Bombardier begins Learjet 85 test aircraft fabrication

Bombardier Aerospace (Montréal, Québec, Canada) on Oct. 9 announced that production of its new Learjet 85 aircraft has officially begun as the program successfully exited the Aircraft Level Critical Design Review. Development and production teams in Wichita, Kansas; Montréal, Québec; Belfast, Northern Ireland; and Querétaro, Mexico, are engaged in the manufacturing validation phase.

“We have made solid progress,” said Ralph Acs, vice president and general manager, Learjet, Bombardier Business Aircraft. “Our manufacturing sites are ready, production has begun, we have been successfully building parts and we are ensuring that all quality standards are met for the Learjet 85 aircraft’s entry into service in 2013.”

The Querétaro site is operational with production tooling in place. To date, several test fuselages and key elements of the composite structure have been produced at the facility to validate the manufacturing and assembly processes. In addition, a full-length composite fuselage has been assembled, and production of the first flight test vehicle is underway.

In Wichita, the first phase of expansion is complete and the site is ready for the start of final assembly. Phase two of the expansion plan, which includes building a new production flight facility, is scheduled to begin in 2012, while phase three — the paint facility and new delivery center — is on track to be completed in 2013.

Production of wing spars and planks using Resin Transfer Infusion (RTI) technology was successfully launched at the Belfast site in spring 2011. Several sets of spars are now complete, and shipments to the Querétaro site, where wing assembly will take place, have begun.

The Learjet 85 aircraft program supply base has started the fabrication of parts, and is on track with approximately 40 percent of dedicated supplier test rigs that are operational, running their respective systems prior to shipment to the final line. As part of Bombardier’s technology readiness program, more than 12,000 test pieces have been produced to date. The first Federal Aviation Authority (FAA) structural certification test project was successfully completed this summer.