Vol. 7
Nov. 2015
MRJ Newsletter
MRJ Completes First Flight!
At 9:35 a.m. on November 11, the first flight test aircraft of the
MRJ approached takeoff speed, easing up slowly at first, then
quietly soared into the autumn sky. After its takeoff at Nagoya
Airport, it proceeded to training airspace over the Pacific, with a
view of Mt. Fuji in the distance. Tests confirmed the aircraft’s
basic characteristics in maneuvers including ascent, descent
and circling left and right. The first flight test aircraft reached a
maximum altitude of 15,000ft (approx. 4,500m) and a maximum
speed of 150Kt (approx. 280Km/h).
It landed at Nagoya Airport at 11:02 a.m., completing a
successful first flight lasting 1 hr., 27 min. Cheers of delight and
relief were heard from officials looking on from a gathering area
by the runway and engineers standing ready in our office to
handle possible contingencies, as well as from crowds of people
watching from parks and other locations in the vicinity.
For us, for Japan, and for the worldwide aviation industry,
November 11, 2015, will go down as a historic day. This test
accomplished the first flight of a domestically-developed
passenger airliner since the YS-11 53 years ago.
Comment from pilots
★ “Fantastic!” “Great!”
★ Once we reached takeoff speed, it felt as though the aircraft was saying, “I want to fly,” and it gently lifted upward.
★ We verified the MRJ's operability, checking stability and whether the MRJ performs as intended and whether it keeps stability. The aircraft
has performed extremely well since its takeoff.
★ Of all the aircraft we’ve flown, this one is top-class, and has high potential. We’re certain that we will be able to deliver excellent aircraft.
Message to MRJ
- Trans States Holdings, Inc. -
Press conference after first flight
We have received a sea of commemorative
messages on our successful first flight.
We will show you one this time from
Mr. Richard A. Leach, President,
Trans States Holdings,
launch customer outside of Japan
“All of us at Trans States Holdings extend a heartfelt
congratulations to all of our friends at Mitsubishi Aircraft
Corporation on the accomplishment and successful execution
of the first flight of the MRJ. We have had the pleasure of being
engaged on this important project since its earliest days when it
From left: Mr. Toda, Test Pilot; Mr. Yasumura, Chief Test Pilot;
Mr. Morimoto, President; Mr. Kishi, Senior Executive Vice President
“Hot Topic”
was merely a concept on a piece of paper. Since that time, we
have watched the evolution of this exciting platform take shape,
and now take to the skies on its maiden flight. This is an
extremely important accomplishment, one that shows the world
that the MRJ with its new and game changing technology will
become a valuable part of the regional airline marketplace. It
has been our distinct pleasure to partner with the MRJ team
over these many years and look forward to being the launch
customer outside of Japan and to bring this important, quality
and customer-focused product to the US market. On behalf of
our Chairman Mr. Kanodia, myself and all of our employees, we
once again congratulate you on this accomplishment and look
forward to a successful execution of the flight testing protocols
and revenue launch in 2017."
Construction starts for new factory
to build MRJ’s main wing
Construction started at Kobe Shipyard & Machinery Works,
Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) on November 2 for a new
factory to build MRJ’s main wings. The main wing skins/spars and
center wing will be manufactured under an integrated system in
this 5,600-square-meter new factory and the existing 25,400square-meter factory adjacent to it.
A ground-breaking ceremony was
held with Akihiko Ishikawa, Vice
President, Commercial Aviation &
Transportation Systems, MHI in
attendance.