Mary Kirby posted a series of photos this morning of the inside of Irkut’s MS-21 mock up from Farnborough. I did a double take when I saw the flight deck mock up, which at first glance appears to be a hybrid of Boeing and Airbus flight decks. The influence appears to be heavily weighted toward the 787, with its five primary display layout, vertical FMC keypad, and an overhead panel structure which is virtually the same shape. To a lesser exent this aircraft, however, features Airbys attributes, such as a sidestick and the same engine start switches as the A320. Perhaps imitation is the finest form of flattery?
Photo Credit Will Horton
This post was originally published to the internet between 2007 and 2012. Links, images, and embedded media from that era may no longer function as intended.
This post originally appeared at Flightglobal.com from 2007 to 2012.