The C919: Ready for Takeoff?
① China's first home-made large passenger jet is scheduled to take off in Shanghai today.
② China's leaders will trumpet the test flight for the narrow-body passenger plane, made by state-run Comac, as a triumph of "indigenous innovation", challenging the global duopoly of America's Boeing and Europe's Airbus.
③ But the celebrations are premature.
④ For a start most of the complicated bits of kit, ranging from the engines and electronics to the fuel systems and landing gear, are made by foreign firms.
⑤ Even if the trial flight was successful, many safety and regulatory hurdles lie ahead.
⑥ If the C919 manages to clear those and come to market, it will still be years behind schedule.
⑦ Boeing and Airbus are, meanwhile, leapfrogging ahead to the next generation of big jets with safety, efficiency and other advances.
⑧ Chinese airlines, constrained by patriotism, may buy the new aircraft. Those able to choose freely probably won't.
be scheduled to do sth.: 即定做某事
trumpet: vt. 鼓吹
triumph: n. 胜利
indigenous: adj. 本土的
duopoly: n. 双寡头
premature: adj. 尚未成熟的
hurdle: n. 阻碍
leapfrog: vi. make strides
constrain(ed): vt. limit(ed)
Comac: Commercial Aircraft Corporation
