CSeries Regional Jets
Bombardier announced plans to develop a 90-seat RJ at the September 1998 Farnborough Air Show. Bombardier announced in mid-2000 that it was suspending development of the proposed BRJ-X twin-turbofan regional airliner following market evaluation studies. The CSeries was announced in 2004, but then was cancelled in 2006, at which point the CRJ-1000 became the new focus. The CSeries resurfaced in 2007, and was launched after Lufthansa signed a letter of intent (LOI) expressing interest.
The CSeries is a competitive family of aircraft that offers unmatched operating economics, reliability, total life cycle support, unparalleled passenger appeal and operational flexibility to meet the demands of the future. The CSeries aircraft is the first family of Bombardier aircraft specifically designed for the 110- to 130-seat market segment. Designed in two basic five-seat abreast versions, one version, the C110, will carry 110 passengers, while a larger version, the C130, will seat 130 passengers. Each of the two variants may be configured for either short-haul travel with a 1,800 nautical mile range or for transcontinental flights of up to 3,000 nautical miles.
The CSeries family of aircraft will provide flexibility and range capability to expand airlines networks beyond current hub-and-spoke operations to point-to-point flying. It will also share an engine, and have commonalities in crew training, operating procedures as well as part and maintenance procedures. To enable greater revenue generation and higher aircraft utilization, the CSeries aircraft is designed for simultaneous servicing points for quicker turn-around.
The C110 aircraft has an overall length of 114 feet, 8 inches (35 m) and the C130 aircraft an overall length of 125 feet, 3 inches (38.2 m). Both C110 and C130 aircraft offers standard (STD) and extended range (ER) versions: the C110 STD has a maximum take-off weight (MTOW) of 120,600 pounds (54,704 kg) and the C110 ER a MTOW of 133,200 pounds (60,420 kg). For its part, the C130 STD has a MTOW of 131,800 pounds (59,784 kg) and the C130 ER a MTOW of 146,000 pounds (66,226 kg).
The CSeries aircraft standard interior configuration includes three-by-two seating with a comfortable 32-inch pitch separated by a centre aisle, and forward and aft galleys and lavatories. Mixed class interior layouts are also available, with four-seat abreast business class, to suit operator requirements. For easy and comfortable cabin movement the CSeries aircraft interior has seven-foot (2.1 m) stand-up headroom and is designed to ensure sufficient cabin space for a roller bag for every passenger.
Key technologies are at the heart of the CSeries advantage. Composite materials are part of the center and rear fuselages, tail cone and empennage and wings. Overall, 20 per cent of the aircraft weight is in composite materials. In addition to its fourth-generation transonic wing design, the CSeries aircraft has an advanced flight deck equipped with fly-by-wire and side stick controls.
