Approximately two weeks after the first flight of the Global 7000 flight-test vehicle, and ahead of schedule, Bombardier transferred the aircraft yesterday from Toronto, where it was assembled, to Wichita Dwight D. Eisenhower National Airport, where it will anchor the type’s full flight-test program. According to the airframer, the heavily instrumented FTV1 has successfully completed five additional flights since it first took to the sky on November 4. It will eventually be joined in the certification program by four other test birds, all of which are in various stages of construction.
The $72.5 million, four-zone Global 7000—along with its longer-legged Global 8000 sibling—is poised to become the new standard-bearer of the Canadian OEM's business aircraft fleet, with an estimated backlog of approximately 200 orders between the two models.
The 7000, launched six years ago, is currently slated to enter service in the second half of 2018. The program has suffered delays as Bombardier struggled to manage cash flow among several research and development programs in recent years. The 8000, meanwhile, is waiting in the wings while Bombardier works to get the 7000 to market.
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