Sorry you got it backwards ! 
Bombardier don't do carbon A/C, only Boeing / 787 and Airbus / A350.
The Bombardier is a traditional aluminium A/C with composites here and there where it's not too difficult to do... just like the A320 has been doing for 33 years now, or private jets as well.
When we say a carbon A/C we mean that the big technological jump has been made to make the two major parts of the A/C 100% carbon : the entire fuselage, pressurized is carbon, and the center wing box which basically holds the entire A/C together and bears all the loads, is also 100% carbon.
That is where the big, super expensive R&D and industrial/manufacturing jump lies. Grafting bits of CFRP here and there to reduce weight is nothing new or special... been done for decades now. Full fuselage and CWB are the real deal.
Will Bombardier make the big switch to carbon one day ? Now that Airbus bought them, and if they intend to keep the brand under their wing in the long term (I think they are), then in order to protect their investment and ensure the long term commercial success of the ex C series / A220, they will have no choice but eventually cough the cash to R&D it to full carbon. Gonna cost a pretty penny to R&D, but it's the next logical step, it needs to be done. Luckily now that Airbus has the experience of the A350, it should be a bit easier and quicker/cheaper to apply that knowledge and experience to another A/C type. It's known territory for Airbus now.
Sorry Vince, they did already make the big switch.
The A220 (C-Series) fuselage is carbon, including the wing root. The wing is carbon as well.
Okay okay, the manufacturing plant is really more of an assembly plant to put the chunks of carbon together. Everyone works with partners these days.
I have been on the line to see it in person.
There is a lot that has changed in the last couple of years.
Bombardier sold everything that was prop to Viking.
Bombardier recently sold the remaining turboprop (Q400 series) to Longview.
Longview bought the name DeHavilland at the same time.
Oh by the way, Longview also owns Viking.
Last change was Longview changing its official name to DeHavilland.
Everything that was ever DeHavilland is now once again DeHavilland.
Bombardier discovered it was not easy doing carbon for the C-Series and almost went broke.
That is when they did the deal to partner with Airbus. They managed to scrape together enough funds to get a new
job partner and finish the project.
I assume it was so expensive that they had to put the latest Global project on hold while they finished up the C-Series.
Part of it was also USA politics; Airbus could assemble the A220 in their US plant as a domestic product to get around the Trump tarrifs..., unlike the Bombardier plant in Mirabel.
During the time of being almost broke, they sold the CRJ (Canadian Regional Jets) made of aluminum to Mitsubishi.
Now Mitsubishi has the MRJ made in Japan and the CRJ made in Canada.
Does Mitsubishi have a regional jet fetish?
What is left? Not much. The only thing Bombardier has now are business jets.
Yes, they did finish the Global 7500, which was put on hold during C-Series.
Global 7500 is also a carbon fuselage, wing root and wing tip aircraft. I am not sure about the main wing span being carbon or aluminum.
Whew, that was a soap opera!
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Topic: Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread (Read 18834142 times)