Aviation Week reports that ZA001 hit an electrical system snag this weekend following "landing gear retraction tests went better, and faster, than expected."
Mr. Shanahan, now Vice President of Airplane Programs, said of gauntlet testing:
On Saturday Boeing decided it would have a special test to trouble-shoot the issue on Sunday afternoon, but by the morning of Apr 26th it was decided to indefinitely delay the electrical system test. No word as yet on what exactly the issue was, or whether it will delay the start of intermediate gauntlet tests - the next big milestone on the road to first flight.This page has no additional details beyond what has been reported by Aviation Week, though I was reminded of a quote from then 787 Program Manager Pat Shanahan in May 2008 that puts this situation in the appropriate context for understanding the road forward.
Mr. Shanahan, now Vice President of Airplane Programs, said of gauntlet testing:
"That's really when the fun starts, we can really see how stable the airplane is. So, are there any problems that need to be resolved? Guess what, there will be lots of those, and the idea is none of them will be severe...I expect people run in every half hour and they'll drop their grenade, then we'll dispatch the right people and we'll go resolve those issues."
Recent Comments