Taxi tests on ZA002 planned for Monday were put on hold this afternoon for an unspecified reason according to Guy Norris of Aviation Week.
When approached for explanation regarding the hold, Boeing says it doesn't comment on the testing schedule for any of its 787s.Boeing suspended its attempt to taxi ZA002 just over an hour ago after encountering unspecified issues, despite having boarded the aircraft around midday Pacific time. The flight test team plans to have another attempt tomorrow and is now holding time open on Wednesday Aug 19 as additional margin for completing any system check out items not completed on Tuesday.
Video Courtesy of Matt Cawby taken August 14, 2009
on August 18, 2009 1:16 AM | Reply
Maybe the wings started "delaminating" in the Seattle sun?
Just a JOKE folks ... couldn't resist!
on August 18, 2009 4:24 AM | Reply
I'd be surprised if Boeing still has any schedules, let alone ones it can comment on...
on August 18, 2009 6:58 AM | Reply
Business as usual, but this time with the bottom of the side of body.
Nothing that will delay first flight...
Anyway, I still don't get why they fuelled this plane since they know that it need to be fixed. Double work now!
on August 18, 2009 7:30 AM | Reply
Jon,
Ever since the postponement of the First flight, there seem to be a continuous series of news reports about some unexpected issues that are cropping up and appear to make the 787 program one that is running into trouble i,e. Crane brakes; Alenia's manufacturing issues and now a last minute curtrail of a taxi run for ZA 002.
There is no question about the past two year delay, but now we are greeted with issues late in the development stage just after a time when things seemed to be coming together.
To read many of the comments on this blog, one could question whether this plane will ever fly and or make a profit.
Yet, all of these stories are also minor in many ways. That is, the brake issue could be easily resolved, the Alenia matter may be a normal and easily correctible and the taxi test may take place tomorrow.. The wing fix is not minor but a solution is at hand and installation has commenced.
What I am driving at is whether these issues really constitute a continuous series of inherent problems or whether these are normal and correctible .
is it possible, Jon, for you to try to give us an overview of where you think the program is at this stage and whether positive momentum will start to build or are these issues reflective of the coordination and are indicative of more problems to follow.
I have to add , Jon, that the drama with which your blogs present these stories have contributed to the serious response by the Press. For example, you indicated the Alenia wrinkles were "structural"...a word that resonated the wing fix issue when it was a far cry from that matter.
But acknowleging the continuous series of incidents, The "Boeing puts brakes to its taxi test" is a (intentional) pun on the Crane matter.
Would you express your thoughts on this particular stage and what you think is happening.
on August 18, 2009 8:09 AM | Reply
Honestly, I am an "Airbus Guy" but these news about the 787 begin to annoy me.
I mean, they have stopped a test.
Wow.
That should not be a reason for blog entry. Not even in these days...
MSN51s (SIA 380...) firstflight was just move by 2 weeks till the end of august...no news about that (and rightfully so)...
relax people.
on August 18, 2009 9:28 AM | Reply
Has the last minute cancellation of 787 First Flight brought on an oversensitivity to normal adjustments , making them each sound like "show stoppers"?
Is Boeing expected to give notice to every change in expectations?
Where is the appropriate line? Has this scrutiny gotten out of hand?
on August 18, 2009 9:47 AM | Reply
This seems like a usual kind of incident that happens in a testing program. It's not like they didn't try to do the test, nor is this likely anything big to get all the h8ers worked up, though I'm sure the Airbus fans are all extatic about all this trouble with the 787.
on August 18, 2009 9:51 AM | Reply
Heinz, very good point. MSN026 got pushed back yet another month because it was, according to Qantas, "still not up to snuff". Yet nothing much in the press moaning about the doom and gloom of the Airbus A380.
on August 18, 2009 10:12 AM | Reply
Howard, MSN26 is a special case... first A380 with "Wave2" Electric. So this one is a big milestone for the A380 program.
And... first flight was on time ;) (in case you did not know)
on August 18, 2009 11:10 AM | Reply
"Has the last minute cancellation of 787 First Flight brought on an oversensitivity to normal adjustments , making them each sound like "show stoppers"?"
