TsAGI tests MC-21-300 basic airplane for maximum load at landing

TsAGI press release



Landing an aircraft is not only a difficult maneuver, but also is a real strength test. At this moment, the frame and landing gear of the aircraft is forced by inertial load from the aircraft weight, fuel, passengers, baggage, the jet loads from the runway, as well as aerodynamic forces. That is why landing dynamics strength tests are very important.

In mid-October, scientists of the Zhukovsky Central AeroHydrodynamic Institute (TsAGI) conducted certification static tests of the new generation MC-21-300 basic airplane for the maximum load at landing.

The basic airplane was first tested at 67% of the design load; in later stages it was raised to 90%. To define calculated values in this case, scientists used a reserve factor of 1, 5. The landing gear, fuselage tail section and wing centre section were subjected to the maximum load.

The tests had positive results: basic elements of the construction withstood required design loads. The resulting data will be used to issue a conclusion on the aircraft strength and to lift the restrictions on the parameters of the flight.

The next important step is to conduct certification static testing on the fuselage for maximum torsion. The aircraft can perform such a maneuver in flight through the influence of continuous lateral turbulence.

The MC-21-300 is a new generation aircraft with a capacity of 163 to 211 passengers and targets the largest segment of the aviation market. The aircraft provides passengers with a significant new level of comfort, due to the largest fuselage diameter in narrow-body aircraft. The aircraft is superior to existing counterparts in terms of flight-technical characteristics and efficiency. The major contributor to the enhancement of flight-technical characteristics of the aircraft is the wing made of polymer composite materials, a first-in-the-world, developed for narrow-body aircraft with a capacity of over 130 passengers. The use of composites in the MC-21 design exceeds 30% and is unique for this category of aircraft.