Mitsubishi MRJ “Spacejet”

Aircraft Information
> Aircraft Make: Mitsubishi. Model: MRJ. Nickname: Spacejet (adopted later in the program)
> Aircraft Mil Civ Description: Large Jet
> FAA Category and Class: Airplane Multi-engine Land
> Engine Description: Twin Jet

Aircraft Experience
> As of: 9/2/2021
> Number of Hours Flown: 2
> Number of Times Flown: 1
> Other Aircraft Models Associated: none

First Flown Information
> Sequence First Flown: 180
> Date First Flown: 3/20/2019
> Location First Flown: Grant County Airport, Moses Lake, WA (KMWH)
> Who and/or What Organization First Flown With: MITAC Flight Test, Don Parker

Recollections: I was lucky enough to be assigned to work a “Shadow program” to work with our Japanese counterparts on the certification of a new aircraft design being designed and produced in Japan.  The Mitsubishi Regional Jet (MRJ), later changed to being called the “SpaceJet” (much to the chagrin of many) was a major project started in about 2007, with delays that resulted in first flight being delayed until 2015.  By this time, the FAA was fully partnered with our counterparts (the JCAB–Japan Civil Aviation Bureau), including training and evaluation activities.  The Japanese (both the company–Mitsubishi–and the JCAB) were a pleasure to work with.  That’s not to say there weren’t challenges…there certainly were.  But people in Japan were working very hard, a matter of national pride. 

In 2019 it was decided that the FAA should participate in “familiarization flights” (we had been waiting for the certification program to begin with the issuance of an authorization to fly) and, so, in 2019 I finally got to fly the machine.  Turns out I was crewed with a test pilot who had been a student of mine years before, Don Parker (USNTPS Class 113).  Don was one of several western pilots on contract to assist Mitsubishi in the conduct of the test program.  

The airplane was good to fly.  It’s fly by wire, but with relatively little augmentation or control/envelope limiting.  It handled honestly and we were excited for the program to start certification.  Unfortunately, COVID hit and the program–as of this writing–is “on hold” pending business decisions that must be extremely challenging for many of our colleagues in Japan.  I wish them well and hope to fly the MRJ again. [Update 2 years after writing the prior: the MRJ was cancelled; such a shame but proof that certifying an aircraft–particularly one for use in Airline operations–is a tremendously daunting task. For me, the cancellation of this program was one of the saddest experiences of my professional career…I was very much looking forward to actually DOING flight test with my Japanese colleagues and fellow FAA testers.]