Magazin "take off" - Issue 4 - FACC

F A C C C U S T O M E R M A G A Z I N E
First Flight
of the Boeing 717-200
Long Beach, California, 2 September 1998 – The 717-200, Boeing’s newest
100-seat jetliner, sets out on her first flight. A jubilant crowd of spectators – Boeing
employees as well as delegations of clients and suppliers – watch the impressive
performance as the short-range jet takes off to the skies with ease.
This maiden flight lasted four hours and
seven minutes and ended at the
Boeing test center in Yuma, Arizona,
home base for the first B717-200 for
the next ten months. For the first time
the plane proved its airworthiness with
a series of in-flight tests performed
on the engines, the autopilot and the
flight management system. The aircraft
reached a maximum altitude of 11,500
ft (3,500m) and a maximum speed of
245knots (450km/h). All in all, the
flight debut was rated an outstanding
success. The words of Jim Phillips, Vice
President for the B717 program, sum
up this sentiment in a letter sent to
FACC after the flight debut: "To a great
extent we at Boeing owe the extraordinary
success of the B717-200 maiden flight
to your hard work and support as a
member of the Boeing Supplier Team.
Thank you very much for your contribution
and your outstanding involvement with
the B717."
A modern, passenger-friendly
interior developed by FACC
While the first three test planes (T1, T2,
T3) were used for airworthiness tests
takeoff
8
only, the fourth plane (P1) – the socalled
customer model designed for
the launch customer AirTran - will be
tested with the passenger cabin interior
developed by FACC. The main purpose
of the P1 tests is to obtain in-flight data
on the actual performance and reliability
of the supply systems for air (A/C and
fresh air), water and lighting as well as
the lavatories and galleys. According to
the Boeing plans the entire test phase
is scheduled to last until May 1999,
followed by parallel certification
procedures through the Federal
Aviation Administration (FAA) and the
European JAA (Joint Airworthiness
Authority).
Since the middle of October FACC
engineers have been stationed with
Boeing in Long Beach to instruct and
support the Boeing staff in assembling
the cabin components. Prior to this
stage FACC had completed a two-year
intensive design and development
phase for the passenger cabin of the
B717-200. The result is an aircraft
interior for a 100-seater which will let
passengers enjoy the comfort and extra
room on short-range flights that has so
far only been found on jumbo size
planes. FACC developed all of the
ceiling, side and floor panels as well
as the stowage bins including an
advanced passenger service unit. The
new FACC interior will attract the
customer with its improved and more
efficient air conditioning and ventilation
system, its newly developed cabin
lighting concept as well as with
the excellent acoustics. Supplying
pre-mounted systems and a new type
of fuselage mounting devices has resulted
in a reduction of assembly time.
An additional plus: The weight of the
components is significantly lower.