Boeing Flying the Wings Off 787 and 747-8F

This past few days since the Farnborough Air Show ended has seen Boeing flying the wings off both the 787 and the 747-8F. The 787 test fleet racked a few first during this past weekend including ZA001 and ZA002 going over the 400 flight hour mark. the 787 test flight fleet surpassing the 40% mark for test flight hours and the 400th flight of the 787.

During Sunday all 5 test 787s were flying at one point or another and Boeing had added well over 65 test flight hours during the period starting from July 23rd to July 25th. Boeing will need to fly the 4 Rolls Royce powered 787s about 10 hours a day combined everyday until the end of November if they hope to deliver the first 787 to ANA by the end of the year.

So far Boeing has accumulated about 1,293 flight hours on the 787 though I think their total is missing one flight. Boeing is also almost half way through to certifying the Trent 1000 powered 787. That version of the 787 needs 2,430 flight hours and Boeing has accumulated a little over 1,200 flight hours on the Trent powered aircraft. The test flight program for the GEnx-1B engines is just getting started and Boeing has less than 90 hour accumulated on ZA005.

Boeing also kept the 747-8F flight crews busy during this weekend with RC 501, RC522 and RC 503 (3 of 4 test aircraft) all flying at one point during this weekend. I believe RC 521 is conducting ground tests in Victorville.

Boeing has cast some doubt on whether it can finish the test flight program and deliver both these airplanes by the end of the year though they are maintaining the guidance for deliveries to start by the end of 2010. If the current pace of test flights becomes a long term (4-5 months) trend within each of these programs, then Boeing is well on their way to start deliveries in December. Careful observation of the test flight program progress for both the 787 and the 747-8F will allow us to know how they're progressing.

Fanborough, 2010 Day 4 and 787/747-8 flight testing

As the Farnborough International Air Show drew to a close, one leaves with the feeling that the industry is slowly turning the corner after a few years in the midst of the worldwide recession. The key was lessors coming in to buy a lot of narrowbody aircraft and rebuild their portfolios. There certainly wasn't a lot of widebody aircraft ordered at this year's airshow but those orders may just be around the corner for many carriers. Airbus, as usual, made a big splash at the air shows with many orders being announced for the first time. Boeing also announced a lot of orders but many were for airplanes that they have already booked.

However the surprise of the show was how well Embraer and Sukhoi did and well Bombardier did not. This may be a sign of things to come in the commercial airline industry and it serves as a warning to Airbus and Boeing.

Airbus:
Aeroflot - 11 x A330-300
Air Lease Corp - 31 x A320, 20 x A321
Garuda Indonesia - 6 - A330-200
GECAS - 60 x A320
Germania - 5 x A319
Hong Kong Airlines - converted 15 XA330 to 15 x A350 (MoU) ordered 10 x A330 (MoU)
LAN - 50 x A320 (MoU)
RBS Aviation - 53 x A320 (previously booked as unidentified customer)
Thai Airways - 7 x A330-300 (MoU)
Virgin America - 40 x A320 + 20 x A320 options (MoU)
Total - 5 x A319, 91 x A320, 20 x A321, 17 x A330

ATR:
Air Lease Corp - 10 x ATR-72-600
Azul - 20 x ATR-72-600
Golden Airlines - 2 x ATR-72-500
Lao Airlines - 2 x ATR-72-500
Total - 30 x ATR-72-600, 4 x ATR-72-500

Boeing:
Air Lease Corp - 54 x 737 + 6 x 737 (options) (MoU)
Air Austral - 2 x 777-200LR (previously booked as an unidentified customer)
Alaska Airlines - 2 x 737-800 previously booked as an unidentified customer)
American Airlines - 35 x 737-800 (not announced at Farnborough)
Avolon Air Lease - 12 x 737 (ordered in 2009)
AzerBaijan Airlines - 1 x 767-300ER, 1 -767-300F, -2 x 737
Emirates - 12 x 777-300ER (30 total, 18 were previously ordered this year as an unidentified customer)
GECAS - 40 x 737-800
Norwegian Air Shuttle - 15 x 737-800 (exercise of purchase rights)
OK Airlines - 10 x 737-800 (previously booked as an unidentified customer)
Qatar Airways - 2 x 777-200LR (previously booked as an unidentified customer)
RBS Aviation - 43 x 737-800 (previously booked as an unidentified customer)
Royal Jordanian Airlines - 3 x 787-8 (previously ordered as an unidentified customer)
Total - 90 x 737, 2 x 767, 12 x 777-300ER

