Recently in Boeing Category

Updating the whereabouts of the now-rapidly-growing 787 fleet has become a regular feature of this blog, and after a week out of the country it's definitely time to get oriented. So, let's get this show on the road.

Test Fleet
ZA001 is in paint hangar 45-04 going through restoration before it heads to the 40-24 building this weekend. ZA002 wrapped up the wing fix on November 16th and was moved to the 40-24 building for systems restore on the same day. ZA003 has remained in 40-24 (red rudder) where it is undergoing the wing fix. ZA004 is at ATS, where it has been since September 8th. ZA005 has left ATS and joined ZA006 on the flight line. ZY998 (fatigue) was moved from the 40-24 building to the flight line on November 16th and to the Circus Tent on November 17th. ZY997 (static) hasn't moved an inch since April 25, 2008, but also completed its wing fix on the 16th.

Production Fleet
A half-painted ZA100/LN7 has been joined on the flight line by ZA101/LN8. ZA102/LN9 did not pass go, did not collect $200 and went straight to ATS for the wing fix on November 15th. ZA103/LN10, ZA104/LN11, ZA105/LN12 and ZA115/LN13 are in the factory being assembled, with wings and horizontal stabilizer for ZA116/LN14 in the house as well.

Photo Credit AirShowFan

DUBAI -- Boeing's vice president of marketing, Randy Tinseth outlined development milestones for the company's 787 and 747-8 programs today in Dubai.

The company announced earlier today the completion of the installation of the wing fix on its 787 static aircraft - ZY997 - and ZA002, the second of six flight test aircraft.

Tinseth says restoration operations are underway to refit access doors, systems, seals and fasteners on ZA001 and ZA002 in preparation for flight, while ZY997 is being refitted with strain gauges and instrumentation required for testing.

The company reaffirmed its plan to test the design of the modification on the static airframe later this month, and plans to fly ZA001 by the close of 2009.

Meanwhile, Tinseth announced that RC501, the first 747-8F which recently moved to the paint hangar is 98% complete, with the second and third 747-8F flight test aircraft 93% and 86% completed, respectively.

In addition, Tinseth says has passed 87% of engineering released on the company's new 747-8 Intercontinental passenger jet and has completed the critical design review phase.

DUBAI -- It's Saturday morning here in Dubai and I'm just seeing the photos from Thursday night's 747-8F roll-out for the first time. The aircraft departed the 747 line (Building 40-22) and made the quick trip over the Boeing Freeway for Paint Hangar 45-02. 45-02 was part of the original layout for Boeing's Everett factory in the 1960s. RC501, the first 747-8F, should spend at least the next week or so in the paint hangar before moving to the fuel dock for first APU runs followed by a formal move to the flight line for gauntlet testing and pre-flight preparations.

More photos below the fold.

Photos Credit AirShowFan (1,3,6) Boeing (2,4,5) & Liz Matzelle (7)

Side-of-Body Installations Complete on First Boeing 787 Dreamliner

EVERETT, Wash., Nov. 12 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Boeing (NYSE: BA) has completed installing reinforcements within the side-of-body section on the first 787 Dreamliner.

The modification entails installing new fittings at 34 stringer locations within the joint where the wing is attached to the fuselage. Installations were completed yesterday.

Boeing expects to complete the installations on the static test airframe and the second flight-test airplane in the coming days.

"Completing this work is a significant step toward first flight. We continue to be pleased with the progress of the team and remain confident the first flight of the 787 Dreamliner will occur before the end of the year," said Scott Fancher, vice president and general manager of the 787 program. "We will test the modification on the full-scale static test airframe later this month. As soon as we confirm the loads are being handled appropriately in the joint we will complete preflight activities on the airplane."

Once the modification is complete on the static test airframe, it will be refitted with strain gauges and instrumentation required for testing. Access doors, systems, seals and fasteners removed from airplane No. 1 to provide access are being restored in preparation for continued testing on the airplane. Boeing continues to install fittings on the fatigue test airframe and the remaining flight-test airplanes. Other airplanes will be modified in the weeks ahead. Overall, the work on modifying airplanes is progressing well, Fancher said.

"We have a strong and capable team that has performed exceptionally well," Fancher said. "I'm very pleased with the team's dedication to meet our commitment to fly before the end of the year."

After airplane No. 1 is restored, the flight-test team will perform another set of gauntlet and taxi tests to ensure that all systems are ready for flight. Fancher noted that with the exception of a single high-speed taxi test, all remaining flight-test activities have been successfully completed on the first flight-test airplane.

The installation of the wing fix for the first 787 - ZA001 - is now complete, with program sources telling FlightBlogger that flight test schedules have readjusted to target late December for first flight just before Christmas.

Boeing declined to confirm the completion of the installation but says that "we are satisfied with the progress being made with the modifications and are on-track to fly before the end of the year."

As part of the Z18 program schedule, Boeing initially targeted late November for first flight, but the on going pace of engineering design, the availability of the machined fittings, and the installation of the wing fix has slid 787 first flight roughly a month.

The latest target holds 787 first flight within Boeing's latest revised target of flying by the close of 2009. 

Sources also indicate that the wing fix is slated to undergo full-scale testing on the static airframe is currently slated for late-November. Once complete, Boeing engineers will study the results to validate the wing fix and  clear ZA001 to begin its certification campaign.

Additionally, as a result of the completion, ZA001 restoration work is scheduled to begin today in Everett.

Restoration consists of a thorough cleaning, re-installation of systems and complete panel close out.

