AlliedSignal has completed a successful first engine run of the company's new AS900 turbofan engine. According to AlliedSignal, the AS900 started on the first attempt and accelerated flawlessly to governed speed. During the one and three quarter hours of operating time which were accumulated on the engine, no anomalies were reported to have been observed.\rThe first model in this latest AlliedSignal Aerospace's turbofan engine family - the AS907 - has been selected to power Bombardier's Continental business jet. Steve Loranger, president, AlliedSignal Aerospace Engines and Systems, said: "The first run met all our expectations. The AS900 family will play a significant role in AlliedSignal Aerospace's future strategy for business and regional aviation engines, and reaching this milestone ahead of schedule is a reflection of our commitment to our customers."\rAlliedSignal says the unit will undergo several additional tests before it is removed from the test facility for partial teardown, inspection and reinstrumentation. The test programme will proceed toward certification in the first quarter of the year 2001 in accordance with AlliedSignal Aerospace's test plan.\rDominique Hedon, vice president of commercial propulsion, AlliedSignal Aerospace Engines and Systems, said: "AlliedSignal Aerospace will build and test 12 development engines for the AS900 programme and will validate its performance and reliability over more than 7,000 hours of testing before certification." The first engine test came 12 months after the company launched the AS900 engine family. \rAlliedSignal Aerospace tested all the major engine components in rigs before building the complete test unit. While the initial test engine was built in 14 days, there were no engine components which required rework to complete the process. Jim Kidwell, AS900 director of engineering, said: "We are running an engine core rig to validate aerodynamic and shaft dynamic predictions before taking the complete engine to full power later this month."