Aircraft

Boeing's first 787 -- Dreamliner One -- is tentatively scheduled to pass the power-on milestone in late January and be flight-ready by late February, Flightglobal.com affiliate Flightblogger reports.

"Word from the factory floor confirms this time frame is on target with expectations," says the report, published by Flightblogger editor Jon Ostrower.

A Boeing spokeswoman responds: "We have not talked about specific milestones yet on our way to first flight, which we anticipate to happen around the end of first quarter 2008. [Newly-appointed 787 VP and general manager] Pat Shanahan will give a comprehensive update on the program in early December."

In mid-October, Boeing delayed first flight of the 787 from mid-November to the first quarter of 2008 and first delivery from May 2008 to late-November to late-December 2008. The cause of the delays was attributed to a supply chain shortages and the amount of travelled work on the first airframe.

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