SEATTLE – Pat Shanahan, Vice President and General Manager of the 787 Program provided a wide ranging briefing in which he laid out the areas of responsibility for each of the six flight test 787 aircraft.
The flight test program, according to program sources, is scheduled to begin in late October of this year, though Boeing has targeted the entire fourth quarter as the window for first flight.
Dreamliner One (ZA001), which is set to be the first 787 to fly, will begin the flight test program by validating the structural and aerodynamic performance of the aircraft.
Shanahan detailed the global stage the 787 flight test program will take place on.
“This is the really fun part if you’re a flight test engineer,” said Shanahan. “Pack your bags, head down to Victorville, California to do take off and landing and performance tests, then to Roswell [New Mexico] to do brake tests, go to Bolivia for high and hot, and planned Iceland or Alaska and get to do some really crazy things.”
The first airplane will be demonstrating classic flight test manuvers such as stalls and giant windmill turns.
Dreamliner Two (ZA002) will occupy its time in the flight test program by rigorously testing the systems of the 787.
“Do the radios work? Is there noise? How do the displays work?” said Shanahan. “Does the symbology do the things they’re supposed to do? Are there time delays that are unacceptable.”
Shanahan also added that Dreamliner Two will test the in-flight relight capability of the Trent 1000 engines. The same tests will also be conducted on the ground as well.
Dreamliner Three, which will feature the signature 787 interior, will demonstrate the passenger environment. For example, Boeing will test the cabin air system, passenger noise levels and the behavior of interior structure.
Dreamliner Four and Five will be used for validation for the Rolls-Royce Trent 1000 and General Electric GEnx engines respectively. Dreamliner Four will also undergo high speed testing while Dreamliner Five will incorporate elements of the testing from Dreamliners One through Four in order to gain certification for a GEnx powered 787.
Lastly, Dreamliner Six is to test the service readiness of the 787 Dreamliner.
According to program sources, all 787 flight test aircraft are expected to be airborne by the beginning of January 2009.
Dreamliner Seven will be the first production 787 and will be delivered to ANA in the 3rd quarter of 2009.
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.