Bombardier:
QANTAS Airways - 7 x Q400
Qatar Airways - 2 x G5000 Business Jets, 1 x Challenger 605
UFO Russian Customer - 4 x Global Express XRS
Vista Jet - 4 x Global Express XRS, 2 x Challenger 605
Total - 10 x G5000 & Global XRS, 3 x Challenger 605, 7 x Q400

Embraer:
Air Lease Corp - 15 x E190
Azul - 5 x E195
Flybe - 35 x E175
Republic Airlines - 24 x E190 (LoI)
Trip Airlines - 2 x E190
Total - 35 x E175, 17 x E190, 5 x E195

Sukhoi:
Kartika Airlines - 30 x SSJ-100 Super Jets (MoU)
Orient Thai Airlines - 12 x SSJ-100 Super Jets
Pearl Airways - 30 x SSJ-100 Super Jets
Total - 42 x SSJ-100

787 and 747-8 Test Flying

Yesterday, Boeing flight test division got very busy. They flew 3 of 4 747-8F and 4 of 5 787s. This included the first flight of RC503, the second production 747-8F that will be delivered to Cargolux late this year or early next year. Boeing is trying to make up ground in the 747-8 flight test program.

The 747-8F program has the most ground to make up and Flightblogger has an article explaining why the program is behind. Read it here:

Flightblogger: In Context: Why Boeing's Jumbo Freighter May Slip to 2011

The 787 got a big lift with many of the test flight airplanes flying during the day though not all at the same time. ZA001 took the longest test flight of the day which clocked in at just under 8 hours. Boeing will need to fly the Rolls Royce powered 787s at least 10 hours a day everyday if they hope to deliver the first airplanes to ANA by the end of this year.

On the move

It was moving day for engineers and other flight test personnel in both the 787 and 747-8 programs.

First, ZA003 flew to Eglin Air Force Base in Florida, the first cross country trip for the 787 to perform cold soak testing the the McKinley Climatic Laboratory. The aircraft will easily fit into the hangar sized for a C-5 Galaxy transport and will be subject to temperatures as low as -65 degrees Fahrenheit. The plan is for ZA003 tho be there until April 27th after which it will fly to either San Antonio, Tx. or Yuma, Az. for hot weather testing.

Second, RC521, the second 747-8 flew to Palmdale, Ca. where it will spend most of its test flight life. The aircraft first made a short flight to Moses Lake, Washington from where it proceeded to fly to Palmdale. Boeing says that the other two 747-8s will join this airplane in the coming weeks. Here is Boeing's press release on the 747-8's move to Palmdale:

Boeing 747-8 Freighter Begins Flight-Test Operations in Southern California
PALMDALE, Calif., April 19 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- The second Boeing (NYSE: BA) 747-8 Freighter, RC521, landed in Palmdale, Calif., today, marking the beginning of a planned transition of 747-8 Freighter testing to Southern California. The more than four-hour flight from Boeing Field in Seattle included testing on avionics and cruise performance.

"Taking the airplane to Palmdale is a big step," said Mo Yahyavi, vice president and general manager of the 747 program. "The team is focused on ensuring a seamless transition into the next phase of the flight-test program as we prepare to expand testing of the 747-8 Freighter's performance characteristics."

The airplane will be stationed in Palmdale for the majority of its scheduled flight-test program. The crew will conduct several tests on the airplane with fuel-mileage and
engine-performance testing as key focus areas.

"Palmdale provides an excellent test environment for the 747-8 Freighter," said Andy Hammer, 747 test program manager. "It allows us to take full advantage of one of the world's premier experimental test flight facilities and the excellent weather conditions to meet our flight-test requirements on the road to obtaining our amended type certification."

