Boeing is kicking off the final ten days of preparations for the maiden flight of ZA001 with a flight readiness review set for today.
The review will evaluate the preparations and maturity of ZA001’s ability to fly before the month is out and according to program sources, the June 30th date remains Boeing’s scheduled target for 787 first flight.
The schedule remains extremely fluid as Boeing progresses toward first flight, with some milestones moving slightly to the right. ZA001 will exit the weekend and head into the two-day final gauntlet test on Wednesday and Thursday, followed by a checkout and pre-taxi inspection on Friday. Initial low and high speed taxi testing is set for next Saturday and Sunday.
If all goes smoothly between now and then, Monday will be used for a final aircraft inspection and pre-flight check by chief project pilot Mike Carriker with the aircraft set to be “released for flight” by 4 PM that same day.
If the weather cooperates, 16 hours later ZA001 will be in position on Runway 34L for a departure of 10 AM Pacific Time on Tuesday, June 30.
RECENT TESTS
According to Aviation Week, over the last week, round-the-clock engineering tests have continued on ZA001. Tests have included “electrical systems tests along with ‘component noise’ evaluations” (June 13); fuel verification and air data reference system tests (June 14); mid-air fuel jettison tests; lateral control, rudder and elevator at deflection tests, including trim changes to the horizontal stabilizer (June 15); hydraulic systems tests (June 16), as well as stowing of the the static pressure cone on June 18.
HISTORICAL AND METEOROLOGICAL TIMING
Five of the last seven Puget Sound-based Boeing first flights have occurred on weekends to allow company employees and their families to view first flight.
However, this pattern has not always held, with 707 and 757 being the notable exceptions with their respective first flights falling on Friday, December 20, 1957 and Friday, February 19, 1982.
According to the Flight archive, Boeing initially targeted
Wednesday, June 1st at its first flight date for 777. The 777’s maiden flight was Sunday, June 12.
Two key factors will decide when first flight happens. First, the readiness of the airplane and second, the cooperation of mother nature.
The winds have to be blowing in from the north in order for ZA001 to use Runway 34L.
The wind requirement ensures a departure to the north that will take ZA001 over
Possession Sound rather than the populated northern Seattle communities of Everett and Lynnwood that lie to the south of Paine Field. In the event of an emergency after ZA001 leaves the runway, Mike Carriker and Randy Neville will be able to guide the aircraft to an unpopulated area and ensure the safety of those on the ground below.
FALLING LEARNING CURVE
Boeing’s second flying 787 is trailing closely behind ZA001 on its path to first flight that is expected to follow within three weeks. ZA002 was moved June 19th from the fuel dock
to the flight line a few stalls down from ZA001.
The move represents the falling learning curve as Boeing gains experience preparing its flight test aircraft for flight. Boeing moved ZA002 out of the factory to the fuel dock on June 15th and to Stall 103 on the flight line on June 19th. Compare that roughly four-day span to the 13-days ZA001 spent at the fuel dock before moving to the flight line.
ZA100 FINAL ASSEMBLY
On Wednesday, June 17, Boeing and ANA celebrated the formal commencement of assembly operations for ZA100, the first production 787-8. The aircraft will eventually be registered JA801A and, if all goes to plan, will be handed over to the Japanese airline next February.
For the first 12 to 18 months after entry in to service, the 787 will be restricted to use on regional and domestic routes while the Japanese Civil Aviation Board (JCAB) takes a cautious approach to approving extended twin engine operations (ETOPS). The JCAB will conduct an additional certification outside of the expected ETOPS certification that will come with the 787 by US and European regulatory authorities.
The relationship between Boeing and the Japanese is a longstanding one going back to the launch of the 767 in 1978. Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI), Kawasaki Heavy Industries (KHI) and Fuji Heavy Industries (FHI) were invited to build 15% of the 767 airframe. That role was expanded in the 1990s on the 777 with 20% of the airframe and 35% on the 787.
Just as the leaders of ANA and the 787 program celebrated the start of final assembly with a traditional Japanese “Kagami wari” ceremony this past week, the same tradition was observed during the 777 program when a key factory came online to produce new parts for the aircraft in 1993. (see video)
Photo Credit Jim Larsen
Stay with FlightBlogger for on-going coverage of the first flight of the 787, which will soon transition to on-location coverage. Stay tuned.
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.