RuAviation

At the final assembly shop of Irkutsk Aviation Plant’s (IAZ) Civil Aviation Division (No. 277), functional checks under electrical load have commenced on the prototype MC-21-310 aircraft (tail number 73057, manufacturer’s serial number MC.0013). This was reported in the factory newspaper, “Irkutsk Aircraft Builder”.

“Work on powering up the airliner began immediately after the New Year holidays. Currently, the first phase – a comprehensive check of the aircraft’s electrical power system’s functionality – is nearing completion. This stage is critically important for assessing the stability and reliability of all on-board systems,” the newspaper states.

Aircraft 73057 (MC.0013) is the first fully domestically-sourced MC-21. According to Mikhail Zakharov, shift supervisor at Shop 277, questions arise during the manufacturing process related to the replacement of foreign components, but thanks to accumulated experience and collaboration with suppliers and the design authority, these questions are resolved promptly. This minimises delays and maintains the work schedule, despite the complexity of transitioning to new components.

The import substitution process on the MC-21 aircraft, particularly on airframes with tail numbers 73055 and 73057, involved the prior removal of the foreign-manufactured wiring loom. The subsequent installation of multi-kilometre runs of electrical wiring represents one of the most labour-intensive tasks within the replacement of imported systems and equipment with domestically produced equivalents.

“The electrical power system check under load includes the initial powering up of the aircraft, verification of correct operational mode functionality, as well as its operability when simulating various failures. Very soon, checks will commence, stage by stage, in accordance with engineering documentation requirements, of all the aircraft’s remaining systems under electrical load – radio communications equipment, hydraulics, integrated flight control system, and others,” reads the report in “Irkutsk Aircraft Builder”.

The first flight of the MC-21-310 prototype (73057) is not expected to take place before the summer of this year. The Yakovlev team and equipment suppliers are working to prepare the aircraft for flight trials. Earlier, airframe 73055 was transferred to the IAZ flight test centre; its maiden flight is anticipated in February-March.