FlightBlogger - Aviation News, Commentary and Analysis

787 ground tests continue before fleet goes into holding pattern

Fri, 03 Jul 2009 17:56:46 -0500

A few important tidbits to wrap up the week before heading into the holiday weekend here in the US. The first half of this week was certainly an interesting one and I took the opportunity during the latter half to catch up on a lot of non-blog items that had previously eluded me. I'll be off until Monday celebrating Independence Day so this weekend will be a good chance to catch my breath.

For the last two days, Boeing confirms that ZA001 has been progressing through its final gauntlet of system checks and a program source indicates it should be wrapped up by the close of this week. The final gauntlet was significantly shortened from eight days to just two while moving tests initially planned for this phase to the extended intermediate gauntlet. The intermediate gauntlet was completed on June 7th.

If the schedule progresses as planned, Boeing's ground testing will continue on Monday with the start of taxi testing for ZA001. The company said in its recent delay announcement that low-speed taxi tests are still permissible for the 787s without the proper fix to the upper wing section.

After these tests are completed, the first two 787s will go into a holding pattern of sorts while an interim fix for the side of body is developed, tested on ZY997 and installed on ZA001 before any green light is given to fly. No timeline has been specified internally as Boeing retools its planning, but several sources indicate that the revised plan should be available by August.

Several flight line stalls down in Everett, ZA002, painted in launch customer ANA's colors, underwent the traditionally smoky first engine start on July 1st. Boeing says the engines underwent both dry and wet test spools in the morning, minus formal ignition. The twin Rolls-Royce Trent 1000 engine were lit for the first time later that afternoon.

In other 787 news, ZA003 and ZA004 will be registered for their respective flight test campaigns as N787BX and N7874, respectively.

Photo Credit AS

Sources: Boeing to buy Vought's 787 operations

Wed, 01 Jul 2009 11:46:55 -0500

Boeing is set to announce its intention to acquire the 787 operations currently run by Vought Aircraft Industries in North Charleston, SC in a major shake up of the supply chain for its new flagship product.

According to multiple sources familiar with the plan, Vought Aircraft Industries 787 arm is to be divested from parent company The Carlyle Group and sold to The Boeing Company.

"It's a done deal," says a source close to the agreement.

The same sources indicate that the sale of the Charleston 787 operations unit, known as the Advanced Aerosolutions (AAD) branch of Dallas-based Vought, will likely be the first key step to establishing a second production site for the mid-size widebody aircraft.

Both Boeing and Vought are adhering to their respective policies to not comment on rumors or speculation regarding mergers and acquisitions.

However, Boeing added that it has "long said that a second line is an issue we will consider in due course, and we have, and will continue to evaluate the many factors that will be a part of any decision. Our primary focus right now is getting the 787 into flight test and getting the existing production system running smoothly."

Boeing announced last week that a delay in first flight was necessary to reinforce the side-of-body of the 787, indefinitely grounding the fleet until the company can develop, test and install a remedial modification.

INSIDE:

What's Next?
The Campus
A Second 787 Line?
Protecting The Supply Chain

Photo Credit Vought Aircraft Industries (Left - Global Aeronautica, Right - Vought)

Summer in DC

Mon, 29 Jun 2009 20:26:33 -0500

Summer in DC, originally uploaded by flightblogger.

Continental 737-700 on Potomac final approach to DCA.

Assembling 747-8 - June 29 - Prepping for final body join

Mon, 29 Jun 2009 17:46:26 -0500

Consider this a bit of catch up over the last several weeks on 747-8 progress. I wanted to bring you the latest on what's going on with the first 747-8 Freighter - RC501 - coming together in Everett right now.

Last this page left the new jumbo jet, the forward fuselage was making the trip on May 17th from Building 40-23 back over to 40-21/22 for sealing and testing.

When the first stub join was completed, the wings were "flown" from the join position to the seal on the afternoon of June 7th. The crane, actually two cranes, that lifted the wings represented a record for Boeing after more than 40 years of 747 production. According to one source, the two cranes lifted 149,300 lbs. before placing the wings into the seal area.

