Delta 777-200LR ship 7107 at the Tech Ops ramp in Atlanta.
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This post originally appeared at Flightglobal.com from 2007 to 2012.
Having what some might call a day off of sorts. Flying this Delta
757-200 (N630DL) down to Atlanta to visit Delta Tech Ops for the day.
Should make for an interesting day.
Update – My first time on Wi-fi in flight!
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This post originally appeared at Flightglobal.com from 2007 to 2012.
FlightBlogger working all sources for details. All signs point to a significant announcement out of South Carolina tomorrow. KING5 in Seattle reporting Boeing is set to file permits for an expansion of Boeing Charleston. Likely related.
Update 12:13 AM:
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A new 737-900ER for Continental Airlines departed Boeing Field on August 15th with something new under its wing. If you look closely, you can spot the new CFM56-7B Evolution engine on the left wing of N37434. The nacelle is elongated and the nozzle plug shortened to accomodate the new engine that Boeing says will improve fuel burn on the 737 by 1%. In conjunction with changes to the wing control surfaces, a redesigned anti-collision light, revised wheel well fairing and ECS inlet and exhaust changes, Boeing hopes to improve the fuel consumption of the 737 NG family by a total of 2% by mid-2011.
However, did the 7BE really make its first flight? According to CFM, which unveiled the Evolution engine in April, the engine isn’t supposed to fly on a 737 for more than a year. The first time the 7BE is expected to take to the sky is in February of 2010 under the wing of GE’s 747 testbed, followed by certification in July 2010 and first flight on a Continental 737 in October 2010.
So, what’s going on here? Just a test of the new nacelle and plug? Can someone shed some light?
UPDATE 2:10 PM: N37434 did fly with the revised nacelle on August 15th, but without the Evolution engine. We have about another year to wait before the 7BE is flown on a 737.
Photo Credit Joe Walker
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This post originally appeared at Flightglobal.com from 2007 to 2012.
If you happen to be a frequent watcher of Boeing’s flight line in Everett, you’ll know that even subtle changes in the landscape tend to spur discussion. Though, this week you may have noticed a BIG new addition to the parking lot of the world’s largest airplane nursery.
The “tent” appears to be AT LEAST 200 feet wide and 200 feet long, though that’s just an estimate on my part. The structure will be covered shelter to house ZA002 – and subsequent 787s – while the wing fix is installed on the side of body. Think of it as a massive operating room…like M*A*S*H 787.
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Across the entirety of Boeing’s 787 global supply chain from Charleston to China, Nagoya to Naples and Winnipeg to Washington, executives, manufacturing planners and engineers are in the late stages in developing a document that will dictate the future of the planet’s most ambitious industrial undertaking.
The document, known as Z18, the latest of 18 revisions to the 787 schedule, dictates all aspects of the fabrication, final assembly flow and customer delivery planning for each aircraft.
A preliminary version of Z18 has been examined by Boeing Commericial Airplanes CEO Scott Carson and is expected to be reviewed shortly by Boeing CEO Jim McNerney, senior program sources tell FlightBlogger.
Sources familiar with the schedule indicate that ZA001’s first flight is likely to be slated for the late November/early December time frame, with first delivery to Japan’s All Nippon Airways in the fourth quarter of 2010.
However, Boeing maintains that no decisions on the schedule have been made and the disclosure of the overall program timeline detailing first flight and aircraft certification will be announced by the end of September.
The development of Z18 is a closely held process that takes into account the short and long term production strategies, the ability of suppliers to ramp up and incorporate design changes, the capacity of final assembly operations, the requirements of airlines, as well as the financial considerations that impact the decision-making process.
Scott Fancher, 787 program vice president and general manager, was quoted in July as saying it was no secret that Boeing required a second final assembly line to support the production ramp up and meet the unprecedented demand for the aircraft.
Z18, as a result of this future requirement, could be the first program schedule that Boeing develops with provisions and planning for a second 787 assembly line in mind, no matter where it is located.
Fancher, who’s responsible for the implementation of the schedule will require more art than science, his role likened to that of an orchestra conductor, ensuring that each of the partners moves in unison at the required tempo.
INSIDE:
Photo Credit Andrew Sieber
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This post originally appeared at Flightglobal.com from 2007 to 2012.
