Boeing News
Boeing Readies 787 For First Test Flights
The AP (4/29, Klass) reported, "The first Boeing 787 is in the final stages of production and should be ready as planned for the long-delayed first test flight before July 1, Boeing Co. officals said Wednesday." The AP reports that "the first model is now in the paint shop, the last stop before it is rolled out of Boeing's huge widebody aircraft assembly plant." Chief project engineer Michael P. Delaney said "the first test flight will be three to 10 days after that."
Aviation Week (4/29, Norris) reported that "Boeing is providing new details about what the 787 and its sister ships will do as part of its upcoming flight test and certification plan, nothing that nearly 60% of the documentation required for certification has been submitted to the FAA." The article noted that "the flight test fleet is made up of six aircraft, four (ZA001-004) of which are Rolls-Royce Trent 1000-powered and two (ZA005-006) of which are General Electric GEnx-1B powered." Each aircraft will be used to test various flight systems and attributes. The ZA001, for example, "will be used to explore the fundamental aerodynamics and handling qualities envelope," which "includes flutter, stability and control, flight controls, major systems work, low-speed handling including stalls, and checks of the full data system."
