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Aviation glossary

Prototype

Also: prototype aircraft, test aircraft, flight test aircraft

Manufacturing and maintenance

An early example of a new aircraft type, built to prove the design on the ground and in the air before the type is certified.

What it is

Commercial aircraft programmes seldom rely on a single prototype. The manufacturer builds several flight test aircraft and shares the work between them: one concentrates on handling, another on the engines, another on the systems or the cabin. Alongside them come airframes that never fly at all, used on the ground for static strength and fatigue testing.

Test aircraft can carry several tonnes of instrumentation, consoles for flight test engineers and water ballast tanks that allow the weight and centre of gravity to be shifted in flight. Once the campaign is over, many are refurbished and delivered to an airline, while others are kept for their heritage value.

The very first Boeing 747, named City of Everett, flew in 1969 and is now on display at the Museum of Flight in Seattle.

On Vuelopedia

On a model page, the type's first flight is usually that of its first prototype.

Boeing 747

Related terms

First flightThe moment an aircraft leaves the ground for the first time, whether it is the first example of a new type or an individual production airframe. Flight test campaignThe series of test flights through which a manufacturer shows the authorities that a new aircraft type meets the requirements for certification. Type certificateDocument in which an aviation authority declares that the design of an aircraft, engine or propeller model meets the applicable airworthiness requirements. Preserved aircraftA retired aircraft kept intact for its historical value, in a museum, on public display or, in some cases, in flying condition.
Whole glossary

Cite

To cite this page in academic work, an article or Wikipedia, choose the style and copy the reference. The access date is today.

This page was last updated on October 9, 2026

APA

Vuelopedia. (2026, October 9). Prototype. Retrieved October 16, 2026, from https://vuelopedia.org/en/glossary/prototype

MLA

“Prototype.” Vuelopedia, Fundación Poderia, 9 Oct. 2026, vuelopedia.org/en/glossary/prototype. Accessed 16 Oct. 2026.

Chicago

Vuelopedia. “Prototype.” Fundación Poderia. Last modified October 9, 2026. https://vuelopedia.org/en/glossary/prototype.

Harvard

Vuelopedia (2026) Prototype. Available at: https://vuelopedia.org/en/glossary/prototype (Accessed: 16 October 2026).

BibTeX

@misc{vuelopedia_en_glossary_prototype,
  author       = {{Vuelopedia}},
  title        = {{Prototype}},
  publisher    = {Fundación Poderia},
  year         = {2026},
  date         = {2026-10-09},
  url          = {https://vuelopedia.org/en/glossary/prototype},
  howpublished = {\url{https://vuelopedia.org/en/glossary/prototype}},
  urldate      = {2026-10-16},
  note         = {Accessed 2026-10-16}
}

Wikipedia

{{cite web |url=https://vuelopedia.org/en/glossary/prototype |title=Prototype |website=Vuelopedia |publisher=Fundación Poderia |date=2026-10-09 |access-date=2026-10-16 |language=en}}

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