BRJ-X design continues to evolve Q Series makes ... - Bombardier

Bombardier Aerospace Regional Aircraft
regional update
j u n e - j u l y 9 9
vol 12 - issue 3
QSeries makes headway in China
BRJ-X design continues to evolve
Flawless first flight & rollout
for CRJ700 Series

Q400
better than expected –
Performance up, fuel flows down
Flight testing of Bombardier’s
next-generation Q400 has
shown that the aircraft has
surpassed its designers’
expectations in several key areas. Transport Canada
certification was imminent as this issue of Regional
Update went to press.
The Q400 is faster. Predicted cruise speed was
350 knots. The aircraft has flown at 360 knots at
20,000 feet (6,096 m) under ISA conditions.
Fuel flows in the Pratt & Whitney Canada
PW150A engines are lower by 1.8% – 0.1284
nautical miles per pound instead of the predicted
0.1262 (ISA, 20,000 feet [6,096 m], 350 knots, 95%
MTOW).
Climb speed is greater. Time to 25,000 feet
(7,620 m) is 16 minutes rather than the predicted
17 minutes.
Most flap extension speeds are lower.
“We are extremely pleased at the results of flight
testing,” said Steve Ridolfi, Vice-president and
General Manager, Marketing and Operations at
Bombardier Aerospace, Regional Aircraft. “We
knew the Q400 would be a good airplane, but we
didn’t realize how good it would be. Operators will
be getting a better Q400 than they thought, faster
yet more economical.”
The final – and most dramatic – of 16 major
static tests on the Q400 airframe was completed in
April, 1999 when the equivalent of 3 Gs of
aerodynamic load was applied to the structure.
With ultimate loads of 87,167 pounds (39,539 kg)
applied to each wing and 86,074 pounds
(39,043 kg) applied to the forward fuselage by
49 hydraulic actuators, the maximum wingtip
deflection produced was 6'1" (1.85 m). There was
no damage to or permanent deformation of the
structure.
“Operators will be getting
a better Q400 than they
thought, faster yet more
economical.”
In a 76-seat configuration, the Q400 delivers 10
more seats than its main competitor; at its
maximum 78 seats, the Q400 carries 12 more
passengers. Over a 200-nm (370 km) sector, the
Q400 is 7.5 minutes faster, and over 500 nm
(925 km) the Q400 is a substantial 19.5 minutes
faster than its competitor. And, thanks to the Q400
aircraft’s Noise and Vibration Suppression (NVS)
system, its passengers will arrive at their
destination after a quiet, vibration-free flight.
Translated into productivity, the Q400 generates
up to 32% more aircraft seat nautical miles per
block hour over 200 nm and 37% more over
500 nm.
Profitability? The Q400 breaks even with just 22
of its seats filled in a 74-seat configuration; the
other 52 are pure profit.
The Q400 is available in three basic versions for
cost-effective payload capability, with maximum
take-off weights ranging from 60,700 pounds
(27,556 kg) to 63,750 pounds (28,917 kg) and
maximum payloads ranging from 17,196 pounds
(7,800 kg) to 18,696 pounds (8,480 kg).
“What we have in the Q400,” said Mr. Ridolfi,
“is next-generation technology where it was
shown to be cost effective, high productivity,
family commonality with other Q Series models,
profitability in competitive low-yield environments
and profitability in short haul, jet replacement
markets.”
And, the Q400 promises to have a long career,
meeting the common Q Series structural design
criteria demanding a crack-free life of 40,000 flight
hours or 80,000 flights, and an economic life of
80,000 flight hours or 160,000 flights.
Left, testing of the Q400 wing produced a maximum
wingtip deflection of 6'1" (1.85 m) without damage to
or permanent deformation of the structure.
Right and top, the Q400 undergoing contaminated
runway tests. It passed with flying colours.
02
june-july 99 • ru

Horizon Air ordered 15 Q400 aircraft and optioned an additional 15
for its routes in the Western U.S. and Western Canada.
Q400 launched
in U.S.
by Horizon Air
“The Q400 has a winning combination: the speed and
comfort of a jet and the economics of a turboprop.”
Horizon Air of Seattle, Washington has become the North
American launch customer for Bombardier Aerospace’s 350-knot, 66- 78-
seat Q400 turboprop airliner with a firm order for 15 and options on an
additional 15. The aircraft will begin flying Horizon routes in the
Northwest U.S. late in 2000.
