Japan's Regional Jet MRJ Made Its Maiden Flight in Style

The white body with red and blue stripes moved slowly on the runway, accelerated, lifted its nose, up went airborne and then  gracefully gained altitude into the autumn blue sky - 9:35 JST, November 11, 2015.

The re-scheduled maiden flight of MRJ at Nagoya Municipal Airport November 11 had huge send-off crowds on the ground at the airport. Half a century since the debut of Japan's first post-war aircraft "YS11", the flight of MRJ marked a historic event in Japan's aviation. 

The moment the aircraft took off the ground, a thunderous applause arose from among the crowds as if to push her airborne. The maiden flight took an hour and a half and the aircraft landed intact. The pilots came down the ladder, shook hands with the mechanics and greeted each other with full smiles.

The Shinmei Park overlooking the runway was full of spectators with cameras ready to take the historic moment. A 33-year-old wife of an MRJ-related engineer said to Sankei Shimbun with tears in her eyes:
"Oh, I'm terribly happy to see her fly so perfectly. I really am....".

She had sent her husband off to work and come to the park with her 2-year-old daughter and other kids. Her husband had been working hard for this day, for days on without decent sleep at night, she said. "I was so impressed with the way he was devoting himself to get his work done", she added. The moment MRJ too off, she emailed her husband in the hangar congratulations.

A 73-year-old aviation fan from Kasugai, Aichi, had come to the airport time and again awaiting for the day.
"The aircraft is just beautiful, color and form, so Japanese in every way", said he all in excitement.

Shigekazu Matsui, 68, grew up watching planes take off and land at the airport. He had come almost everyday to the airport watching airplanes. While in hospital years before he used to spend his recuperating days watching aircraft through the window of his sickbed.

"I'm please to see this day come at last", he said.