Test pilot puts jetliner through tough trials
Print Edition
ZHAO Zhiqiang, a test pilot with the Civil Aviation Administration of China, was once nicknamed “the brother of stall” because it was his job to pilot the domestically manufactured ARJ21 regional jet, reduce its speed and adjust the flying position to make the jet nearly “stall” in the air — a major cause of many flight accidents.
Zhao and his two co-pilots had to repeat the exercise many times in 2012 to get the speed and position correct to cause stall. It was all part of the airworthiness certification process and was conducted in the skies over the northwestern province of Shaanxi.
The jetliner was finally put through 8,220 “stalls” in 630 hours, passing the certification requirements.
That test is one of the more than 1,000 procedures that both the ARJ21 and the single-aisle C919, another domestically designed and built plane, have to pass to gain what is known as Type Certification from the Shanghai Aircraft Airworthiness Certification Center. Aviation officials are seeking similar certification from the United States Federal Aviation Administration.
So far, the ARJ21 has completed 80 percent of the procedures, while the process has only just started for the C919 on an experimental platform known as Iron Bird.
Aircraft safety, of course, is of paramount importance to both aviation experts, regulators and the flying public. The Airworthiness Certification Center operates in tandem with the Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China (COMAC) on China’s first domestic passenger plane project.
“Once the center finally issues the certificates, I can assure everyone that the aircraft is as safe as any other commercial passenger plane in the world,” said Hu Yaming, Party chief of the center.
China established the center in March 2007, a year before the corporation was founded.
“We work on behalf of the government and the public in ensuring the safety of the aircraft,” said Shen Xiaoming, director of the center.
Hu and Shen, along with other 60 officials, engineers and test pilots at the center generally come from domestic airlines and from civil aviation offices.
Both the ARJ21 regional jet and the C919 passenger aircraft are required to obtain certification under the No. 25 China Civil Aviation Regulation before they can begin commercial operations.
Foreign buyers will require that the planes also have certification from the US Federal Aviation Administration, which means that both jets will have to meet the same stringent standards as the Boeing 787 and the Airbus 380, the two most advanced passenger planes in the world.
Certification regulations in both China and the US are updated every year, especially after any major jet accident in the world. In the aftermath of the 9/11 terrorist attack, for example, US regulations now require aircraft makers to install a combination lock and a door eye on the hatch between the cabin and the cockpit to protect pilots from potential hijackers.
China, with no prior domestic passenger aircraft industry, adopted its first air safety regulations in 1985. The regulations were largely translated from the US ones.
“The ARJ21 has undergone over 1,000 hours of test flights, some of them under extreme conditions,” said Hu.
In one of the tests, for instance, the pilot had to close down one of the engines to see how the craft would perform. It was extremely dangerous. That’s why test pilots like Zhao are often described as men who “test the planes with their lives and blood,” Shen said.
China’s efforts in certification have garnered international attention.
“US officials initially asked us if we wanted some free lesson on airworthiness certification,” Hu said. “But since we have developed our own certification center, they have said they are willing to exchange information and experience with us.”
The center found some potential problems with the battery system on the Boeing 787 in 2012, when China Southern Airlines took delivery the country’s first Dreamliner.
“Since we had a weak voice in the certification world at that time, Boeing and US FAA paid little attention to our findings,” he said. The battery system eventually grounded all 787s around the world for inspection in 2013.
The US FAA now conducts a “shadow certification” process, meaning that US regulators only peruse the process used by Chinese counterparts to certify the aircraft.
Hu said he hopes his agency and the US FAA will adopt bilateral agreements to avoid duplication in the certification process for future aircraft from both nations.
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