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I just shot this inside Boeing new mock up of the 737 Sky Interior which will enter service with FlyDubai in the 4th quarter of 2010. The video demonstrates the new LED lighting transitions of the cabin and shows the comparison between LED and fluorescent bulbs currently in use on 737s.

**Note: My lens automatically adapted for the change in lighting as the lights were dimmed, though I tilted the camera to compensate. The video captures accurately what you as a passenger would see on board.

RENTON — Boeing has launched a new interior and upgraded CFM engine for the 737 Next Generation family of narrowbody of aircraft.

CFM will introduce the CFM56-7B Evolution engine in conjunction with a new interior to deliver a 1% improvement in overall aircraft efficiency. Boeing will also make minor tweaks to the aerodynamics of the aircraft to contribute to a 1% improvement as well.

Overall, Boeing hopes to deliver around 2% of overall improvements for 737 Next Generation customers.

Boeing believes that customers will see the benefit of these changes the longer the aircraft remains in cruise.

CFM & Boeing will introduce changes to the engine nozzle and plug, remove 9% of engine airfoils reducing maintenance costs by an expected 4%. CFM will also deliver the improvement by increasing airflow through the engine and reducing overall temperature.

The technology changes represent a $100 million investment for CFM.

CFM will flight test the CFM56-7B Evolution on General Electric’s venerable Boeing 747-100 in February of 2010. Boeing will utilize a Continental 737-800 to flight test the changes at the end of 2010 ahead of entry into service.

Launch customers include FlyDubai, Continental Airlines, Malaysian Airlines, Tui, Norwegian and GOL.

Entry into service for the engine and aerodynamic enhancements are scheduled for mid-2011. The interior will enter service in 4Q2010.

FlyDubai will be the launch customer for the Boeing 737 Sky Interior which features new LED lighting, larger 777/787 style pivot bins and a host of other changes. The interior improvements mark the most significant change to the 737’s cabin since the type was introduced with Southwest Airlines in 1998.

The weight-neutral interior will be a priced option for existing 737 customers and be a mandatory priced “option” for new customers. Boeing declined to discuss the adjustment in price of the new features.

Downright Classic, originally uploaded by flightblogger.

Boeing Sonic Cruiser model at the Customer Experience Center.

EVERETT — During this weekend’s 787 gear swing testing, Boeing identified an issue with ZA001’s electrical system that will be further analyzed in the preparation for the aircraft’s first flight, the company confirms.

The issue was first discovered during a gear swing test conducted under ground power. During the cycling of the gear, the aircraft was switched from ground to internal power, and subsequently suffered an unexpected shutdown of the aircraft’s systems, according to a source familiar with the test.

Power was quickly restored to the aircraft and the landing gear were fully lowered to allow the aircraft to complete additional swing tests on Sunday evening.

The completion of these tests cleared the way for ZA001 to depart Building 40-24 around 4 AM local time for the paintshop to complete final painting its aqueous wash of the aircraft’s fuel tanks and various inspections.

Boeing underscores that it is “not concerned about the overall performance of the electrical power system.
It has been robust in its operations heading into these recent tests.”

The American airframer intends to continue to collect additional data to “more thoroughly understand the problem.” Adding, that this issue is considered to be a normal “blip on the screen” and has no impact whatsoever on first flight.

Boeing, however, did not conduct the additional diagnostic testing during the weekend as completing the swing tests for ZA001 took priority.

The company explained the fault as possibly originating from, “An airplane protective feature…sometimes keeping the power from being applied.”

Boeing did not elaborate on the specifics of the ‘protective feature’ and its role in the testing of the electrical systems.

Aviation Week reports that the gear swing tests successfully completed two of three main configurations, though did not specify what the configurations entailed. The final configuration, presumably one that requires the aircraft to switch power sources during gear retraction and extension, will be conducted while the aircraft is on the flight line.

Photo Credit Boeing

Travel Day: DCA-SEA, originally uploaded by flightblogger.

Boeing 737-800 N514AS

This week’s Movie Monday takes you inside Russia’s Sukhoi aircraft company and it’s extraordinary history. The documentary, with all its rare historical footage, comes to us this week in six ten-minute segments. I’m going to be traveling all day today on my way to Seattle and somewhat incommunicado, so I’m not sure there will be any posting until much later today, but feel free to follow my updates on twitter as this very, very busy week progresses.