A contingent of employees has been stationed at Palmdale for the testing, including flight-test engineers and the support personnel who prepare the airplane for each day's flights. In the coming weeks, the two other 747-8 airplanes in the flight-test fleet will join RC521 in Southern California.

The entire flight-test program calls for the three airplanes to perform a total of about 3,700 hours of ground and air testing. The first 747-8 Freighter delivery to Cargolux is planned for the fourth quarter of this year.

Busy Day for Boeing Flight Test....Again!

Boeing Photo
Boeing Flight Test Group is getting areal workout today by sending the 4th 787 (ZA003) and the 2nd 747-8F (third 747-8 built) into the air today. First up was ZA003. This aircraft, which will test the aircraft's cabin systems and is equiped with a representative cabin layout, took off from Everett Field at 10:52AM PT and flew over eastern Washington State. ZA003 landed at Boeing Field about 1:52PM PT. It had been airborne for a little over 3 hours.

Boeing has released a press release about ZA003's first flight. Here's the press release:

News Release Issued: March 14, 2010 7:22 PM EDT

Fourth 787 Joins Boeing Flight-Test Fleet
EVERETT, Wash., March 14 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Boeing (NYSE: BA) has added the fourth 787 Dreamliner to its flight-test fleet with the completion of the first flight of ZA003. The airplane departed Paine Field in Everett, Wash., at 10:55 a.m. (Pacific time) and landed at 2:01 p.m. at Boeing Field in Seattle.

Captains Ray Craig and Mike Bryan piloted the airplane on its three-hour-and-six-minute flight. ZA003 is the final 787 with Rolls-Royce Trent 1000 engines to enter the flight-test program.

"We've done a significant amount of ground testing on the new systems on ZA003 in preparation for first flight. Engineering, manufacturing and flight operations have really pulled together as a team to enable first flight," said Craig. "It has been very rewarding to watch the Boeing team pull together in support of this milestone."

ZA003 is the only 787 in the flight test fleet that will include elements of the passenger interior features including cabin and crew support systems. The 787 is introducing new passenger amenities and provisions for a more comfortable flying experience. Among the new features are improved lighting, bigger stowage bins, larger windows with electrochromatic shades and redesigned lavatories with easier access.

In addition to demonstrating that the interior meets certification requirements, ZA003 will be used to conduct tests on systems, noise performance, flight-deck operations, avionics, electromagnetic effects, high-intensity radio frequency response and extended operations (ETOPS).

"The Boeing team is doing great work. We've established a good pace of accomplishment on the program," said Scott Fancher, vice president and general manager of the 787 program, Boeing Commercial Airplanes. "The priorities are clear and the entire team is focused."
In the meantime, while ZA001 and ZA002 have been flying test flight, ZA004 has been used as a ground test article, for the time being, for the "service-ready"version of the 787 software, according to Flightblogger. The software includes tweaks to correct issues found during test flights of the 787. The testing that ZA004 is required by the FAA prior to the issuance of the Type Authorization Inspection certficate that will allow FAA inspectors and engineers on the 787 for certification test. According to Flightblogger, ZA004 should return to the air by tomorrow and will do some more ground testings followed by more flight testing at Victorville. Additionally, Flightblogger revealed that ZA005 and ZA006 should be flying by the end of April.

Service-ready 787 software tested ahead of TIA

Guy Norris also wrote a great update on the 787 and 747-8 flight testing progress to date:

Guy Norris' 787 and 747 Flight Test Update


ZA003 take off form Everett Field - Video Courtesy of Matt Cawby


787 ZA003 First Flight from Liz Matzelle on Vimeo.

Boeing Photo
Later this afternoon, RC522, the third 747-8 built took offf from Everett for it's first test flight and the second 747-8 to fly. The aircraft is registered N50127 and took off at 3:55PM PT. As of 6:06PM PT, the aircraft is still airborne though it does look like it's going to land at Boeing Field. I'll try to find out more about this if I can. the 747-8 test fleet is to be based out of Moses Lake Airport,initially and later on will be based out of Palmdale, California. It's sistership, RC501 flew a brief test flight this afternoon and the 2nd 747-8 (RC521) will fly tomorrow, March 15th, from Everett Field. Here's Boeing press release (according to which, Capt. Kirk was at the controls:

News Release Issued: March 15, 2010 1:21 PM EDT

Second Boeing 747-8 Freighter Completes First Flight

EVERETT, Wash., March 15 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- A second Boeing (NYSE: BA) 747-8 Freighter, RC 522, successfully completed its first flight Sunday evening. The airplane took off from Paine Field in Everett, Wash., for a two-and-a-half-hour flight and landed at Boeing Field in Seattle.