“The Q400 has a winning combination: the speed and comfort of a jet
and the economics of a turboprop,” said George Bagley, Horizon Air’s
President and CEO. “The Q400 aircraft’s 350-knot cruise speed means
more productivity, and it features the Noise and Vibration Suppression
(NVS) system which has proven to be so popular on our Q200 aircraft.”
Horizon Air plans to replace older 37-seat Dash 8 Series 100 aircraft
on some routes and complement its newer 37-seat Q200 aircraft on
others, said Mr. Bagley.
Horizon selected the high gross weight version of the Q400, along
with the advanced symbology option of the Sextant Avionique avionics
suite which incorporates vertical tape rather than round instruments.
Horizon will also equip its Q400 aircraft with the Flight
Dynamics, Inc. Head-up Guidance System (HGS) -- which it
calls the “Fog Buster” -- for Cat. IIIa landing and take-off
capability.
With its HGS-equipped Q200 aircraft, Horizon has an industry-leading
schedule reliability during the bad weather months of a Northwest U.S.
winter.
Said Robert Gillespie, President of Bombardier Aerospace, Regional
Aircraft, “We look forward to having Horizon Air showcase our new Q400
in the U.S. northwest and we are confident that the aircraft will help the
airline increase its profitability. It has superb economics with the lowest
seat-mile costs and the lowest breakeven load factor in its class.
“Horizon Air is yet another example of a regional airline that requires
both jet and turboprop equipment to efficiently and profitably serve its
wide variety of markets,” said Mr. Gillespie. “The 25 new-generation,
70-seat CRJ700 Series regional jets Horizon has ordered are the optimum
aircraft for the airline’s current jet routes and for further expansion.
The Q400 will fill a similar role on Horizon’s turboprop routes.”
Founded in 1981, Horizon Air has grown to become the sixth-largest
regional airline in the U.S., carrying more than 4.3 million passengers in
1998. The carrier operates 550 daily flights serving 40 cities in the U.S.
states of California, Idaho, Montana, Oregon and Washington as well as
Western Canada. Horizon Air is a subsidiary of Alaska Air Group, Inc.
june-july 99 • ru
03

Inaugural flight
for CRJ700 Series
The CRJ700 Series, first of the 70-seat class of
regional jets, made its first flight on May 27,
1999, the day before it was officially
unveiled to an audience of more than 750
customers, guests, media and Bombardier
Aerospace executives and employees at Montreal.
During the two-hour and 10-minute first flight
of Serial Number 10001, which occurred one day
before that originally scheduled a year ago, the
aircraft reached an altitude of 15,000 feet (4,572 m)
and an indicated airspeed of 230 knots (426 km/h).
The aircraft’s maximum cruising altitude is
41,000 feet (12,496 m) and maximum cruise
speed is Mach 0.81.
“The flight went extremely well,” said Craig
Tylski, CRJ700 Project Pilot. “The aircraft was easy
to handle, and provided a very stable platform.”
Added John Holding, Executive Vice-president,
Engineering and Product Development at
Bombardier Aerospace, “There were no
compromises made to achieve the first flight a day
prior to official rollout. All flight test equipment
and instrumentation was aboard and flight test data
was telemetered to the ground in real time.”
While the CRJ700 is clearly a stretched
derivative of the 50-seat CRJ100 and CRJ200 Series
aircraft that began the regional jet revolution in
the early 1990s, it is also clearly a secondgeneration
product, building on the 1.7 million
hours of CRJ experience.
The most striking differences are in the
passenger cabin, which has been totally re-designed
for maximum comfort and convenience.
Recontoured and re-positioned overhead
baggage bins provide comparable CRJ100 and 200
amenities with additional clearances. The cabin
windows have been enlarged and raised 4.5 inches
(11.4 cm) to provide better sightlines and the floor
has been lowered one inch (2.5 cm) to provide a
full six feet, 2.25 inches (1.89 m) of headroom.
Sidewalls have been re-designed to provide an
additional one inch (2.5 cm) of elbow room. The
net effect is exceptional roominess.
The CRJ700 sits four feet (1.2 m) higher on the
ground than its smaller brothers. That, coupled
04
june-july 99 • ru

“We will have delivered 90 CRJ700 Series
aircraft before the only announced competitor
delivers its first one.”
with the new window lines, gives the CRJ700 a
distinctive “big airplane” look that appeals to
passengers.
