Originally Posted by
AeroTech
Hi,
It was a flight test, so I assume ballast tanks (filled with water) were installed to simulate passengers weight and cargo load.
Only if they were testing it for that weight on that particular flight, and nothing in the quote indicates that. Also, since they were testing an engine and not the airplane, I don't see a reason to be flying at a high weight.
a) Can this plane still climb with both throttles in idle?
No.