EVERETT -- With Saturday's first flight of Airplane 24, ZA103, registered JA802A, Rolls-Royce marked an important milestone, the first flight of the Package B Trent 1000 engine on a production aircraft, confirms program vice president and general manager Scott Fancher.
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UPDATE: Boeing and Rolls-Royce clarified earlier inaccurate remarks that said the Package B engines had flown on Airplane 24. That is, in fact, not the case and it looks like the Package B engines won't deliver until November or December ahead of the January start for ANA's long-haul international service to Frankfurt.
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Certification of the Package B engine, expected soon, incorporates a revised six-stage low pressure turbine (LPT) design, high-aspect-ratio blades, relocation of the intermediate-pressure (IP) compressor bleed offtake ports and a fan outlet guide vanes with improved aerodynamics. The updated engine will bring specific fuel consumption to within 1% of the original specification.
ANA and Boeing declined to comment on the delivery timing of the second 787 to ANA, though several program sources point a handover in the second half of October.
At June's Paris Air Show, Rolls-Royce expected ANA's fifth 787 to be powered by the Package B engine and would inaugurate international long-haul service, though ANA senior vice president Satoru Fujiki said the second aircraft will delivered in its short to medium-haul configuration.
Video Courtesy Matt Cawby
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