COMAC C919

SanWenYu

Senior Member
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China Eastern Airlines is seeking funding to pay for 4 C919 and 24 ARJ-21.

According to the disclosure, the airline will add 38 new aircrafts, including 4 C919, 24 ARJ21-700, 6 A350-900 and 4 B787-9. These aircrafts are expected to be delivered between 2022 and 2024.

定增公告显示,中国东航准备引入38架飞机,包括4架C919、24架ARJ21-700、6架A350-900及4架B787-9,这些飞机的投资总额共计289.24亿元,该公司准备把定增募资的105亿元用于飞机引进,不足部分将利用其他渠道筹集。本次引进的38架飞机预计于2022年-2024年交付。

Each C919 will cost 653 million yuans while the ARJ21-700s will cost 251 million yuans a piece. The airline will pay the unit price of 2.095 billion yuans and 1.931 billion yuans for the A350-900 and B787-9, respectively.

公告披露,中国商飞生产的C919单价为6.53亿元,ARJ21-700单价为2.51亿元,而空客公司生产的A350-900单价为20.95亿元,波音公司生产的B787-9单价为19.31亿元。

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On May 8, The 7th C919 made by COMAC was spotted taxing on the 5th runway of Pudong Int'l airport. According to the social media, if everything goes by the plan, this aircraft will become the first of the said four C919 delivered to the Eastern Airlines. The airline will then fly it for service trial in May.

近日航空圈内传播的视频显示,5月8日,中国商飞第7架国产C919大型客机在上海浦东机场第五跑道进行低、中速滑行试验,完成飞机燃油、液压系统和刹车功能检查等。行业自媒体“航旅圈”发文称,这架飞机将是首架交付给启动用户东航的C919飞机。如果一切顺利,东航首架C919飞机计划在本月进行首次试飞。

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EDIT: Add info about the 7th C919.
 
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Volpler11

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Max flight height seems low which would limit the number of flight paths and be less efficient.
 

crash8pilot

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It is generally true that fuel burn decreases at higher altitudes (less dense air at altitude = less drag).

However a wide body jet at max takeoff weight can only cruise at roughly 28000 to 30000 feet (the floor of RVSM airspace starts at FL290). If it climbs/cruises higher than that, it reaches coffin corner where the subsonic stall speed meets the critical Mach number. A wide body can only cruise at higher altitudes once it burns off more fuel and becomes lighter, or if it takes off with a lighter traffic load. Most long distance flights use step climbs - the plane might start off the cruise at the high FL200s and step climb every couple hours till it reaches the mid to high FL300s or low FL400s.

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An illustration of coffin corner - the plane (looks like a Boeing 777) is cruising at FL360 at Mach 0.77. The plane enters high speed buffet if it flies faster, and it stalls if it slows down. The coffin corner margin between high speed buffet and subsonic stall speed only increases as the weight of the aircraft decreases with fuel burn.

A plane primarily designed for short haul flights doesn't need to reach the high flight levels - let's say I'm operating from London to Paris, by the time I've reached the mid to high FL300s, I'm a couple miles away from top of descent. In essence I've "wasted" a boat load of gas reaching optimum cruise altitude in hopes for better cruise fuel economy.... except I'm only cruising for a couple minutes before having to start descending anyway after climbing that high up. I might've burned less fuel climbing up to the high FL200s to low FL300s, as compared to using full thrust trying to reach optimum cruise altitude and only briefly enjoying the benefits of climbing that high. That's why there really isn't a need for the C919 to have the capability to have high cruise altitudes, not when it's designed for short hop flights like Beijing to Shanghai or Chongqing to Shenzhen.
 
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SanWenYu

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The 7th C919 and the first ever to be delivered for service successfully made its maiden flight on May 14.

According to Xinhua, the airplane, designated as B-001J, took off at 6:52am at the Pudong Int'l Airport. It landed safely at 9:54am after completing its maiden flight.

据@新华社 消息,5月14日6时52分,编号为B-001J的C919大飞机从上海浦东机场第4跑道起飞,于9时54分安全降落,标志着中国商飞公司即将交付首家用户的首架C919大飞机首次飞行试验圆满完成。

Guancha said Eastern Airlines and COMAC reached the deal in Shanghai on March 1. The first batch will consists of five C919. These aircrafts will be based in Shanghai.

Just two days ago, Guancha was saying that Eastern Airlines is seeking funding to buy four C919 among 38 aircrafts in total. Are we looking at two batches of 9 ordered in total?

2021年3月1日,东航与中国商飞在上海签署C919采购合同。首批5架C919引进后,将以上海为主要基地。


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Rettam Stacf

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Again, I must stress. C919 as it currently stands is not commercially attractive to airlines. We should look at it as a necessity for Chinese aerospace industry to learn how to complete development and certification of modern airliner. We need to look at it as A300 or A310 for Airbus. Remember, Airbus did not hit it big until A320, which propelled them to a duopoly with Boeing.

Thankfully, China does have a very large domestic market that will purchase C919 in large numbers and help COMAC continue to improve C919. C919 project had only completed 34 out of 276 required CAAC tests by the end of last year. It will take some time for this aircraft to complete certification.

C929 won't be a hit either.

I posted here what COMAC should eventually look to produce.

Agree that C919 is currently not commercially attractive to airlines. However, it is economically valuable to China and Chinese airlines. Availability of C919 as a third option will keep Airbus and Boeing honest in pricing and prevent any pricing collusion between the two, at least for single aisle jets.

It also enable China to sanction either Airbus or Boeing without making the other a monopoly is a good enough reason for China to see this commercial venture through in any means she can.

Of course, this is not lost to the US administration and will be a factor in their calculus of whether to sanction COMAC or not.
 

Jj888

New Member
Registered Member
CAAC is not playing favorite. They've been giving C919 a hard time, as can be seen in this whole certification ordeal for the last five years. It's just technically C919 does not need FAA approval or renewed regulations to fly in China.
It’s better for CAAC to be careful then rush through. See what happened to the 737 max, I guess that hurts Boeing badly.
 

tonyget

Senior Member
Registered Member
Some problems regarding materials used on C-919.

C-919 use third gen Al-Li alloy,which is heavily rely on import at the moment


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The level of automation of composite material processing is quite low,lags far behind advanced countries.

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ref:

国防军工国产大飞机系列报告之二:大飞机应用材料解析
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