The weather in Seattle today isn’t much different from that of a year ago
when Mike Carriker and Randy Neville took ZA001 on its maiden flight.
It’s a far more somber of an anniversary than Boeing would like it to
be with the test fleet grounded after the November 9 fire. ZA002 is
back home in Seattle and the fleet is in ground testing, but there remain large questions hanging over this program.
If all had gone to the plan laid out at time of the 787’s first flight one year ago, ZA100 would be handed over to All Nippon Airways sometime this week or next. The aircraft would’ve departed Paine Field with a partially full plane of Boeing and ANA executives and eager media on their way to Haneda Airport in Tokyo, but a year later, that moment has no clear date.
With just under 2,400h under its belt, the 787 has undertaken some 765 flights all over the United States. the UK, Iceland, Ireland, Norway, France and The Netherlands, flying to the North Pole and as far south as Fort Lauderdale, braving high winds, extreme temperatures and an insatiable media.
Soon after ZA001 made its first flight a banner was hung inside Boeing’s Everett engineering offices. The banner, in blue and white Dreamliner colors, exclaimed: “Making history isn’t easy, but well worth it!”
I’m not sure if the banner is still there today – it wouldn’t surprise me if it was – but a year after that first 787 flight, if you’re involved in this program around the world in any way, it may be well worth it to be reminded of its message.
Below the fold you’ll find links to a year’s worth of entries, 143 to be exact, from this page’s coverage of the 787 Dreamliner since the first flight window first opened on the 10th of December last year up until last week. Also, spend some time browsing the nearly 900 photos from the past year as well, it will provide a chance to see the 787 at nearly every angle from production to flight test, inside and out.
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.