Domestic Large Aircraft Undergoes "Heart Transplantation"

According to a report on the website of Lianhe Zaobao, a Singaporean newspaper, on November 2, the first delivered C919, China's domestically produced large aircraft, has successfully completed its first engine replacement globally.

On November 2, the WeChat official account of Pudong News reported that with all parameters of the test run of China Eastern Airlines' first domestically produced C919 aircraft being normal, it marked the successful completion of the first engine replacement of the first delivered C919 globally.

The report stated that the successful engine replacement further tested China Eastern Airlines' maintenance and support capabilities for domestically produced large aircraft and filled a gap in China's civil aviation maintenance capabilities for domestically produced large aircraft.

Photo ▲ The first delivered C919 aircraft has successfully completed its first engine replacement globally (Pudong News WeChat official account)

According to the introduction, engine replacement is one of the most difficult and complex tasks in aircraft maintenance projects. The primary purpose of this engine replacement was to verify the feasibility of the C919 engine replacement procedure, while also achieving phased management of the engine for aircraft B-919A and enhancing flight safety.

It is reported that the overall power system of the C919 aircraft features a brand-new design concept. The engine thrust reverser uses a unique O-duct structure, which, compared to the C-duct structure of other aircraft models, can reduce flight resistance and improve fuel efficiency. However, this unique design also poses challenges for maintenance work.

The replacement of aircraft engines mainly involves "removal, installation, and testing." Based on the preliminary preparations, the aircraft maintenance engineers of China Eastern Airlines spent nine days completing 60 routine tasks and over 10 non-routine tasks, including engine oil sealing, thrust reverser removal and installation, core cowl removal and installation, engine replacement, variable-frequency generator removal and installation, engine-driven pump removal and installation, EEC testing, idle testing, power function testing, acceleration performance testing, etc., successfully completing the first engine replacement for the C919 aircraft with the tail number B-919A.

In addition, with the commercial operation of C919 aircraft by China Eastern Airlines, Air China, and China Southern Airlines, the C919 aircraft is now ready for large-scale commercial operations. According to a report on Hong Kong 01's website on November 1, COMAC, the main manufacturer of the C919 aircraft, is accelerating its international layout.

Recently, COMAC has established offices in Singapore and Hong Kong to further promote its global market expansion. Analysts point out that this initiative symbolizes COMAC's challenge to Boeing and Airbus, the two giants in the global aviation market.