The lower floor does not impinge on the new
belly baggage hold with its 109 ft. 3 (3.09 m 3 ) of
stowage capacity. The underfloor hold will give
travelers the ability to have their bags stowed as
they board the aircraft, to be collected at planeside
after landing, avoiding check-in counters and
baggage carousels. This amenity can save travelers
up to 45 minutes.
The most striking
differences are in the
passenger cabin,
which has been totally
re-designed for
maximum comfort and
convenience.
The CRJ700 Series has been designed for
maximum commonality with the CRJ100 and 200
Series aircraft to achieve Common Crew
Qualification (CCQ) for pilots with only minimal
differences training, as well as common spares,
ground support equipment and customer support.
The cockpits with their Collins ProLine IV avionics
suites are identical, except for the leading-edge
slats control in the CRJ700. The ailerons/roll
control system and rudder controls are identical
and the hydraulic system is similar. The CRJ700
pitch control system is new because of the larger
elevator and horizontal stabilizer. The leading edge
slats provide improved field performance as well as
a different attitude on approach.
An analysis of a sample fleet of 10 50-seat
CRJ100 or 200 Series and 10 CRJ700 Series shows
that the commonality between the aircraft can
represent a present value saving of $17.4 million in
non-recurring and recurring costs.
Addition of the CRJ700 Series to their existing
CRJ fleets will give operators the ability to meet
growing capacity requirements on routes originally
developed by the pioneering smaller CRJ aircraft,
extend their hubs, bypass more congested hubs
and open new point-to-point services.
Coupled with the commonality savings are the
economics of a 70-seat CRJ700 compared to the
example of a 124-seat Boeing 737 on a 500-nm
(925 km) sector. The CRJ700 breaks even with
29.3 seats filled; the 737 requires 53.6 passengers
to break even.
Bombardier Aerospace, Regional Aircraft
predicts a requirement for 1,500 regional jets in
the 70-seat class over the next 20 years.
“We’re proud to be first to the market with our
CRJ700,” said Robert Gillespie, President of
Bombardier Aerospace, Regional Aircraft. “In fact, we
will have delivered 90 CRJ700 Series aircraft before
the only announced competitor delivers its first one.”
Commonality between
the aircraft can
represent a present value
saving of $17.4 million in
non-recurring and
recurring costs.
As of June 14, 1999, the CRJ700 Series had
attracted firm orders for 96 aircraft from six
airlines and options on an additional 165 aircraft.
Announced customers include BRIT Air of France,
Lufthansa CityLine of Germany, and American
Eagle, Atlantic Southeast Airlines, COMAIR and
Horizon Air of the U.S.
THE GLOBE AND MAIL
THE OTTAWA CITIZEN
NEWS FLASH
New CRJ
pre-flight,
delivery
facility
Bombardier Aerospace will build a new
$30 million (Cdn.) CRJ Series aircraft preflight
and delivery centre adjacent to the
company’s manufacturing facility at
Montreal’s Dorval International Airport.
Scheduled for completion in the spring of
2000, the 18,580 m 2 (200,000 ft. 2 ) facility
will provide space for up to 18 CRJ and
Challenger 604 business jet aircraft at a time.
june-july 99 • ru
05

BRJ-X
continues to evolve
Configuration of Bombardier Aerospace’s proposed 90- 110-seat
BRJ-X regional twinjet airliner has been further refined based on input from
the Airline Advisory Council and ongoing engineering design activities.
The new configuration was presented to the Council at its second meeting
in Montreal on May 27, 1999. It includes fly-by-wire controls as baseline and a
revised wing planform to reduce weight. A Canadair Challenger business jet
equipped with Active Control Technology (ACT) began its flight test program
early in June, 1999 to develop hands-on FBW expertise. The 90-seat BRJ-X-90
has been structurally optimized to offer better economics to the airlines and will
share geometric similarity and common systems with the 110-seat BRJ-X-110.
A partial cabin mockup
of the BRJ-X with business
and economy class
seating, galley, lavatory
and other passenger
amenities was unveiled at
the Paris Air Show in
June, 1999.
Other baseline aircraft design parameters:
• Typical passenger capacity in an all-economy configuration will be 95 and
115 at 32-inch (81.3 cm) seat pitch for the BRJ-X-90 and BRJ-X-110 respectively.
A typical two-class configuration could include basic versions of 88 and 108
seats, both with eight business class seats. A partial cabin mock-up with business
and economy class seating at 40-inch (101.6 cm) and 32-inch (81.3 cm)
respectively was displayed at the 1999 Paris Air Show.
