A MC-21-310 test aircraft (registration 73057) arrived at Arkhangelsk Talagi Airport on March 14 to conduct certification flight testing in natural icing conditions, according to the United Aircraft Corporation (UAC).
The aircraft flew approximately 1,300 km (about 810 miles) from Zhukovsky Airport, Russia’s primary flight-test center near Moscow, completing the flight in 1 hour 24 minutes.
During the ferry flight, the flight crew and onboard engineers from Yakovlev PJSC, the aircraft’s developer, evaluated the performance of the aircraft’s inertial navigation systems (INS) while flying an open-loop navigation profile. Verification of navigation system parameters forms part of the MC-21 certification flight-test program.
The main phase of the campaign will take place in airspace over the White Sea coastline, where stable natural icing conditions typically occur in spring. Test flights are planned at altitudes between 1,000 and 4,000 meters (3,300–13,100 ft).
In addition to the flight crew, specialists from certification centers are participating in the program. Ground support operations are being provided by technical services at Talagi Airport.
The MC-21 test aircraft is equipped with instrumentation and onboard video recording systems designed to capture icing parameters and evaluate the performance of the aircraft’s ice protection system (IPS). Data collected during the flight series will be used to analyze icing conditions and assess the performance of aircraft systems.
Another prototype aircraft, the SJ-100 (registration 97023), has already arrived in Arkhangelsk, and a test aircraft of the Il-114-300 turboprop regional airliner is also expected to join the campaign.
Testing in natural icing conditions is a mandatory part of certification flight-test programs for civil aircraft.
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