Bombardier announced on October 15th, 2012 that the assembly of the first CSeries flight test vehicle, FTV1, was finally underway after receiving the cockpit and various sections of the plane’s fuselage. Bombardier indicated that it remains on track for the first CSeries flight by the end of 2012.
FTV-1 carries the MSN 50001, but the registration is not known at this time. While the integrated testing of the aircraft’s various systems continues, Bombardier said it had also received the first composite wings for the its static test airframe from Belfast. Strength and fatigue testing is expected to begin on the test airframe this fall, as the program drives towards the prototype’s first flight.
