UPDATE 5:36 PM ET: Boeing confirms that the ultimate load test is scheduled for Sunday, March 28th in the 40-23 Building of the Everett Factory. The company says that “testing is dynamic” and that March 28th date could change, adding that “We are not currently planning on breaking the wing.”
4:37 PM ET: Boeing is planning to flex the wing of the 787 static test airframe (ZY997) to 150% of limit load on March 28 as part of the ultimate load structural test of the aircraft’s composite primary structure, according to a company source. No word yet on whether or not the wing will be flexed to destruction like on the 777 program in January 1995.
The Federal Aviation Administration requires aircraft structure to withstand four seconds at loads of 150% of what the aircraft would ever experience in service. Tests that will build toward the ultimate load condition began on February 8th, says Pat Shanahan, vice president of airplane programs for Boeing.
Photo Credit Boeing
This post was originally published to the internet between 2007 and 2012. Links, images, and embedded media from that era may no longer function as intended.
This post originally appeared at Flightglobal.com from 2007 to 2012.