Rodney Harwood
MRJ-90 No. arives at Grant County International Airport Wednesday under a hail of water as the Port of Moses Lake welcomes the first of four regional jets
MRJ lands at Grant County International Airport
Posted: Wednesday,
September 28, 2016 9:40 pm | Updated: 9:51 pm, Wed Sep 28, 2016.
By RODNEY HARWOOD
MOSES LAKE — It
left the land of the rising sun on Monday and it seemed only fitting that the
next-generation regional jet circled Grant County International Airport and
came in under the backdrop of the Columbia Basin setting sun to gently touch down
on one of the longest runways in the world Wednesday evening.
The much anticipated,
long awaited arrival of the MRJ-90 No. 1 in Moses Lake was chronicled by as
many as 10 Japanese television crews reporting back to Japan where the historic
flight is breaking news on a global perspective.
Mitsubishi Aircraft
Corporation and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd. is committed to achieving
steady progress in flight tests with the assistance of the Moses Lake Flight
Test Center at Grant County International Airport; Seattle Engineering Center
and Mitsubishi Aircraft Headquarters in Japan.
The arrival of MRJ No. 1
was met with a round of applause as the pilots and crew walked down the stairs
of the aircraft outside the $9 million, 65,000-square-foot hangar that will
house the regional jets while they are being flight-tested.
“The MRJ has finally
arrived in Moses Lake. This is a great day and a great milestone for the MRJ
program,” said Hitoshi “Hank” Iwasa, executive vice president and deputy head
of Moses Lake Flight Test Center.
“We selected this area
because of our relationship with the Port of Moses Lake and AeroTEC. We will
work together to make the MRJ one of the best regional jets in the world.”
The relationship between
Moses Lake and Mitsubishi flight testing is a natural fit. Moses Lake hosted
Japan Airlines for some 40 years while the airline trained pilots in Grant
County. The lack of air traffic in Grant County makes it a prime location for
flight testing, for which it has a storied history of hosting numerous airlines
and aerospace companies.
AeroTEC president and
CEO Lee Human said the flight testing on the MRJ is not only a milestone, but
Grant County International Airport is one of the best places in the world to
achieve results.
“It’s not easy to fly
and develop an aircraft across the Pacific, so this is a big milestone,” Human
said. “They are here in Moses Lake for a very important reason. This the best
place in the world to do flight testing. We can operate efficiently, sensibly
and we have great support from the Port of Moses Lake and the FAA. I believe
this is just the beginning of Moses Lake being seen by the world as great place
for flight testing.”
The day was two and a
half years in the making, but as the MRJ circled the 13,500-foot runway prior
to its final approach, the pilot couldn’t resist tipping the wings in an
aeronautical version of a thumbs up and the Japanese media captured every
moment for posterity.
Port of Moses Lake
commissioner Kent Jones was a part of the process every step of the way. He
echoed the milestone achievement and the arrival of what is expected to be four
MRJs by the end of the year.
“Today was a ceremonial
day, but now we have to go to work,” he said. “Everybody is ready to go and
from the Port’s perspective, our job gets easier now.”
Mitsubishi has received
223 firm orders for its new regional jet, according to a report from the Puget
Sound Business Journal.
“Our (AeroTEC) facility
here in Moses Lake has dedicated our support to the MRJ,” Human said. “Words
can not explain how important this project is. This program is the cornerstone
of the next Japanese aerospace advancement and it is so important to all of
us.”
From an aeronautical
perspective, it is groundbreaking. But Port of Moses Lake executive director
Jeff Bishop said the economic benefits to the area with the three-year project
is as groundbreaking.
“There’s so many
different layers of benefit from this project,” he said. “The Port has signed a
four-year lease with AeroTEC. AeroTEC’s employment numbers are pretty close to
200 and those are all permanent jobs here at the airport.
“Mitsubishi has brought
in between 150 to 200 employees. You look at the parking lot and it’s full.
Those are all leased from Bud Clary, so that’s a local business that is
benefiting. They’re staying in motels, they’re buying products, so it’s
beneficial in many different ways.”
It’s been a long time in
the making and as the Japanese filed stories seen halfway around the globe, the
day took on a world-wide perspective.
“Japanese culture is
relationship based as far as business goes,” Bishop said. “When you look at the
cluster of all the companies involved. Those all represent courtships that
sometimes span decades. We’re planting seeds today for opportunities down the
path."
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