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MIAMI — With the 787 and A350 XWB gathering most of the aviation attention, Bombardier had a blockbuster day of its own on Tuesday June 4th.
The Montreal Airframer announced orders for up to 42 CSeries CS300 from Russia's Ilyushin FInance Company (32 firm and 10 options) and confirmed orders for up to 16 (10 firm plus 6 options) aircraft from Bahrain based Gulf Air. Press Releases after the jump.Bombardier has also announced that the first flight is scheduled to fly sometime just after the first flight, likely in June. On June 4th, they released 2 photos of Flight Test Vehicle-1 (FTV-1) after visiting the pain shop. A very basic logo decal was applied to the tail and forward fuselage, but it appears the aircraft will fly "green" for its first flight. The composite surfaces will be the main areas painted on the aircraft, as composites must be protected from UV light.As of March 31, 2013, Bombardier had booked orders and commitments for 388 CSeries aircraft, which includes firm orders for 145 CSeries airliners. It is not confirmed whether the Gulf Air order is included in these numbers.
Video from Bombardier of the CSeries FTV-1 in the Paint Shop.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OmyE66UOvbE&list=PLErczqO9_ZCzqIWhIyLb3MelDtWU2EgIM&index=2
Painting the CSeries FTV-1 Interview with Kevin Hebert, Paint Shop Manager
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DnH-yV9FyaI
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