• The aircraft is being designed for jet bridges.
• Cat. II landing capability is standard and Cat. IIIa will be optional.
Both autoland and a Head-up Guidance System are being evaluated for
Cat. IIIa capability.
The BRJ-X-90 will be 102.2 feet (31.2 m) in overall length while the BRJ-X-
110 will be 113.9 feet (34.7 m) long. They will have a common wing of 89.5 feet
(27.3 m) in span, an area of 960 ft. 2 (89.2 m 2 ) with a sweep of 25.6 degrees.
Height to the tip of the tail of both models is 35 feet, 3 inches (10.7 m).
WEIGHTS BRJ-X-90 BRJ-X-110
(lb) (kg) (lb) (kg)
Max. Take-off 106,500 48,300 116,800 52,980
Max. Landing 92,600 42,000 101,600 46,080
Max. Zero fuel 87,300 35,600 96,800 43,900
Operating Empty 61,300 27,800 64,800 29,400
Max. Fuel 28,700 13,000 28,700 13,000
Max. Payload 26,000 11,800 32,000 14,500
Performance objectives for the BRJ-X-90 and BRJ-X-110 include a maximum
certified altitude of 39,000 feet (11,887 m), normal cruise speed of Mach 0.80
and range at normal cruise speed of 1,800 nm (3,337 km). High speed cruise
will be Mach 0.82.
While the propulsion system supplier has not yet been selected, the BRJ-X-90
engines would be of approximately 19,000 pounds of thrust (84.52 kN), while
the BRJ-X-110 engines would be of about 20,000 pounds of thrust (88.96 kN).
The engines would meet or exceed all noise and emission requirements.
The 90-seat BRJ-X-90 has been structurally
optimized to offer better economics to the airlines
and will share geometric similarity and common
systems with the 110-seat BRJ-X-110.
Computer-generated virtual reality technology is being used to assist in the
interior design of the BRJ-X; similar human modeling is being used for
maintenance assessment. With this technology, “passengers” can move about
the cabin, for example, while “flight attendants” can work in the galleys or
“maintenance technicians” can move into the avionics bay and remove and
replace avionics modules.
Launch approval is targeted for the second quarter of 2000. By that time, all
program partners will have been selected and the Joint Definition and Detailed
Design Phases will begin, leading to rollout in the second quarter of 2002, the
flight test program, and type certification late in 2003.
“Input from the Airline Advisory Council confirms our belief that there is a
clear requirement for aircraft of the BRJ-X capacity and performance in the
fleets of the world’s regional airlines,” said Robert Gillespie, President of
Bombardier Aerospace, Regional Aircraft. “Our aim is to provide the most
efficient, economical and flexible product to meet that requirement.”
Maximum
Takeoff
Weight
(1000 lbs)
Aircraft Take-off Weight vs. Seating Capacity
225
200
175
150
125
100
75
50
New Market Niche
Requiring Suitable
Product
ERJ-135
CRJ-200
ERJ-145
CRJ-700
BRJ-X
717-200
Regional Aircraft
737-600
A320
A319
A318 737-700
737-800
757-200
A321
Mainline
Boeing & Airbus
Products
737-900
25
25 50 75 100 125 150 175 200 225
06
june-july 99 • ru
Seat Capacity - Single Class

Q400
breakthrough in
China
Changan Airlines is based in the region where
hundreds of terra cotta soldier figures were
discovered several years ago.
Bombardier Aerospace’s new Q400
airliner gained a foothold in the important Asian
market in April, 1999 with a firm order for three of
the 350-knot aircraft from Changan Airlines of The
People’s Republic of China.
The transaction was finalized with a contract
signing by She Yining, President of Changan
Airlines, Bai Zhijian, President of China Aviation
Supplies Corporation and Bombardier officials.
Sergio Marchi, Canada’s Minister of International
Trade and Zeng Peiyan, Minister of the Republic’s
State Development and Planning Committee, were
present at the signing because of its importance to
the further development of trade between the two
nations.
According to Mr. She, China will put a greater
focus on regional transport and there will be
continuous traffic growth with increasing
passenger demand. There is a need for new, higher
capacity aircraft offering greater reliability and
comfort. As an airline, Changan also wants
economical operating costs. The Q400 was selected
based on these considerations, said Mr. She.
Changan Airlines was established only recently
but has seen continuous growth. During its first full
year of operations in 1993, it carried about 15,000
passengers and generated the equivalent of about
$282,500 U.S. in revenues on five routes. In 1997, it
carried 132,550 passengers and earned revenues of
more than $7 million on 25 routes.
