Bombardier's CRJ1000 test aircraft have resumed flight testing, after the airframer remedied a software glitch associated with the rudder control-by-wire system.

"With the necessary software updates to the rudder control-by-wire system in place, the Bombardier CRJ1000 aircraft programme resumed flight testing last month," says a Bombardier spokesman.

"Based in Wichita, [Kansas] the test aircraft are undergoing the required flight hours/testing before the programme completes the certification trials."

In July the programme experienced a software glitch associated with the rudder control-by-wire system. Bombardier thought it had quickly fixed the problem, but a month later the airframer experienced another glitch for which it could not determine the root cause. As a result, the CRJ1000 flight-test programme - which includes one prototype aircraft and the first production aircraft - was grounded.

Bombardier now aims to deliver the first 100-seat CRJ1000 before the end of its next fiscal year, which is on 31 January 2011.

"The schedule is unchanged from our previous announcement - deliveries are scheduled for the second half of fiscal 2011," says the Bombardier spokesman.

The order backlog for the CRJ1000 stands at 49 units. Air Nostrum holds firm orders for a total 35 CRJ1000s, while Britair is earmarked for 14 of the type.

Source: Air Transport Intelligence news