Eleven days later, Boeing had the second set of wings in the stub join area. Which brings us to last week when the bonnet Section 44 was lowered into position over the center wing box on June 25th to begin the wing-to-body join.

Next will be the final body join that will see the wings flying to the next assembly position for mating to the forward and aft fuselage sections by the end of August or so, says Boeing.

Program sources also indicate that two of four General Electric GEnx-2B engines have been delivered to final assembly. Final certification of the engine is expected to happen around October. Finally, the blended raked winglets will be added once the aircraft is moved to the slant position at the head of Building 40-22 because the wings would be wider than the join area!

Photo Credit Boeing

Photo of Note: The Front Page - June 27, 2007

Sat, 27 Jun 2009 07:00:00 -0500

The 25th, 26th and 27th of June 2007 were three days that will forever remain vividly embedded in my memory. I went to sleep on the 25th having just posted this message to the two-month old experiment called FlightBlogger:

Update 3 - June 25, 2007 - 10:25pm

Sources inside Boeing say, "There is not much left to do before moving to paint shop. All doors are installed. All slats, ailerons, flaps, and spoilers are installed. They are working on access doors on the wing." Another source says, "Most everything that will be "seen" is on the airplane, save for a few odds and ends."

According to the schedule Dreamliner One will head to the paint shop after 10:00pm PDT (1:00am EDT). The airplane movement from assembly shop to paint shop usually occurs after dark to minimize the distraction of the drivers on the freeway below the bridge.

Mike Bair said today, "The aircraft will be structurally complete at rollout but will still have systems, ducting, wiring and similar work to be done before first flight. When those tasks are completed, it will be powered up and proceed to ground test before it flies."

I woke the next morning to find out what had come from the post the night before. A day later, the Seattle Post-Intelligencer ran Charles Conklin's photos on the front page of the paper. It was perhaps the first moment that I realized anyone was actually reading what I was writing. What a two years it has been.

A broad look at the QANTAS/Jetstar 787 cancellation and deferral

Fri, 26 Jun 2009 17:47:33 -0500

The news came early this morning in Sydney, that Australia's largest airline, Qantas had made significant changes to its 787 order, deferring the 15 787-8s it was supposed to receive starting in mid-2010 for Jetstar, while canceling 15 additional 787-9s scheduled for delivery in 2014 and 2015.

First, lets examine the changes:

Jetstar's first 15 787s will now be 787-9s, not 787-8s and will arrive in mid-2013.
The 15 deferred 787-8s will be put into domestic operations starting in the 4th quarter of 2014 over the following 12 months.
The remaining 20 787-9 will be for Qantas and Jetstar operations, with the first deliveries in the 4th quarter of 2015 through 2017.
Total firm order stands at 50 787s, down from 65, with options for 50 more

Qantas cited the volatile economic climate as the reason for the significant shift in its order, and noted that the latest delay in first flight had no bearing on the decision. The deferral negotiation was first announced on April 14th when the airline delayed its A380 deliveries.

Though the cancellation of 15 787-9s is very significant for the 787 program, lowering the total orderbook to 840 units from 56 customers, the disclosure of the revised plans for the aircraft is perhaps the more significant story.

Qantas was originally allocated three aircraft - LN21/24/27 - in the early 787-8 production run. That number was later increased to five with LN22 and LN29 reallocated to the Australian carrier after Delta/Northwest disclosed it was retooling its delivery schedule. These early 787s would have benefited from the second blockpoint weight improvements that are planned for LN20.

Of the first 30 787s being built, 24 are production standard aircraft. Since 2007, seven of 12 787 launch customers have deferred their deliveries of the block of the first 30 aircraft. The five airlines are Delta/Northwest, Air China, Shanghai, China Eastern, Grand China Air, China Southern and now Qantas.

The question becomes which customers backfills the 15 open spots on the 2010 787 delivery calendar. Just last week, Pat Shanahan, vice president of airplane programs at Boeing affirmed that early demand for 787s continued unabated despite the economic downturn. As a result, Boeing maintains its goals for its production pace even with the latest delay in first flight and the uncertainty of the overall schedule.

