Rockwell Collins and Xian Aviation Science and Technology Company (XASC), an AVIC Bluesky subsidiary, recently joined Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China, Ltd. (COMAC) in celebrating the grand opening of the C919 Engineering Simulator, a major step forward in the C919 development program.

The C919 Engineering Simulator provides support for the design and development of the C919 Flight Control System, including cockpit interior and ergonomics, avionics, controls and other necessary systems. The C919 Engineering Simulator is capable of Level D standards, which will allow the aircraft developer to test and develop flight control rate models prior to conducting the first test flight.

"The grand opening of the C919 Engineering Simulator, which will serve as a major development tool for the airplane, is a key milestone made possible by extensive collaboration between Rockwell Collins and XASC," said TC Chan, vice president and managing director, Asia Pacific, for Rockwell Collins. "The program is another example of the company's commitment to working with its local Chinese partners to advance the aerospace industry in China."

XASC Chairman Jin Dongsheng also cited the strategic cooperative relationship as a key to the program's success.

"It is another remarkable achievement contributed by the strategic cooperative relationship between XASC and Rockwell Collins. It has also demonstrated the successful teamwork built up among COMAC, XASC and Rockwell Collins," he said. "We expect our strategic partnership with Rockwell Collins to be further expanded soon into the next level of collaboration to address both OEM and airline platforms with advanced co-developed products."

COMAC C919 Deputy Chief Engineer Zhao Jingzhou noted the benefits that the engineering simulator will provide.

"With the full support and collaboration from Rockwell Collins and XASC, the C919 Engineering Simulator has achieved great success," he said. "This engineering simulator adopted the world leading-edge technologies in the simulation, flight virtual reality and the dynamic simulation solution. It will provide the engineers and pilots with the high quality and vivid flying environment in terms of the play-back experiment, as well as the motion experience."

Under the terms of the agreement between Rockwell Collins and XASC, Rockwell Collins provided elements of its full flight simulator technology for the C919 Engineering Simulator, including the EP-8000 image generator, the 200-degree panoramic display, the base system unit, instructor operating system and integration software.

"Operators of the engineering simulator, which represents an important first look at the C919 cockpit, will experience the highest levels of visuals from our EP-8000 image generator along with high reliability and maintainability due to the system's unique software architecture," said LeAnn Ridgeway, vice president and general manager of Simulation & Training Solutions for Rockwell Collins. "All of the components we're providing are proven, highly reliable and easily maintained, which is especially critical for an aircraft development program of this stature."