Yeah, I think that's it. Two reasons for this. First, Boeing sandbagged everyone at Paris, so now every incident triggers speculation that the company is underestimating the scope of potential problems. Second, the flight test program is compressed compared to what people would expect for a totally new aircraft and depends on optimistic assumptions about scheduling.
on August 18, 2009 12:24 PM | Reply
Normal problems are amplified in a twitter world. But really, these are military style delays and overruns that we just are not used to seeing in a civilian aircraft. 787 is a bleeding edge program that in all likelihood will continue to be a struggle; I don't see a magical point when it's 'all downhill'. That illusion is an unfair backdrop for the engineers fighting to sort it out.
on August 18, 2009 12:27 PM | Reply
I think Boeing is not giving the right feedback to the press (and to all of us). Maybe a formal declaration from Boeing's press office can clarify the actual status of the program.
on August 18, 2009 1:00 PM | Reply
First of all, I find Jon's reporting to be exceptionally coherent and balanced. It sets the standard for and is referenced by numerous other news sources. Second, the comments and the level of emotion among blog commentators lately seems exceptional - perhaps not driven by idle curiosity. What vested interests underly them? Will anybody admit to interest in trading BA options coincident with 787 first flight? ...didn't think so! ;-) Bring on the negativity - convince the 'financial analysts' that the 787 is a bust - beat BA's price down as much as possible! Long-term, none of that matters. ...just don't expect Boeing to change their PR game because from the corporate point of view 'inside' information is dangerous stuff.
on August 18, 2009 1:29 PM | Reply
Update: I spilled coffee on my desk this morning, causing me to be seven minutes late to a project status meeting. What effect this will have on the overall program is unknown. I can state that additional costs have been incurred, due to the numerous paper towels that were used and disposed of in the clean up process. I suspect, but can not confirm with any actual numbers, that this will have minimal effect on when the program reaches break even. I will report on further potential delays as they occur. Regards.
on August 18, 2009 2:50 PM | Reply
"Has this scrutiny gotten out of hand?"
In the current era of "Hype Over Substance' largely ushered into this industry by John Leahy...live by hype, die by hype.
on August 18, 2009 4:13 PM | Reply
Wingbender,
We know it's not your fault, friend. Management should have predicted! ...coffee cups exhibit out-of-model behavior as you approach 150% of load limit. Stop production, distribution, and testing of that part immediately, design and add a titanium collar, and re-test. Poor ATI needs any kind of bone that can be thrown...
on August 18, 2009 11:45 PM | Reply
Jon, the taxi test probably has been delayed because of construction & delays at KPAE. The north 7000 feet of 16R/34L is currently closed, and there is exactly one runway exit that permits heavy jets to reach the Boeing ramp (runway 11, located at about the 5000 foot point). I was up with a student yesterday and a 773 was unable to land on runway 34 because, and I quote the test pilot, they would "have to get towed off the runway"). There's also construction going on at the Boeing ramp, with what looks like a hangar going up in the center of the ramp.
Chances are the delay has very little to do with the airplane and a lot to do with logistics at the airport.
on August 19, 2009 12:29 AM | Reply
It is about time there is some humor about all this 787 Buzz. I really appreciate the cost analysis of spilled coffee on the program. The 787 can not catch a break when testing brakes. Possibly crack seal has separated from the runway cracks causing additional delays. I would think the crack seal is out sourced as well and Boeing should aquire an asphalt plant in Texas. :)
on August 19, 2009 1:54 AM | Reply
So Leelaw, the "HYpe over substance" protocol is an Airbus (Leahy) thing? What about the great old Sonic Cruiser? Does anybody really believe that Boeing was anywehere near ready to announce this thing? Had an actual market analysis been done? Were they really serious about it? Come one!!
I was working at Boeing when they announced this fantasy plane. The new versions of the 767 and 747 had just been cancelled and the press and Boeing employees were all upset with Boeing management for not getting their fingers out of their anal sphincters and getting on with doing something new.
Rumour (certainly not indictable but has more of an element of truth than many wish to admit) is that the big guy walked into the advanced design office, saw the Sonic Cruiser info and told everybody, we are going to do this!
And he was shocked, surprised and even somewhat peeved when people took him seriously and wanted more information.