Captain Kirk Vining was at the controls for the flight, with Rick Braun operating as co-pilot and Joel Conard serving as systems operator. The airplane reached an altitude of 27,000 feet (8,230 m) and an airspeed of 240 knots, or about 276 miles (444 km) per hour. It took off at 3:57 p.m. PDT and landed at 6:25 p.m.

"The airplane performed well on its first flight," said Andy Hammer, test program manager for 747-8. "It was a good start to a demanding flight-test program for this airplane."

This is the second of three 747-8 Freighters being used in the flight-test program. Each
airplane will be used for a specific set of tests, with this airplane focusing on community noise, environmental control systems and extended operation performance standards.

The airplane will begin its flight-test program at Boeing Field before transitioning to Palmdale, Calif.

Boeing: 747-8F completes initial airworthiness test

Boeing Photo

Boeing announced that the first 747-8, RC501 has completed the initial airworthiness tests. This now means that flight test engineers can fly aboard as well as allowing the other two test flight airplanes to fly which is expected on March 15th and March 17.

Here's Boeing's Press Release:

News Release Issued: March 11, 2010 8:00 AM EST

Boeing 747-8 Freighter Achieves Initial Airworthiness Milestone

MOSES LAKE, Wash., March 11 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Boeing (NYSE: BA) has completed initial airworthiness testing on the 747-8 Freighter. This milestone enables test engineers to be on board during future flights and allows the remaining two 747-8 Freighter test airplanes to begin flight test.

"The airplane is performing as expected in the initial stages of flight test," said Mo Yahyavi, vice president and general manager of the 747 program, Boeing Commercial Airplanes. "That's a tribute to the men and women who helped design and build this airplane."

Since the first flight in early February, the program has conducted 13 flights, achieving several key accomplishments. Pilots have taken the airplane to an altitude of 30,000 feet (9,144 m) and a speed of Mach .65. The program has completed approximately 33 hours of flying. Initial stall tests and other dynamic maneuvers have been run, as well as an extensive checkout of the airplane's systems. Five different pilots have flown the newest Boeing freighter.

"This is a critical milestone in our test and certification plan," said Andy Hammer, test program manager for the 747-8, Boeing Commercial Airplanes. "With the addition of the other two airplanes in the near future, the test program will ramp up significantly. We will expand the flight envelope and demonstrate the airplane's capabilities."

In the weeks ahead, the 747-8 Freighter will reach an altitude of more than 43,000 feet(13,106 m) and a speed of Mach .97. Subsequent testing will push the airplane beyond expected operational conditions.

Flight testing will continue in the months ahead. All told, the 747-8 Freighter test program calls for approximately 3,700 hours of testing using three test airplanes. First delivery is planned for the fourth quarter of this year.

Boeing has secured 108 orders for the 747-8, 76 of which are orders for the new freighter. Cargolux, Nippon Cargo Airlines, AirBridgeCargo Airlines, Atlas Air, Cathay Pacific, Dubai Aerospace Enterprise, Emirates SkyCargo, Guggenheim and Korean Air all have placed orders for 747-8 Freighters.

Albaugh speaks at JP Morgan Aerospace Conference

James Albaugh, Boeing Commercial Aircraft President, spoke at a JP Morgan Investors conference this morning. Here are a few snippets:

• 787 should receive the TIA (Type Inspection Authorization) by the end of this month (March).


• Boeing right now putting out 2 787s per month will be up to 2.5 airplanes per month by August, 2010 and up to 10/month by end of 2013.


• ZA003 should fly this Sunday (confirms what I had reported earlier here)


• ZA001 reached speeds of around M0.97 (in a dive) during testing.


