This is a developing story and will be updated as information becomes available.
The world is a buzz with news dripping out of the Pacific Northwest as Boeing’s first 787 Dreamliner is on the verge of starting its Trent 1000 engines for the first time.
Pre-run tests are scheduled for Thursday morning ahead of engine start that could come as early as this [tomorrow] afternoon depending on the outcome of the tests.
The ‘more-electric’ architecture of the 787 will start the engines electrically, rather than drawing bleed air for the start. The system replaces pipes and valves for the bleed air system with cables and contactors.
In a very simplified way, the electrical power sources – the tail cone’s auxiliary power unit or an external ground car – convert electrical power with two 250 kVA variable frequency starter generators (VFSGs) that sit on gearboxes and act as motors to begin spinning up the engine.
UPDATE 3:35 PM ET: Well, it’s not Thursday today. I’ll look back on this moment and laugh, but in the meantime, I’ll just cringe that I didn’t know what day of the week it really was. So, yes, it’s Wednesday. However, seeing as I just earned an additional 24-hours on my week, I can safely say that engine start will be in the next 24 hours, with all outward signs pointing to Thursday (real Thursday, unlike fake Thursday – aka Wednesday).
ZA001 – Taken 11:51 AM PT:
Photo Credit Liz MatzelleThis 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.