People in glass houses.......!
on August 19, 2009 2:26 AM | Reply
Royce, Boeing Investor & Francolargo,
I agree with Royce. To expand, I believe the Paris Airshow Promise (PAP Smear) is the latest in a line of deliberate obfuscations, if not downright lies coming from Boeing executives about this program. As a result, the press is more suspicious about any other announcements (or non-announcements) that Boeing makes. Also, people on the blogs react more sharply, which makes Boeing fans react more sharply, which in turn makes Airbus fans as well as objective observers react more sharply in turn. It just feeds on itself in the blog world.
If you think it is bad here, you people should read the Fleetbuzzdeditorial comments. There are quite a few rabid dogs over there that take every small comment personally. If we were still in the era of "pistols at dawn", there would be a few less people walking the earth right now.
The fact that we are in an electronic age where everything is immediately covered and analysed is something that did not happen in the past.
Boeing people might wonder why Boeing seems to get so dumped on. Boeing is a big stock (I have noticed that the stock market is a much bigger issue in America than it is in Europe, or at least it seems to be to me) that always gets watched. Airbus got hammered in its stock prices over the A380 delays and the stock never went back up. Boeing gets caught in one big "obfuscation" with the 787 rollout and the stock drops rapidly. But it keeps climbing back up, only to be knocked back down by the next delay announcement (that has been hidden for as long as possible). But the main point is, that the stock keeps coming back up. It was at a low of $39 or so a few weeks ago and was up to $45 and change last week. Airbus only wishes it could get that kind of recovery to their stock. The traders all know, that once this bird gets flying, the Boeing stock will start to fly along with it. That is one very big reason why the press seems to be watching Boeing stock alot more critically than Airbus.
Boeing knows it, as Francolargo pointed out and are doing their best to keep that stock as high as possible. I am surprised that the stock did not take another large dump after the "side of body" issue (SOB Story. Sorry I can't help myself. That Boeing & Airbus thing for acronyms.) came out and Boeing refused to release another revised schedule for a couple of months. But then maybe that is why it didn't take another big dump. The fact that they will now only tell people what the schedule is when they feel confident in the schedule they have, could make those people start to trust them again, to a certain degree.
Boeing has not helped themselves on the brake testing issue by stating that they don't comment on the testing schedule of any of the 787s, which is absolutely correct and would have been a typical response in programs of days past. But for those of us here on the blogs, it just seems to be another cover up. Which I seriously doubt it is.
On a closing note, aside from Jon here, the mainstream press has pretty well ignored the Crane issue, the Alenia issue and the braking test issue. I believe Jon is right to report it as, I believe, that was the whole purpose of his blog in the first place. To report on all things 787. OKAY he has expanded but it would still be in keeping with the original purpose of this blog.
Cheers,
John
on August 19, 2009 10:30 AM | Reply
Eric,at the start of our shift on Monday my manager was letting us know that Dodo 2 was going to do taxing tests. Yesterday,he never said a word about it. If the tests were canceled because of construction why didn't he say anything about it. My manager is a "company man". He's excited and thrilled to be on the 787 program unlike most of the crew I work with. Didn't Boeing figure out that the construction would interfere with taxing tests? Are they really that stupid?
on August 19, 2009 11:36 AM | Reply
Maybe he's not on Bruce's email list, or maybe he never looks outside. No clue. All I know is that the runway closures and construction have been giving everybody a hard time, especially the tower.
on August 19, 2009 7:51 PM | Reply
LN002 taxi tests were cancelled due to two problems, first TR issues and then NW steering problems, similar problems that we had on LN001.
on August 19, 2009 10:30 PM | Reply
"He's excited and thrilled to be on the 787 program unlike most of the crew I work with."
*******************************************
Just wondering, if none of the crew wants to work on the 787, then why is the IAM wanting the second production line in the NorthWest. And if you don't want to be on that program why don't you put in for a transfer or quit.
on August 20, 2009 5:38 AM | Reply
I'm sooo glad to be in '47 body structures. Aluminum is a GREAT material to work with; flexible, resilient, lightweight, strong, and easily dissipates heat. Titanium however, I have some of that to work with too and it's a PITA. CFRP? Please no. not. ever.