Aviation Week reports that ZA001 hit an electrical system snag this weekend following “landing gear retraction tests went better, and faster, than expected.”

On Saturday Boeing decided it
would have a special test to trouble-shoot the issue on Sunday
afternoon, but by the morning of Apr 26^th it was decided to
indefinitely delay the electrical system test. No word as yet on what
exactly the issue was, or whether it will delay the start of
intermediate gauntlet tests – the next big milestone on the road to
first flight.

This page has no additional details beyond what has been reported by Aviation Week, though I was reminded of a quote from then 787 Program Manager Pat Shanahan in May 2008 that puts this situation in the appropriate context for understanding the road forward.

Mr. Shanahan, now Vice President of Airplane Programs, said of gauntlet testing:

“That’s really when the fun starts, we can
really see how stable the airplane is. So, are there any problems that
need to be resolved? Guess what, there will be lots of those, and the
idea is none of them will be severe…I expect people run in every half
hour and they’ll drop their grenade, then we’ll dispatch the right
people and we’ll go resolve those issues.”

Boeing’s P-8A Poseidon sub hunter has completed its first flight, marking the start of the aircraft’s rigorous flight test campaign, the company confirms.

The modified 737-800 aircraft, equipped with a 737-900ER wing and raked winglets, operating as call sign Boeing Papa Eight Experimental, departed Renton Municipal Airport at 10:41 AM PT according to a time line compiled by airplane spotter Andrew Sieber.

The three hour and thirty-one minute flight saw the Navy’s new sub hunter, accompanied by two T-33 chase plane aircraft, touch down at Boeing’s Military Flight
Center at Boeing Field south of downtown Seattle at 2:11 PM PT.

Boeing has built two P-8A flight test
aircraft – T-1 and T-2. The former is the unpainted aircraft that made
its debut flight. T-2 has not yet flown, but has been
painted in USN colors.

The P-8A Poseidon will be ready for operational deployment with the US Navy in FY2013.

P-8A Poseidon First Flight Time Line – All Times Pacific
(N541BA – YP001 – T-1 – Boeing Papa Eight Experimental)
0727 – A number of BCA employees begin working on the plane
0750 – Radio transmission on BOE RNT freq. Hydraulic testing at the time.
0830 – Flight test pilots conduct walk around
0843 – Pilots report they are on schedule for a 0930 departure from RNT
0846 – YP001 conducts VHF radio checks
0906 – Pilots report engine starts will be at 0945
0957 – Still doing flight control tests. Will start engines at new time of 1015.
1009 – YP001 calls into Renton tower for IFR clearance. No flight plan available.
1011 – Air stairs removed from plane
1016 – IFR clearance received for Boeing 9 Experimental
1021 – Boeing P8 Experimental Engine starts
1030 – Calls into Renton Ground requesting permission to taxi.
1033 – T-33 chase planes, N109X & N416X, contact Renton tower and enter the pattern.
1035 – Takes the runway for taxi test.
1040 – Liftoff with BCA chase planes in hot pursuit on Runway 15.
1411 – YP001 Touches down at Boeing Field (KBFI)
*Source & Photo Credit – Andrew Sieber

ZA001, jacked up off its landing gear, was conducting final landing gear swing tests late into Friday evening, as Boeing moves ever closer to rolling the first 787 to the flight line.

Using about 4 million lines of code, and a myriad of supporting systems, ZA001 raised and lowered its landing
gear in concert with the nose and main gear doors.

Following this final
ground-based validation of the landing gear system, the next test of
the Messier-Dowty landing gear will take place in the skies over Washington when Mike Carriker and
Randy Neville are at the controls. The area around the
aircraft was cordoned off for the tests after jacks to raise the aircraft were installed
early on Friday.

For ZA002, final preparations were underway for the ground vibration testing as additional testing equipment was being set up on Friday evening. The tests, according to Aviation Week, are slated to get underway around midnight Pacific Time.

Presuming the current testing progresses as planned, Boeing is targeting a very late Sunday night
departure for ZA001 from Building 40-24. Dreamliner One will be
quite visible on the flight line when the sun rises over Everett on Monday morning.