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October 5, 2010 -
The final Boeing 787 Dreamliner to join the flight test fleet made its
first flight on Monday from Paine Field in
"It's great to
have our last flight test airplane join the fleet," said Scott Fancher,
vice president and general manager of the 787 program. "We have been
focused on completing the testing required for certification of the 787
with Rolls-Royce engines, because that is the first model we deliver. A
great deal of the testing that we've done also applies to the 787s with
GE engines and won't need to be repeated," said Fancher. |
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There is, however,
a smaller portion of testing that is unique to the engine/airframe
combination. In general, this portion includes noise testing, extreme
weather operations, function and reliability, and extended operations.
In addition, testing to verify the airplane handles the same regardless
of engine type and that the systems work on both models is required.
Some additional flight tests will be performed on one of the production
airplanes, the ninth 787 to be built, but it is not considered a
full-time member of the flight test fleet.
In addition to
achieving first flight of ZA006, the Boeing test team has completed a
number of flight test milestones in recent weeks. Boeing wrapped up a
series of natural and artificial icing tests, meeting all requirements
with no changes required. Pilots reported that the airplane continues to
handle well even in the presence of ice.
Flight loads
survey testing, which demonstrates the pressure distribution on the
airplane structure throughout the phases of flight in a variety of
configurations, also has been completed. The team conducted this testing
on ZA004 primarily at the airport at
A dramatic series
of tests that stress the airplane's brakes, called maximum brake energy
testing, was completed in late September at Edwards Air Force Base, also
in |
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