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ZHUHAI, Dec. 24-- China's first large amphibious aircraft AG600 on Sunday completed its maiden flight in south China's Guangdong Province. At 9:39 a.m., the aircraft AG600, code named "Kunlong," left Jinwan airport in the city of Zhuhai. The flight lasted about one hour. "The maiden flight makes China among the few countries capable of developing a large amphibious aircraft," said Huang Lingcai, chief designer of AG600. The Communist Party of China Central Committee and the State Council congratulated all those engaged in the mission, including those from the Ministry of Industry and Information, the Civil Aviation Administration of China and the Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC). The congratulatory message said that the maiden flight was a major breakthrough in developing special-purpose aircraft following the maiden flight of the large C919 passenger jet in May. Its name "Kunlong" stands for a high expectation in Chinese culture with the "kun" meaning an enormous legendary fish and "long," a dragon. "It has taken eight years to develop the aircraft. It is the result of several generations of Chinese aviation work," said Huang. The 36.9-meter aircraft is powered by four domestically-built turboprop engines, according to its developer the AVIC. Aviation engines have long been a problem and the AG600 engine is a major step forward. With a maximum take-off weight of 53.5 tonnes and a maximum cruising speed of 500 kilometers per hour, the AG600 has a range of 12 hours. | 