• Expects first 787 delivery from Charleston in 1st quarter 2012


• Boeing has used up some of the 787 flight testing contingency and had about one to one and a half months of contingency left in the test flight program.


• New 747-8 coming "on line" on March 15, 17 (this means that Initial Airworthiness Testing is complete by then so that the two remaining 747-8 test airplanes will be in the air next week).

In other news, ZA003 ran its engines yesterday on the Boeing flight line and should be conducting its gauntlet testing towards the end of this week followed by first flight on March 14th. ZA002 has departed this morning for Victorville where it will continue flight testing.

A bit of surprising news is Boeing's award of 747 LCF Dreamlifter operations from Evergreen International to Atlas Air.

Unsurprisingly, Evergreen International is upset but their contract was for 35 years but is renewable every 5 years and it was due for renewal this year. Here's an article focusing on Evergreen's reaction.

Also, unsurprisingly, Flightblogger is reporting that the LCF contract was given to Atlas as part compensation for the delays to the 747-8F, 12 of which Atlas has ordered. Atlas is due to take over LCF operations from Evergreen this September. Boeing will retain ownership of the 4 LCFs.

Flightblogger: Sources: Dreamlifter Deal Part of 747-8 Compensation to Atlas

Fleetbuzzeditorial.com : Boeing's Big Choices

3 787s in the air today

Matt Cawby's Video of ZA004's first flight:

Special Thanks to Matt Cawby



Video of ZA004 taking off courtesy of Future of Flight Museum:



Boeing has three 787s in the air today though BOE2 (ZA002) has landed at Moses Lake the other 2 ZA001 and ZA004 are still in the air as of 12:15PM. Here are the links for the three flights on Flightaware:

ZA001
ZA002
ZA004

Additonally RC501, the first 747-8 was supposed to be in the air but it is still on the ground at Moses Lake. No reason why but flightaware says it's delayed four hours.

It is hoped that once all the 787s and the 747-8 are all airborne at the same time then there should be a photo shoot with someor all of the airplanes.

RC501

or you can track all the 787s on this link:

787 Flight Test Track

It's a very busy day for Boeing flight test.

Lastly, Flightblogger has a great article dedicated to Dremaliner 4:

Better Know a Dreamliner - Part Three - ZA004

ZA004 taxi tests to start soon

UPDATE 2 (11:45 AM ET): Ok lots going on today: RC501 flying out of Moses Lake at 9:25 AM, ZA002 flying out of Boeing Field at 9:40 AM, and finally ZA004 flying out of Everett at 10:00 AM. All times are Pacific Time.

UPDATE (11:36 AM ET): In addition to having 787 ZA004 in the air today at 10:30 AM PT, Boeing will also have 747-8 RC501 in the air about an hour before ZA004 will fly. It will be interesting if they join up later on today for a photoshoot. Here is RC501's flight plan:

RC501 flight plan

According to Guy Norris, ZA004 will start taxi tests soon followed by a 10:30 AM PT departure from Everett. ZA004 entry into flight test is highly anticipated as it will test the high speed performance of the aircraft as well as the fuel efficiency of the aircraft.

Currently ZA004 is equipped with package A Trent 1000s. ZA004 will be equipped with improved Trent 1000 later in the test program. The newer engines will have improved specific fuel consumption over the older version because the Trent 1000 initially were not achieving promised fuel consumption guarantees. Rolls Royce redesigned the low pressure turbine among other changes and improvements and it is now expected that the package B Trent 1000s engines will be closer to fuel consumption specs if not meeting them. There's no word on when the the aircraft will be re-engined but it should be well before the end of the test program as Boeing and Rolls Royce will want to compare fuel consumption improvement on the 787 between the two engine packages. All Trent 1000s going to customers will be delivered with the package B improvements.

Guy Norris : Third 787 Gets Ready To Fly

787 back in the air tomorrow; 747-8 returns to the air

According to information I received the in flight anomaly that ZA001 experienced is a non issue and all airplanes will return to flight tomorrow. ZA004 should be in the air as will ZA001 and ZA002 (to continue flutter tests and S & C tests).

RC501 is in the air this evening and should land at Moses Lake where it will be temporarily based for the Initial Airworthiness Flight Tests.

