 85 delayed

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The Learjet 85 is the first FAA Part 25-certified business jet with primarily composite fuselage and wings, increasing passenger comfort by allowing the use of complex curves in the aircraft cross-section, thinner walls to maximise cabin volume, and optimised placement of windows and other cutouts. The composite airframe also improves performance and minimising drag through smoother aerodynamics, and requires less maintenance. (Picture © Bombardier.)
The Learjet 85 is the first FAA Part 25-certified business jet with primarily composite fuselage and wings, increasing passenger comfort by allowing the use of complex curves in the aircraft cross-section, thinner walls to maximise cabin volume, and optimised placement of windows and other cutouts. The composite airframe also improves performance and minimising drag through smoother aerodynamics, and requires less maintenance. (Picture © Bombardier.)

The CSeries, designed for the single-aisle 100- to 149-seat market, features a body built of 70% advanced structural materials to deliver weight savings. 46% of the body – including the wings – will be advanced composite materials. (See Bombardier throws down the gauntlet with CSeries airliner.)

The Learjet 85, an 8-10 passenger business jet, will be the first Bombardier Aerospace aircraft to feature fuselage and wing built primarily from carbon composites. It was originally scheduled to enter service in 2013. (See Bombardier inaugurates Learjet 85 manufacturing facility in Mexico.)

Announcing its financial results for the fiscal year ended 31 December 2012, Bombardier reported that the CSeries aircraft programme is progressing steadily. The assembly of the first Flight Test Vehicle (FTV1) in Mirabel, Québec, is in the advanced stages with all primary structures now assembled on the aircraft. Key components and systems are in place, including the wing, landing gear, horizontal/vertical stabilisers, and most recently, the engines. The build for the Complete Airframe Static Test (CAST) article, the aircraft destined for ground testing, was completed in December 2012, followed by the start of the first certification and Safety of Flight tests in February 2013. 

The Learjet 85 aircraft programme is making solid progress, Bombardier reports. The first flight test aircraft is said to be "significantly advanced:" the complete pressure fuselage, including the nose, aft fuselage and empennage have been joined, the landing gear has been installed and the wing is attached to the fuselage. However, Bombardier says it that while it has successfully dealt with several new technology challenges [it does not specify what these are], the programme’s timeline has been impacted, hence the new entry-into-service date of summer 2014.

Bombardier Aerospace’s revenues amounted to US$2.6 billion for the three months ended 31 December 2012, compared to $2.0 billion for the corresponding period last fiscal year. For the year, revenues totalled $8.6 billion, the same level as last fiscal year. (View the financial results press release here.)