Asian Aerospace 2009 begins tomorrow in Hong Kong, and one highlight will be the presence of the Commercial Aircraft Corp of China (Comac).This is the first time the company has displayed a model of the C919 narrowbody, its challenge to the dominance of the Airbus A320 and Boeing 737 family of aircraft in the market segment.
The show looks like it might be busier than two years ago, and we will be covering it on our website and on this blog.
on September 8, 2009 10:41 AM | Reply
hmm... C919 has a striking outer resemblance of an A319, or A318. Engine cowlings are round though, and not squashed at the bottom.
Does the aircraft come as a pre-baked fuselage, as opposed to paneled sheeting joined by nuts, bolts, stringers, frame,s and floor beams?
Baking a plane outta be fun. Bring out the batter and the mold, ye bakers and bakerettes!! And dont forget the high fibre fruit to hold the batter in.
:-)
on September 8, 2009 11:26 AM | Reply
Just remember to add the rising flour!
But the Chinese programmes are very interesting, it would be cool to see how they compete against the 737s and A320s.
on September 8, 2009 3:48 PM | Reply
Their expected near to mid-term domestic traffic volumes would potentially drive the demand for the C919 cakes, with the absence of food taxes.
As to their export potential, it will depend strongly on the logistical support for keeping the said cakes deliver fresh each time around.
But on a more serious note, it is not merely the target pricing, but buyer confidence on their aftermarket support (engineering, AD/SB, manuals, new and used parts availability) that will make or break the program. Poor support will drive poor utilization and high groundings, leading to higher costs. Unless they have systems that rival Airbus and Boeing, the C919 will be another export white elephant, limited to domestic consumption.
I hope that they have learnt from painful past experiences, from the Y7 to the MA60.
on September 10, 2009 5:06 PM | Reply
See, here is the thing - what makes them certain that they can come up with a viable product in a few years when it took Airbus, for example, billions and almost 20 years to really compete with Boeing? Okay, the time taken to acquire knowledge and technical know-how is shorter. But it will still ben tough.
And then there are the engines. I doubt that China can come up with a viable engine in time for production and delivery. That is their bigger challenge.
And only after that comes after sales etc.
on October 14, 2009 12:50 PM | Reply
Gosh-oh-rooney, looks just like the Tupolov version of a B757. ............I wonder
on October 14, 2009 12:57 PM | Reply
Gosh-oh-rooney, looks just like the Tupolov version of a B757. ............I wonder, wonder, wonder,... ugnt! ...who wrote the book of loveeee