Long Enough legs?
Before today's order shift, one source very familiar with the airline's planning says that a configuration of up to 330 passengers was being considered for the Jetstar 787-8s to connect Australia to Europe. The source adds that the 787-8 would have been able to perform that mission, but not without two intermediate fuel stops, a reality that likely played into the airline's decision making. The increasing empty weight of the -8 and resulting reduced performance at these high loads would have economically prohibited the high density European routes with the 787-8.

The switch by Qantas to the 787-9 is a further "feather in the cap" for the first 787 derivative, which will benefit from what is learned during flight test on the 787-8 its first years in service with a longer range. Though, the deployment of the -8 beginning toward the end of 2014 on only domestic operations as a 767-300ER replacement within Australia speaks volumes about how the airline perceives the future performance of the airplane and timelines for weight reduction.

AirAsia X Factor
The Jetstar competitive landscape is also crucial to understanding the motivation of the airline. Kuala Lumpur-based Air Asia X has had bold plans to expand its low-cost, long-haul network to the US and to Europe.

Australia Aviation blogger and journalist Ben Sandilands captured the competition:

And AirAsia and Jetstar are competing new model trans border low fare airline franchises. The business models are identical, and not yet fully proven, just like the jets they have chosen for future long haul operations.
Both have international divisions, with AirAsia X the Malaysia based brand's long haul subsidiary already flying A330s to Kuala Lumpur from the Gold Coast, Melbourne and Perth, with Sydney expected to be confirmed soon.
Their international ambitions also overlap on the 'kangaroo routes' between Australia and Europe, where the originally promised, repeatedly promised, long range capabilities of the 787-8 would allow Qantas to re-enter markets such as Amsterdam, Rome and Manchester and expand the network into new ones.
Those promises turned to dust. The Qantas strategy for Jetstar, at least as far as timing is concerned, has been usurped by AirAsia X, and to say that senior management has been embarrassed and very unhappy with the situation is an understatement that quickly cost Boeing $292 million in cash compensation.

At the Paris Air Show last week, AirAsia announced a firm order for 10 A350-900 aircraft seating 400 in a two-class layout with a 10-abreast economy seating. First deliveries of the aircraft are due to take place in the first quarter of 2016. Before the delays stalled the program, Jetstar's first 787-8s were to arrive in August 2008, later revised to June 2010.

AirAsia launched service to London-Stansted on March 11th of this year using an A340-300, after detailing its expansion last October. Had the 787-8 arrived in Jetstar's fleet on time in 2008, the airline would've had a low cost carrier with access to the the European market ahead of AirAsia, however the change of forture for the 787 program has given the Malaysian carrier a lead into Europe.

For Jetstar, selecting the larger -9 to launch service to the US and Europe against AirAsia's A350 XWB will pit the larger 787 against its composite rival, with a more equivalent ability to pack its planes in a high capacity configuration.

A Closer Look: Inside the Super Constellation

Thu, 25 Jun 2009 17:18:53 -0500

One of the highlights of Paris Air Show for me personally was the opportunity to join Max Kingsley-Jones for a guided tour of the Lockheed L1049F-55 Super Constellation (HB-RS). Stepping on board, you could immediately feel the history locked into the airframe. The aircraft once flew for the US Air Force as a troop transport during the Korean War for VIPs and wounded soldiers.

Max and I were like kids in a candy store, though we were able to keep straight faces during the tour. You'll see me floating around the background with my camera. The aircraft's flight engineer and pilot took us around the flight deck and provided us a detailed look at the flight operations of this aircraft. We took special care to examine the flight engineer's station (forward & upper panel), as well as overhead, pilots controls and throttle quadrant.

I hope you enjoy this four part video tour that really gives you a good view inside this incredible aircraft. For additional high-detail, up-close photos of the aircraft and its controls, feel free to visit my Flickr set devoted to the tour. Also, to make sure this airplane keeps flying, visit the Breitling Super Constellation website and consider supporting the Super Constellation Flyers to keep this amazing piece of history in the sky.

