Boeing engineers have completed detailed design and computer validation of the final aspects of the 787 wing fix, the company says.
Boeing says the the final parts are currently being fabricated for the side of body modification that has kept the 787 grounded.
Once complete, the parts will be shipped to Everett installation aboard the static test airframe (ZY997) followed by full-scale validation. Installation is also currently progressing on ZA001 as well.
Boeing declined to say how long the final fittings would take to fabricate, but that they would be ready “soon”.
Boeing CEO Jim McNerney said in last Wednesday’s third quarter earnings call that the design and validation would be complete by week’s end.
The company will continue subcomponent testing of the wing fix through the full-scale validation process, but adds that the data collected on the reinformcement so far has provided positive results.
Program sources tell FlightBlogger that Boeing engineers were troubleshooting detailed design issues with the four highest-load stringers at the aft of the wing as recently as ten days ago, but Boeing’s detailed design completion appears to signal the design obstacles have been overcome.
The company has maintained that the first 787, ZA001, currently being modified inside Paint Hangar 45-04 is on track for first flight by the close of 2009.
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This post originally appeared at Flightglobal.com from 2007 to 2012.