Sukhoi Prepares for First Flight

The first taxiing and run tests for the Sukhoi Superjet 100 were conducted this week at Komsomolsk-on-Amur, in preparation for this month’s first flight. The run tests featured a gradual speed increase up to 162 km per hour, which is close to the real speed of the nose landing gear take-off.
“This aircraft is remarkable. It’s pleasant to see how smoothly it goes,” said Alexander Yablontsev, chief test pilot of Sukhoi Civil Aircraft Company. The Sukhoi Superjet 100 is easy to control and very good in ergonomics. This new aircraft I piloted for the first time is every bit as good as Airbus and Boeing’s planes. Yablontsev has piloted both Russian and international aircraft including the Boeing-737, A319 and A320.
The taxiing and runs are an integral part of the preparation to the flight test campaign. The current testing is performed in Komsomolsk-based Flight Test Center, which has already conducted a successful series of ground tests of the main systems of the aircraft with the running engines. Prior to the first flight, the Sukhoi Superjet 100 is to undergo the shimmy tests and high-speed runs with the lift-off of the nose landing gear.