As Boeing continues to tackle the time consuming replacement of thousands of fasteners, 787 production remains frozen and is pacing a formal assessment of the program’s schedule, including a timeline for first flight and delivery.
Though a revised 787 schedule for the start of the flight test program is yet to be determined, Boeing is focusing its efforts for the remainder of 2008 on providing a clean bill of structural health to Dreamliner One.
Boeing declined to comment on the pace of the on-going schedule assessment.
According to sources familiar with the fastener replacement timeline, the expected completion of the fix for Dreamliner One should come by the end of December.
Yet, the on-going fastener replacement is reverberating down the assembly line. Everett, WA-based sources add that no production airframe movements are scheduled for the remainder of the year, resulting in final assembly start for Dreamliner Five, the first General Electric GEnx powered 787, being pushed into 2009.
However, late last week, ZY998, the fatigue test airframe, exited Building 40-24 for the paint shop. The move took place after dark, says one program source, adding that the improperly installed fasteners will be addressed after ZY998 leaves the paint shop.
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.