ZA001 - May 19 (Top) - May 17 (Bottom)All eyes are on Everett this week with ZA001's arrival on the flight line.
The aircraft appears to be holding to plan right now with with several program sources indicating the first start of the aircraft's twin Rolls-Royce engines could be as little as hours away.
Additional staff from Rolls-Royce are on site in Everett to support the early runs to idle, while program officials are going through final checks and approvals that would give ZA001 the green light.
The weather could be a deciding factor in commencing engine runs today with heavy rain and even hail reported in the area of Paine Field.
When the engines are first started, the protective storage oil inside the engine will burn off creating a cloud of thick white smoke, a regular occurrence for the first run of a new engine.
Photo Credits Liz Matzelle (top) & Lee Karas
UPDATE 8:31 AM ET: This page has independently confirmed that ZA001 underwent thrust reverser, APU fire system and ram air turbine (RAT) tests during the day on Tuesday followed by APU runs into the evening. RAT tests weren't initially planned until Thursday, but appear to have been carried out today ahead of the plan.
Video Courtesy Liz Matzelle.
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