Special thanks to Jeff Decker for his filming and editing expertise.

Understanding the 787 structural reinforcement (Update1)

Wed, 24 Jun 2009 17:59:17 -0500

Boeing yesterday announced it was postponing first flight of the 787 citing the need to reinforce structure where the wing box meets the center wing box at the side of body of the aircraft. FlightBlogger takes a closer look at exactly what the problem is and how Boeing came to yesterday's announcement.

Because of the need to go back into the detailed design phase for this fix, combined with the need to fabricate, install and test at component and at full scale levels, several sources with a direct familiarity to the situation estimate that the fix will take "months not weeks."

INSIDE:

What is the problem?
Historical Precedent
Timeline
The Fix

BREAKING: Boeing postpones 787 first flight

Tue, 23 Jun 2009 09:12:16 -0500

12:10 PM: Comment from ANA:

"We are disappointed that the first flight of the 787 will be postponed, and urge Boeing to specify the schedule for the programme as a whole as quickly as possible."

10:46 AM: Shanahan and Fancher confirm that the problem stems from 18 points where the center wing box (11) meets the wingbox (12) on each side of the aircraft. The fix, once identified, will be installed on location. ZA001 and ZA002 will be modified directly on the flight line. Boeing has not determined a final fix or the material it will use to fix the join. Fancher says the company is leaning towards titanium or aluminum and the fabriction division is ready to start manufacturing parts as soon as a final fix is identified.

10:01 AM: On the conference call now.

10:00 AM: Early indications from sources signal that the problem was first discovered during static testing in April on ZY997.The problem stems from a design fault in the wing-to-body join area between Section 11 (center wing box) and Section 12 (wing box).

9:40 AM: Boeing postpones 787 first flight citing modifications to the side-of-body section of the aircraft.

EVERETT, Wash., June 23 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Boeing (NYSE: BA) today announced that first flight of the 787 Dreamliner will be postponed due to a need to reinforce an area within the side-of-body section of the aircraft.

The need was identified during the recent regularly scheduled tests on the full-scale static test airplane. Preliminary analysis indicated that flight test could proceed this month as planned. However, after further testing and consideration of possible modified flight test plans, the decision was made late last week that first flight should instead be postponed until productive flight testing could occur.

Boeing says a new schedule will be available within several weeks once a modification is identified. Sources tell FlightBlogger that 787 customers were notified earlier today of the new delay. Key questions for the program will surround the timing on the flight test program, delivery schedule and further weight gain on the aircraft.

Boeing will hold a teleconference at 10:00 AM ET with Scott Carson, Pat Shanahan and Scott Fancher. Follow this page for coverage throughout the day.

June 22 - The Week Ahead Open Thread

Mon, 22 Jun 2009 18:45:40 -0500

Virgin A330
To celebrate its 25th birthday, Virgin Atlantic did what I wanted to do when I turned 25 last year. The British airline purchased 10 new A330-300s for interim capacity while it waits for the delivery of its first 787-9 aircraft in 2013. The airline will get five in 2011 and another five in 2012. Six of will be acquired under sale and leaseback with AerCap and the remaining four will be leased directly from AerCap. No word on whether or not these six A330-300s were conversions from an outstanding batch of six A340-600s.

Also, Virgin says it is in negotiation for 50 A350 XWB aircraft to replace its 747s with first delivery in 2014.

Continental Retrojet
A newly built Continental 737-900ER (N75436) was rolled out of the Renton factory and flown over the weekend with the retro "Blue Skyway" livery. Quite a good looking paint job, if I do say so myself.

First Tianjin Delivery
As early as Tuesday, Airbus will deliver its first China-built A320 to Sichuan Airlines, marking a major moment in the airframer's 40-year history. The facility will eventually build and deliver four A320 family aircraft per month when production rates begin to climb again as the global economy recovers. At the Paris Air Show, CEO Tom Enders denied a French report of attempted industrial espionage at the Chinese facility.