Once restoration is complete, what remains unknown is if ZA001 will stay in the paint hangar while ZY997 undergoes final validation or return to the flight line to re-start preparation for first flight.

While it is not said explicitly on its website, Japan's All Nippon Airways quietly unveiled the cabin for its 787 Dreamliner this morning.

While the exact configuration of the aircraft is still unknown, ANA's announcement of the selection of the Panasonic eX2 IFE for the 777-300ER and 767-300ER aircraft, we well as the the unveiling of its new 777-300ER cabin leads to one speculative conclusion: This is ANA's 787 product for introduction in late 2010.

ANA already announced in January 2007 that it had selected eX2 IFE for the 787. ANA says the AVOD system will feature 160 programs including movies, videos, music and games, as well as the ability to order food and drinks directly from your seat.

While the 777-300ER will feature a four-class cabin starting in February 2010, there's no guarantee that the smaller 787-8 would also have four classes of service. However, ANA's longest haul aircraft - 777-300ER & 747-400 - both feature a four-class configuration. The airline's medium to long haul 767s have two-class cabins with seating in economy and business class.

Presumably, at least two of ANA's four new classes of service will find their way onto the 787.

First
Re-branded as the ANA First Square, the new first class suite features fully lie-flat beds and a baggage compartment and mini-closet to hang your coat. Each Square will have a 23-inch LCD touch screen with universal power port, iPod connector and USB port. 

Business
ANA's new business class will feature fully a lay-flat seat in a staggered arrangement with a large side table, shoe storage and small in-seat baggage area. Each seat back will have a 17-inch LCD touch screen with universal power port, iPod connector and USB port.

Premium Economy
ANA has selected fixed back shell seats for premium economy and increased the seat pitch from 38-inches to 42-inches. Each seat back will have a 12-inch LCD touch screen with universal power port, iPod connector and USB port.

Economy
ANA has selected fixed back shell seats increased the seat pitch to 34-inches from 31-inches with a sliding headrest and footrest for its new economy cabin. Each seat will have a 10.6-inch LCD touch screen, universal power port, iPod connector, USB port and a special cup holder.

Woohoo cupholder!

For those of you who have paid a visit to the Future of Flight museum at Paine Field in Everett, Washington, this large monolithic composite barrel will be quite familiar to you. A few weeks ago, Boeing removed three barrel - a demonstrator of 787 section 47 - from its exhibit in at the museum and relocated back to the factory grounds. It's been rigged up near the 40-41 building and appears to have a vertical stabilizer leading edge now attached to the top of it. I confess to having absolutely no earthly clue as to the purpose of this barrel's reclamation, but it does inspire many many questions? Can anyone shed some light?

Photo Credit Mark Palmer

Boeing has completed the first of three rounds of gauntlet testing on the 747-8F, marking a significant step towards the aircraft's first flight, the company confirms.

RC501's two-day factory gauntlet took place over Wednesday and Thursday and consisted of ground control and autopilot checks, as well as testing of the flight deck and power systems.

Gauntlet testing places the aircraft in a closed loop simulation that 'fools' the aircraft systems into thinking they are flying. The factory gauntlet also represents the first major test of all of the aircraft systems as they operate in unison.

The first 747-8F also flew a simulated reduced B1 first flight profile with dynamics, flight controls and autoflight checks.

The nine-hour "first flight" was flown by Mark Feuerstein, chief project pilot for the 747-8F program and was joined on the flight deck by Captain Sheila Beahm, says Boeing.

RC501 will continue functional testing before rolling out of the factory then heading to the paint shop and fuel dock for first APU start, followed by a move to the flight line for the intermediate gauntlet. The second phase of gauntlet testing will see the first start of the four General Electric GEnx-2B engines under the wings of the new freighter.

After the intermediate gauntlet is complete, the aircraft will move into the final gauntlet systems testing, followed by low and high-speed taxi testing before first flight.

RC501 is expected to take its maiden flight early next year, with first delivery to Cargolux in the fourth quarter of 2010.

Photo Credit Boeing

Late last night, Aviation Week's Guy Norris published a blog post discussing progress on the upcoming A330-200F first flight and the potential for 787 first flight by year's end:

Meanwhile up in Seattle, first flight of the 'other' new twin, the Boeing 787, still remains at least a month away with ZA001 and the other test aircraft in various states of storage and modification, and a re-activation pending structural test results from the side-of-body rework on static airframe ZY997.

Boeing says the installation of the wingfix on ZA001 is not yet complete, and sources say completion on ZA002 is now slightly ahead. There's conflicting information on the next point, which suggests some early steps are being taken to prepare ZA002 for flight ahead of ZA001 if it is ready first, but others indicate that ZA001 is still the prime candidate for 787 first flight.

Boeing continues to reaffirm that the 787 will fly before the end of 2009.

Additional program sources indicate that the installation of the wing fix on ZA001 is tentatively scheduled to be complete just before the middle part of the month. Once ZA001 and/or ZA002 are ready, ZY997 becomes the pacing item for the full-scale validation of the side of body modification.

Mr. Norris followed up with an additional post this afternoon that mapped out the remaining tasks for ZA001 before first flight. His assessment leads to a late-December target for ZA001's first flight. Once the static testing is complete and the fix is validated, Mr. Norris says, ZA001 will begin a three-week pre-flight process of gauntlet tests and other activity.

My sources and Guy's sources both agree: Either way there's a busy December in store for Everett.