by wings777It has been one month since the 787 first flew from Paine Field in Everett and the program has been steadily accumulating flight test hours, having flown approximately 60hr and 56min over 15 flights, as measured by the take off and landing notification alerts from flightaware.com.
Dennis O’Donoghue, vice president of Boeing’s flight operations test & validation unit, said to Bloomberg yesterday that “We have been so happy with the progress we’ve made with the 787, I’m almost giddy.”
This report, compiled with the assistance of Matt Cawby and numerous other Seattle-based photographers and many others reflects the progress of 787 flight test over its first month.
On its targeted 8.5 month road through through certification, Boeing expects about 4000 “deliverables” to the FAA for the certification for the 787. Mike Delaney, former chief engineer on the 787 program, says those deliverables consist of test reports and analyses, as well as pilots signing off on various aspects of aircraft handling.
Of those 4000 deliverables, 300 are strictly related to flight test, meaning that the only method of demonstrating compliance is through the flight test program. There are “some areas where the method of compliance is analysis substantiated by [flight] test so there are subtleties in there but these are strictly where it says “method of compliance is by flight test,” says Delaney now vice president of engineering for airplane performance & product architecture.
MUCH MORE BELOW
ZA001/BOE1
Since it first flew on December 15, ZA001 has amassed an estimated 57hr and 51min of flight time as the aircraft has completed initial airworthiness of the 787′s design. Of the 23 cycles (46 take offs and landings) completed by the 787 test fleet, 21 have been flown by ZA001 after having visited Boeing Field in Seattle, Paine Field in Everett and Grant County International at Moses Lake.
On January 3rd the aircraft has reached a top ceiling of FL300 on with flaps full up and recorded its first night landing on the same flight. Flights have averaged 4hr and 16min, with the longest flight of 6hr completed on January 10th. So far the aircraft has flown with only two crew members during the initial airworthiness period.
Early tests have also included first uplink up of the electronic flight bag (EFB) and first heads up display takeoff.
ZA001′s IAW maneuvers to test the stability & control (S&C) of the aircraft have primarily taken place at FL150, FL200 and FL300 and consisted of speedbrake extensions and retractions, tight turns, wind up turns, dutch rolls, recovery from stall warnings, as well as power off stalls at different centers of gravity.
by Kevin ScottBoeing is not commenting on the status of flight tests, and apart from a series of planned updates, will not confirm that the current airworthiness series is underway. However, data from the flight tracking site, Flightaware.com, shows activity consistent with the steady, relatively sedate flying required for initial airworthiness tests. A typical flight profile for this phase of testing includes:
- initial climb to 15,000-ft for control sweeps with gear down and flaps at 5, 15 and 25 degrees.
- Descend to 10,000-ft for control sweeps with flaps and gear up at various speeds between 200 and 250-kts.
- Climb to 30,000-ft for sweeps with flaps and gear up at 0.60 and 0.65 Mach.
- Roll and yaw evaluation at 15,000-ft
- Stall protection system tests at around 20,000-ft.
- Descend for a series of approach and landings, including at least one touch and go, and one approach and take-off with simulated engine out.
During IAW, the aircraft has achieved climb rates as high as 4600 to 5000 feet per minute. Problems or “squawks” have been extremely infrequent thus far, though there was a “catastrophic failure of the lavatory door” which apparently came off its hinges on January 3rd, prompting a call from Randy Neville to the ground asking if there was any tape on board the aircraft.
Beyond this, the landing gear, while mechanically operating properly on ZA001, has been presented recurring (and blinking) EICAS “disagree” messages, a notable if not ultimately minor, squawk.
ZA002/BOE2
by Paul CarterBeyond minor squawks like the misaligned gear brace and cracked windshield, the aircraft has spent the last three weeks at Boeing Field having additional instrumentation installed and calibrated, as well as undergoing ground test hours as part of the certification campaign.
Program sources say that when it returns to flight test operations, ZA002 will be starting low visibility HUD take offs and landings in low visibility and cross wind conditions that may take the aircraft out of Washington state for the first time in search of bad weather.
ZA004
The next aircraft to join ZA001 and ZA002 in the flight test program will be ZA004, registered N7874. The aircraft is currently parked at the fuel dock in preparation for first flight expected in early February.
ZA003
The third test aircraft, though the fourth to fly, will take to the skies shortly after ZA004 in February. The aircraft has already received its interior which includes the signature 787 archway, overhead bins, five rows of nine-abreast black economy seats between doors 1 and 2, flight and cabin crew overhead rest areas, overhead LCD video screens, instrumentation racks between doors two and three and 11 rows of nine abreast economy between doors three and four. Sources add that the galleys are complete with carts and coffee makers.
ZA005 and ZA006
The first General Electric powered 787s will join the flight test program beginning in March and April respectively. ZA006 was moved to the ATS hangar on December 23rd.
PRODUCTION
by BFIguyThe 787 final assembly line inside Building 40-26 is currently home to Airplanes 12 through 15 (ZA105, ZA115, ZA116 and ZA117) in various states of completion. ZA117′s center fuselage, the first fully painted, will be the last requiring full reinforcement of the side-of-body conducted in Everett. Wings for Airplane 16, ZA118, arrived on January 9th.
When Airplane 17 arrives it will be the first GEnx powered production 787 have also arrived in Everett. The aircraft designated ZA150 for Royal Air Maroc will also be the second 787 to wear an airline’s colors.
Top Photo Credit Boeing
Second Photo Credit Wings777
Third Photo Credit Kevin Scott/F/Depth
Fouth Photo Credit Paul Carter/planephotoman
Fifth Photo Credit BFIGuy
Second Photo Credit Wings777
Third Photo Credit Kevin Scott/F/Depth
Fouth Photo Credit Paul Carter/planephotoman
Fifth Photo Credit BFIGuy