AJOYAs
A little over a week ago, this very humbled airplane geek won an Aerospace Journalist of the Year Award in the Air Transport category for my 787 feature last May. Jetwhine's Rob Mark (who also went home a winner) was kind enough to grab my acceptance speech on video, so there's a permanent record out there. My colleague Niall O'Keeffe also took home the top prize in the Maintenance category for a piece he wrote for Airline Business. A huge congratulations to Flight's Mary Kirby (also known as Runway Girl), Siva Govindasamy and Aimee Turner for their nominations as well.

Paris Video Wrap Up
Mary Kirby and I took our goofiness to the max last Wedneday and the result can be found here. These wrap ups were a great way for Mary and I to blow off a little steam after exceedingly long days at the show. Their news value was questionable some days, but we had a good time and hope you did too. They were all completely ad libbed, so you'll have to bear with us. Thanks for coming along last week, we really had a blast.

First Flight Travel
This Thursday I'm Seattle bound! The FlightBlogger road show will be in full effect as I head west to cover the final days before 787 first flight. Yes, my ticket is open ended, but I still hear June 30th is the date. If the key milestones aren't accomplished this week, then we may know very soon whether or not the date slips to July. Though it's too soon to say one way or another.

So, who's going to be in Seattle this weekend?

Photo of Note: Yakovlev 42Dreamliner

Mon, 22 Jun 2009 16:26:56 -0500

dreamliner =), originally uploaded by minolta forever.

Submitted without comment. Close. Very close. But really, folks, not quite.

Yakovlev 42D in Bykovo airport (RA-42387)

Movie Monday - June 22 - Retro First Flight Marketing

Mon, 22 Jun 2009 10:53:51 -0500

Forty years ago, Boeing's marketing team was hard at work making film reels to promote the first flight of the "747 Superjet" for program managers. Forty years later, the 787 Milestones site set up by Boeing is merely the latest [public] evolution of sharing the progress of developing a new jetliner with the world. What follows is a two-part 15-minute movie produced by Boeing communications taking you through the assembly, testing and first flight of RA001. Note the original PTQ for the 747.

The more things change, the more they stay the same. Enjoy!

Ahead of the final gauntlet, ZA001 to be calibrated, weighed

Mon, 22 Jun 2009 00:24:14 -0500

With the rapidly approaching third and final phase of gauntlet testing, Boeing's first 787 is set to leave the flight line for a series of system calibrations.

As early as Monday, ZA001 will make a short trip out of Stall 105 and will be towed to the compass rose for calibration of the aircraft's navigation systems.

Following the calibration, the aircraft will be towed back to the fuel dock to be drained of fuel, then brought into Paint Hangar 45-03 to conduct a final pre-flight weight-in. Following that, ZA001 will return to Stall 105 to be fueled, ahead of the two-day final gauntlet which is set to begin on Wednesday.

The final weigh in will determine the zero fuel weight (ZFW) of the aircraft, which includes the ballast barrels and monitoring stations now installed in the cabin of ZA001.

Boeing weighed ZA001 back in late April just before it began the factory gauntlet to establish the operating empty weight (OEW) of the aircraft, which saw the removal of the ballast barrels which will simulate payload during flight test.

Photo Credit Igs

Flight readiness review set for today, 787 first flight targets June 30th

Sat, 20 Jun 2009 18:08:05 -0500

Boeing is kicking off the final ten days of preparations for the maiden flight of ZA001 with a flight readiness review set for today.

The review will evaluate the preparations and maturity of ZA001's ability to fly before the month is out and according to program sources, the June 30th date remains Boeing's scheduled target for 787 first flight.

The schedule remains extremely fluid as Boeing progresses toward first flight, with some milestones moving slightly to the right. ZA001 will exit the weekend and head into the two-day final gauntlet test on Wednesday and Thursday, followed by a checkout and pre-taxi inspection on Friday. Initial low and high speed taxi testing is set for next Saturday and Sunday.

