China's Y-12 plane passes FAA flight tests for automatic flight control

BEIJING - China's homegrown Y-12F versatile aircraft has passed evaluation flight tests for its automatic flight control system by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) of the United States, the plane's developer announced Saturday.

The Y-12F completed the FAA evaluation flight tests for its automatic flight control system on Friday, with its performance meeting the requirements, said AVIC Harbin Aircraft Industry Company Ltd (AVIC HAFEI).

Headquartered in Harbin in northeastern China's Heilongjiang Province, AVIC HAFEI is a subsidiary of the Stated-owned China Aviation Industry Corporation (AVIC).

It is the first time for US civil aviation authorities to evaluate the auto-control system of the China-developed plane for its Part 23 certification standards for small fixed-wing airplanes, according to AVIC HAFEI.

The FAA conducted ground tests and flight tests for the automatic flight control system of the Y-12F plane in support of the Chinese civil aviation authorities.

The automatic flight control system of the Y-12F was developed by the aviation system provider Honeywell Aerospace.

The twin-engine propeller-driven Y-12F aircraft is designed according to airworthiness standards of China and the United States.

It conducted its maiden flight in 2010, and received certificates from the CAAC and FAA in 2015 and 2016, respectively.

The airborne automatic flight control system is capable of self-navigation and automatic piloting.

In mid-June, the Y-12F aircraft passed the Chinese civil aviation authorities' verification flight tests for its automatic flight control system.