Keep the line moving........

Now that Boeing is well into flight testing let's see how production is coming along on future 787s. As always, readers can scroll down to the bottom of this blog to see where the 787s are from ZA001 to the aircraft that is just starting it's assembly at Everett.

Currently inside building 40-26 there are 4 787s in various stages of assembly. LN 14 is at position 4 and LN 17 has just started final assembly. LN 18, a 787 destined for ANA is the next one and will start final assembly on March 1st after a line pulse on February 28th. Airplane 14 will move to the paint hangar at that time and airplane 13 (for ANA) will be moved out to the Boeing flightline.

Around the middle of March, it is expected that airplane 9 (also for ANA) will complete its side of body mods in the flightline tent and be moved to building 40-24 to occupy a spot that is currently taken up by LN 5. LN 5 will be moved outside to the Everett flightline and LN 10 (for LAN) will be moved into the flightline test for side of body mods.

Looking a little forward, Boeing will be looking to assembly airplanes 19 (for Royal Air Maroc) and 20 (for Japan Airlines) in March

Dreamliner 1 may start taxi tests soon

According to Guy Norris and Matt Cawby, Boeing may start conducting some taxi tests of Dreamliner 1 very soon. Matt Cawby on his blog post yesterday says that further VHF radio checks were conducted and added that taxi tests appeared imminent.

Matt Cawby also videotaped the LCF delivering the main fuselage section for Dreamliner 14 (LN 14).
Matt Cawby's Dec. 5th blog post

Today Guy Norris posted on his blog at Aviation Week that there is to be a "all hands" safety walk down which is a sign that taxi tests are imminent. Guy also said that testing thus far has gone very well. Now the question remains, with taxi test apparently coming soon, does that mean that Boeing is altering the path to first flight? What other testing is going to happen and when? What about the detailed static test results (should be coming within days). The answers to these questions will help determine when Dreamliner 1 will fly.

787 Countdown to first flight (resumed) Part 2

UPDATE (12/7/2009, 2:50PM) I'm getting word that Dreamliner 1 is being deiced. The only reason to do that is to either run taxi tests or to make sure that the aircrafts movable surfaces are free of ice during flight control surface movements in a test.

Flightblogger: 787 First Flight Date's a Moving Target

Well the title sums it all up. I even heard a date of Dec. 12th though I really think that date is not realistic. One pattern is emerging: the date is going to be between Dec. 14th and Dec. 22nd and Boeing is marching towards that date.

Flightblogger reported that Boeing performed software checks as well as testing the thrust reversers. The final gauntlet testing is still schedule for next week and ZA002 is inside going through some final reassembly activities as well as getting it's fuel tanks washed out.

Also Matt Cawby reported on his blog that Boeing conducted VHF radio checks on the same frequency that was used for the taxi tests. The nose section for LN14 (Dreamliner 14) was delivered today on the LCF from Spirit Aerosystems.

Flightblogger

Matt Cawby

787 Update from Paris (and beyond)

UPDATE: ZA002 (N787EX) is out on at the Boeing fuel dock. Matt Cawby posted a photograph this morning showing the aircraft finally outside and ready to conduct fueling tests. First flight of ZA002 should take place by July 21st. Matt Cawby's Photo.

Well Boeing gave some more information into when the Dreamliner will finally leave the ground through it was hardly earth shattering news. First the first flight was not going to be event driven (ie not fly during the air show) but rather fly when it's ready to fly. This has been Boeing's mantra since August 2007.

Secondly, Scott Carson did say that it'll fly on June 30th which is the end of the 2nd quarter. Again not earth shattering news from Boeing. Jon Ostrower did post that it is possible that the schedule can be bought forward from June 30th, he cited program sources.

Now according to Jon's post (also from program sources), the way things are laid out over the next two weeks are as follow:

Now until through this weekend: preps for final gauntlet testing
Early next week: final gauntlet testing (about 2 days in length)
Middle of next week to the end of the week (June 25 or 26th): Inspections of 787 prior to start of taxi tests
Late next week through the weekend of June 27th-28th): taxi tests (787 moves under it's own power)
June 3oth: In the air

Now this is a zero margin schedule and as Jon said, it could move to the left depending on how further testing goes.

Jon also reported that Boeing and the partners in the supply chain agreed that all travelled work would be eliminated by airplane 14 which should be in final assembly by the end of this year. Alenia North America chief Giuseppe Giordo also said in Paris that it still takes Global Aeronautica about 300 days to finish the main fuselage section of the 787 but they are working on reducing that number. This probably accounts for all the sections flowing into the GA assembly sight in Charleston.
Guy Norris also put out an update on the 787 this morning. The first flight fuel verification testing that was supposed to take place today was actually completed on Sunday thus allowing for Boeing to proceed to the testing of the flight control system today (June 15th) with a focus on the tail and full deflection testing of the horizontal stabilizers (tail feathers). Guy also said that a few tests were completed on ZA002 in advance of it being rolled out of the hanger and to the fuel dock. According to my information, that was to have happened last night but I have not received verification of that yet.

Jon's 787 Update from Paris
Guy's 28th 787 Update