If all goes smoothly between now and then, Monday will be used for a final aircraft inspection and pre-flight check by chief project pilot Mike Carriker with the aircraft set to be "released for flight" by 4 PM that same day.

If the weather cooperates, 16 hours later ZA001 will be in position on Runway 34L for a departure of 10 AM Pacific Time on Tuesday, June 30.

RECENT TESTS

According to Aviation Week, over the last week, round-the-clock engineering tests have continued on ZA001. Tests have included "electrical systems tests along with 'component noise' evaluations" (June 13); fuel verification and air data reference system tests (June 14); mid-air fuel jettison tests; lateral control, rudder and elevator at deflection tests, including trim changes to the horizontal stabilizer (June 15); hydraulic systems tests (June 16), as well as stowing of the the static pressure cone on June 18.

HISTORICAL AND METEOROLOGICAL TIMING

Five of the last seven Puget Sound-based Boeing first flights have occurred on weekends to allow company employees and their families to view first flight.

However, this pattern has not always held, with 707 and 757 being the notable exceptions with their respective first flights falling on Friday, December 20, 1957 and Friday, February 19, 1982.

According to the Flight archive, Boeing initially targeted Wednesday, June 1st at its first flight date for 777. The 777's maiden flight was Sunday, June 12.

Two key factors will decide when first flight happens. First, the readiness of the airplane and second, the cooperation of mother nature.

The winds have to be blowing in from the north in order for ZA001 to use Runway 34L.

The wind requirement ensures a departure to the north that will take ZA001 over Possession Sound rather than the populated northern Seattle communities of Everett and Lynnwood that lie to the south of Paine Field. In the event of an emergency after ZA001 leaves the runway, Mike Carriker and Randy Neville will be able to guide the aircraft to an unpopulated area and ensure the safety of those on the ground below.

FALLING LEARNING CURVE

Boeing's second flying 787 is trailing closely behind ZA001 on its path to first flight that is expected to follow within three weeks. ZA002 was moved June 19th from the fuel dock to the flight line a few stalls down from ZA001.

The move represents the falling learning curve as Boeing gains experience preparing its flight test aircraft for flight. Boeing moved ZA002 out of the factory to the fuel dock on June 15th and to Stall 103 on the flight line on June 19th. Compare that roughly four-day span to the 13-days ZA001 spent at the fuel dock before moving to the flight line.

ZA100 FINAL ASSEMBLY

On Wednesday, June 17, Boeing and ANA celebrated the formal commencement of assembly operations for ZA100, the first production 787-8. The aircraft will eventually be registered JA801A and, if all goes to plan, will be handed over to the Japanese airline next February.

For the first 12 to 18 months after entry in to service, the 787 will be restricted to use on regional and domestic routes while the Japanese Civil Aviation Board (JCAB) takes a cautious approach to approving extended twin engine operations (ETOPS). The JCAB will conduct an additional certification outside of the expected ETOPS certification that will come with the 787 by US and European regulatory authorities.

The relationship between Boeing and the Japanese is a longstanding one going back to the launch of the 767 in 1978. Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI), Kawasaki Heavy Industries (KHI) and Fuji Heavy Industries (FHI) were invited to build 15% of the 767 airframe. That role was expanded in the 1990s on the 777 with 20% of the airframe and 35% on the 787.

Just as the leaders of ANA and the 787 program celebrated the start of final assembly with a traditional Japanese "Kagami wari" ceremony this past week, the same tradition was observed during the 777 program when a key factory came online to produce new parts for the aircraft in 1993. (see video)

Photo Credit Jim Larsen

Stay with FlightBlogger for on-going coverage of the first flight of the 787, which will soon transition to on-location coverage. Stay tuned.

iPhone 3G S Video Test

Sat, 20 Jun 2009 12:28:17 -0500

This is the first YouTube to blog video code test. The video above was not taken by the 3G S, but rather I was able to directly embed a YouTube video into a blog post using the new copy and paste feature and a bit of crude substitution. Ultimately, when first flight comes, I'll be able to upload video directly through YouTube and embed it straight to here without touching a computer.