Aircraft
VASO Launches An-148 Flight Trials
The first Antonov An-148 built by Russia’s Voronezh Aircraft Plant (VASO), regist

The first Antonov An-148
built by Russia’s Voronezh Aircraft Plant (VASO), registration RA-61701, took its second flight today, two days after performing its maiden mission over the weekend. The first flight originated at 2 p.m. local time this past Sunday and lasted a little less than one hour. Operating at a takeoff weight of some 75,750 pounds, the airplane reached maximum altitude of nearly 16,500 feet and speed of 300 knots. The crew evaluated characteristic speeds, controllability and stability of the aircraft and checked functioning of onboard systems.

The first flight’s crew consisted of VASO test pilot Gennady Ryabov, who flight-tested all recently built Il-96 series widebody airliners, and Sergei Troshin, commander of Antonov flight-test crews.