Boeing 787 Dreamliner Moves to Flight Line for Testing
EVERETT, Wash., May 3 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ — The Boeing 787 Dreamliner that will fly later this quarter has moved to the flight line. Fuel testing — the first in the next phase of extensive checks the airplane must undergo — will begin in the next few days.
“We are making great progress, and moving ever-closer to first flight,” said Scott Fancher, vice president and general manager of the 787 Dreamliner program.
In recent weeks, the 787 (designated ZA001) completed a rigorous series of tests including build verification tests, structures and systems integration tests, landing gear swings and factory gauntlet, which is the full simulation of the first flight using the actual airplane. With Chief Pilot Mike Carriker at the controls, the simulation tested all flight controls, hardware and software. The simulation also included manual and automatic landings and an extensive suite of subsequent ground tests.