If ever a picture was worth 1000 words, this is it. ZA002 began taxi testing today following two days of minor, and now resolved, troubleshooting issues. Taxiing nearby Boeing’s newest commercial aircraft, was a B-17G, a flying testament to the company’s long history. This particular B-17G “Sentimental Journey” (c/n 32155) was actually built under license by Douglas in Long Beach and was delivered to the USAF in March of 1945. The aircraft was later stored in Japan then converted over the course of its life for various roles, including one as a tanker.
Photo Credit Liz Matzelle (via iPhone)
Oh yeah, and here are some videos taken by Matt Cawby of this afternoon’s taxi testing.
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This post originally appeared at Flightglobal.com from 2007 to 2012.
Yesterday, Boeing released a photo from the flight deck of RC501 during power on testing for the first 747-8 freighter, and I was struck by the (subtle) differences between the -8 and the -400 cockpits.
Many of the changes build on the 747 flight deck upgrades that found their way into later -400 models, including LCD displays to replace the CRT screens and consolidation of the back up instruments to a single unit.
The 747-8 maintains the same type rating as the -400, but adds HF datalink, new multifunction displays (MFD), a new LCD flight management computer (FMC) interface, cursor control knob like that on the 787, vertical situation display, as well as electronic checklists like those first introduced by Boeing on the 777.
The avionics will also enable RNP .1 navigation for precision approaches and departures.
Other subtle changes to the pilot interface include the removal of the center detent in the landing gear lever. Previously, crews would have to set the lever to ‘up’, then to ‘off’ once retracted. Crews need only to set the ‘up’ position to retract the landing gear after takeoff. As a result of the smaller landing gear lever, the autobrake selector has also been relocated to just above the first officer’s FMC, similar to the arrangement in the 777 and 787.
In addition, as a result of the additional multifunction display options, the Display Select Panel on the glareshield, which sits between the Electronic Flight Instrumentation System (EFIS) and the autopilot Mode Control Panel (MCP), reflects a 777-style arrangement to select a range of synoptic pages on the left and right inboard displays and lower center MFD.
Photo Credit Boeing
Graphic Credit FlightBlogger
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Taxi tests on ZA002 planned for Monday were put on hold this afternoon for an unspecified reason according to Guy Norris of Aviation Week.
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.
When approached for explanation regarding the hold, Boeing says it doesn’t comment on the testing schedule for any of its 787s.
Video Courtesy of Matt Cawby taken August 14, 2009
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A350 funding from UK, Germany
On virtually the eve of the preliminary decision by the WTO on Boeing’s protest to Airbus launch aid, the Governments of Germany and the UK have committed $1.548B and $555m, respectively for the development of the A350. Needless to say, this has not quelled Boeing’s ire about how Airbus funds its new aircraft programs. Permit me to ask an open question, would Airbus be able to secure the same amount of funding from traditional commercial sources with more latitude in how it lays out its workshare?
ZA002 Taxi Testing
All indications point to N787EX taxiing under its own power as early as today in Everett. Today’s tests, which should mimic ZA001’s July testing, will likely mark one of the last public events before Dreamliner Two goes under the knife for the wing fix. Program progress will again be difficult to gauge outwardly. ZA002 will either remain on the flight line covered by a tent or moved north to the ATS hangars to undergo structural reinforcement.
SWA@BOS
Southwest Airlines completed its first flight to Boston’s Logan International Airport yesterday, expanding its New England service into Massachusetts. The move is another step forward in Southwest’s slow and steady expansion into first tier major metropolitan airports like Denver, La Guardia and Dulles. The airline of the suburbs is moving to the big city. Can’t wait to see the DOT data going up against JetBlue.
Reviving FriendFeed
As you can see, I’ve added a big old “FlightBlogger by E-Mail” button to the left side of the page to receive the blog by email. To the right is FriendFeed which, in it’s current form on this page, is quite static. Over the last year or so, FriendFeed (now owned by Facebook) has evolved significantly to better foster and integrate discussion and sharing. I’ve also found myself using it A LOT more to share stories of note and start discussions. They aren’t necessarily items of original content of my own, but it allows me to highlight and comment on interesting things, while using this page for breaking news, analysis and commentary.
I’ve been able to hone the pace of content sharing: FlightBlogger features medium and extended posts, FriendFeed enables short posting and multimedia sharing and Twitter allows for microblogging. All of these tools are FlightBlogger, it’s just a matter of finding the right content for the right platform. No piece exists on its own, and each piece supports the others.
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.
