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China's Second Home-Made ARJ21-700 Makes Successful Maiden Flight

China's second domestically produced ARJ21-700 jet has completed a successful maiden flight in Shanghai, marking another step in the country's quest to become a world-class airplane manufacturer. With more than 200 orders, the economical regional aircraft is now getting attention from aircraft buyers at home and abroad. XYee takes a closer look.

Reporter:
At a height of 3,000 meters, the clear blue sky over Shanghai has embraced China's second ARJ21-700 plane for one hour and two minutes.

The face of the test pilot, Deng Youming, indicates he is satisfied with the aircraft's flight.

"I feel that the plane was doing very well when taking off and landing. I also felt excellent when controlling the plane during the flight. The noises in the front are very low."

Industry insiders say the pilot's satisfaction is due to the improvements the manufacture has made based on test results from the aircraft's first maiden flight last November.

Now, the manufacturer is beginning to take orders for the jet from both home and abroad.

Luo Ronghuai is vice chief manager of the Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China.

"We will have four ARJ21-700 jets undergo test flights before delivering them to the clients. We will hand over our planes to our customers in 2010 and make 30 aircrafts of this type during the entire year. And we will reach a manufacturing capacity of 50 planes a year in 2012."

Luo Ronghuai says his company has received a total of 208 orders to date, including 25 from a U. S. aircraft leasing company.

Industry insiders say the ARJ21-700 jets will have the edge over their competitors in the regional aircraft market. They say the fuel-efficient planes will create a potential for airlines to cut their ticket prices by eight to ten percent.

Analysts say the domestically manufactured planes will optimize China's civil aviation market, which is dominated by foreign aircraft-making giants such as Airbus and Boeing.

China developed the 90-seat ARJ21-700 regional jet independently. Its maximum flight range is 3,700 kilometers, and the maximum altitude is 11,900 meters. The aircraft will mainly be used on domestic short and medium air routes.

XYee, CRI news.