Based at Xian in Shaanxi Province in central
China, Changan Airlines currently operates five
Chinese-built 50-passenger Y7-100 and two recentlydeveloped,
56-seat Y7-200A aircraft. It plans to use
its 78-passenger Q400 aircraft to expand its route
network. Planned utilization of the Q400 aircraft is
about 2,400 hours a year.
june-july 99 • ru
07

CRJ Q Series
deliveries in April and May 1999
Eight airlines took delivery of 18 Bombardier Aerospace regional jet and
turboprop aircraft between April 1 and May 31, 1999.
Air Littoral of France accepted the 16th CRJ100 Series regional jet from its firm
order for 19.
Atlantic Coast Airlines of the U.S. took delivery of four CRJ200 Series jets,
bringing its fleet total to 20. The airline has firm orders for 43.
Delta Connection Atlantic Southeast Airlines, which has ordered 45 CRJ200
Series regional jets, took delivery of its 21st and 22nd aircraft.
Another Delta Connection, COMAIR, received numbers 76, 77 and 78 from its
firm order for 110 CRJ100 Series. COMAIR is the world’s largest CRJ fleet operator.
Mesa Airlines has ordered 32 CRJ200 Series aircraft and took delivery of
numbers 24 and 25.
The 12th of firm orders for 26 CRJ200 Series aircraft was delivered to Midway
Airlines.
UNI Air of Taiwan accepted the Q200 turboprop it had on order. UNI will begin
taking deliveries this fall on the six 350-knot, 78-seat Q400 aircraft it has on order.
US Airways Express, the largest Dash 8 and Q Series operator in the world, took
delivery of four Q200 aircraft from its recent firm order for nine. One was delivered
previously.
Q Series Dash 8 / Dash 8 Facts and Figures
Sales (June 2, 1999) Delivered Backlog Total
Series 100 296 3 299
Series 200 76 12 88
Series 300 150 11 161
Series 400 0 42 42
Program total 522 68 590
Q Series Dash 8 / Dash 8 Fleet Statistics
Aircraft in service 511 As of March 1999
Average flight time 48 mins. As of March 1999
Average annual utilization 2,225 flight hours As of March 1999
Highest annual utilization 3,300 flight hours As of March 1999
Fleet total time 8,211,540 flight hours As of March 1999
Fleet total cycles 10,001,019 flight cycles As of March 1999
Dispatch reliability rate 99.0% 12-month average to Dec. 1998
Schedule completion rate 99.3% 12-month average to Dec. 1998
CRJ Series Facts and Figures
Sales (June 2, 1999) Delivered Backlog Total
100/200 Series 301 238 539
700 Series 0 96 96
Corporate variants 12 0 12
Program total 313 334 647
CRJ Fleet Statistics
Aircraft in service 297 As of March 1999
Average flight time 1.1 hours As of March 1999
Average annual utilization 2,418 hours As of March 1999
Highest annual utilization 3,754 hours As of March 1999
Fleet total time* 1,680,877 hours As of March 1999
Total fleet cycles* 1,505,091 As of March 1999
Dispatch reliability 98.8% 12-month average to Jan. 1999
Schedule completion rate 99.3% 12-month average to Jan. 1999
regional update
REGIONAL UPDATE is published by
Bombardier Aerospace Regional Aircraft,
Garratt Boulevard, Downsview, Ontario, Canada M3K 1Y5
Tel: (416) 375-4027 Fax: (416) 375-4540
President, Robert D. Gillespie
Senior Vice-president, Sales, John Giraudy
Vice-president Sales, Asia/Pacific, James Dailly
Vice-president Sales, International, John Howarth
Vice-president Sales, The Americas, Ric Allison
Vice-president and General Manager,
Marketing and Operations, Steve Ridolfi
Copyright © Bombardier Inc. 1999
Printed in Canada
Internet address: www.aero.bombardier.com
Information, technical data and performance figures in this publication are subject to change without notice.
This publication does not intend to convey any guarantees or warranties. Any guarantees or warranties on any subject
are extended to customers only as may be provided in their purchase agreements.
Articles in Regional Update may be reproduced without permission, providing that acknowledgment is given to
Bombardier Aerospace’s Regional Update.
* CRJ fleet total time and cycles do not include corporate/business operators.
Utilization based on schedule data.
08
june-july 99 • ru