Multiple China-built aircraft undergo crucial test flights during Spring Festival

Developers of a number of aircraft designed in China have seized the precious time window of good climatic conditions during the Spring Festival to conduct key plateau and low-temperature test flights, taking a solid step towards commercialization.

China's largest amphibious aircraft under development, the AG600M, underwent a low-temperature test flight in Hailar of Hulun Buir, north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region.

"This time period is our last opportunity in the year due to the temperature," Zhao Yuhe, vice-general manager of the Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC) General Huanan Aircraft Industry Co., Ltd., told China Media Group (CMG).

"As the schedule is very tight, while one test group conducts the heating test after the engine cooled down, the other group conducts the door switch test. We've tried to complete as many tests in parallel as possible," said Zhao.

The team arrived at Hailar at the end of January, and planned to complete the cryogenic tests of the three systems and four flight tests.

The test flight process was not plain sailing. After the engine and door switch tests were completed, Hailar issued a yellow cold wave warning, the second highest of the three-tier system, which meant that the normal preparation time of three to four hours would have to be doubled.

To complete the task within the precious time window, all testers worked overtime and at full capacity to complete the preparatory work, though the temperatures reached below minus 20 degrees Celsius.

Finally, the AG600M successfully completed all tests in 10 days and ended the field work ahead of schedule, thanks to the hard efforts of the test crew.

The company behind the aircraft aims to get an airworthiness certificate for it this year.

Besides the AG600M, several other China-built aircraft also carried out crucial test flights successfully.

In Mohe, China's northernmost city, the 13-tonne-class large multipurpose civil helicopter AC313A completed its first round of cold-weather flight tests, according to the AVIC.

In east China's Suining County, the Modern Ark 60 firefighting aircraft completed a minimum altitude water test flight, moving one step closer to practical operation.

Meanwhile, two helicopters built in China joined forces in Jiamusi, a northeast Chinese city, for test flights under cold weather conditions.