ATR 42-600 begins test programme

ATR’s new 42-600 has taken to the sky for the first time.

Gary Parsons - 5-Mar-2010

ATR image

March 4: ATR’s new 42-600 took to the sky for the first time from the company’s facility in Toulouse, France.

The two-hour flight marks the start of an anticipated 75 hour test regime and checked the aircraft’s performance, including the Pratt & Whitney 127M engines, avionics, flight data recording, automatic piloting and communications.

As the ATR 42 has commonality with the ATR 72, many of the tests previously completed by the ATR 72-600 will qualify for the programme. Both the ATR 42-600 and ATR 72-600 will enter service in 2011. ATR says it has firm orders for five ATR 42-600s and 54 ATR 72-600s.

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