Here are a couple other stories about the recent 747 and 787 events.

Aviation Week : Boeing Probes 787 Engine Issue

Guy Norris also put up an update stating that ZA001 will continue flutter tests tomorrow and ZA002 will fly an stability and control test flight. ZA004 should be flying tomorrow as well as the third 787 to join the test program.

Guy Norris : 787 and 747-8 Updates
Guy Norris : 787 hits engine snag, 747-8 returns to flight

Lastly, Aviation Week linked to an article that really describes the phenomenon of flutter very well. Here's the link for those of you who are interested:

Autopia : 787 Dreamliner Hiccups During Flight Testing

ZA001 experiences in flight engine power loss

According to Randy Tinseth in a blog post, ZA001 experienced an uncommanded loss of thrust in one of the Trent 1000 engines.

According to Tinseth: "We located replacement parts and then got the parts and the right crew to Moses Lake - beginning the maintenance activity on Saturday. Later that day, we ran the engines to confirm that the replacement had been done correctly and that there were no anomalous readings. So, Sunday morning, we flew home. The airplane is going through the maintenance and pre-flight work that would have been done had it arrived back at Boeing Field on Friday evening. I can tell you that ZA001 will soon return to flutter testing."

Randy Tinseth: ZA001 Status

Randy Tinseth says that the problem was in a pressure sensing unit in the engine. The unit was replaced and tested. ZA001 subsequently flew back to Boeing Field on Sunday afternoon after Boeing and Rolls Royce work through the issue. The aircraft is subject to more testing but it does sound like it was an issue that is not major. Guy Norris writing in his blog at AvWeek said that this may delay ZA004's first flight which is schedule for today as well as a delay for the 6th flutter test to be flown by ZA001 (to be flown today but now will be postponed until further tests are done on the ground). If the flight of Dreamliner 4 is postponed then the photoshoot with RC501 and ZA004 will be delayed until the next most opportune time for Boeing. RC501 should be lifting off at around 9AM this morning (local time) according to Guy where it will fly to Moses Lake where it will be stationed for the next several weeks while it undergoes Initial Airworthiness Flight Tests. Guy also reported that ZA002 will be conducting some taxi tests as part of nose wheel steering tests.

Guy Norris: 787 hits engine snag, 747-8 returns to flight

787 and 747 together tomorrow?

Tomorrow, both ZA004 and RC501 (787 and 747-8F) will be flying in the air. The former for the first time and the later for the second time. Now, I'm hearing that both these airplanes may fly in formation tomorrow for an in air photoshoot. ZA004 should be in the air first followed by RC501.

In other test flight news, ZA001 spent the weekend at Moses Lake after landing there on Friday. It flew back to BFI earlier today and reports from Liz Matzelle said that there were people looking at the right engines though I have heard from other sources that there weren't any problems with this airplane. There won't be any test flights today though at least two 787s (ZA002 and ZA004) will be in the air tomorrow as will be RC501 (747-8F).

ZA004 will conduct taxi tests as well as high speed RTO and then will take off tomorrow on it's first test flight. After ZA004 departs, RC501 will take off on its ferry flight to Moses Lake and during that time should link up with ZA004 for the photo op.

Flight Test Update

Several sources are reporting that both ZA004 (Dreamliner 4) and the first 747-8F will be flying on Monday, Feb. 22nd.

ZA004 will be the third 787 to fly and will fly on to Boeing Field where it will be based for the remainder of the test flight program with the other 787s. Dreamliner 4 was running a 5 hour mini gauntlet today and may have some taxi tests tomorrow followed by its first flight on Monday. Dreamliner 4 will explore the high speed aerodynamics of the 787 (both S & C and flutter) as well as engines tests at high speeds and some ETOPS testing.

RC501 will also be flying on Monday as it takes to the air for the 2nd time to be ferried to Moses Lake International Airport where it will be based for the Initial Airworthiness flight tests that it has to complete.

787 & 747 Tidbits

Well know that Boeing has two major programs in test flights here's some updates.

787

Boeing announced that the fourth Dreamlifter is now in service after the 747-400 underwent major reconstructive surgery (like it's 3 sisterships) in Taiwan. Here's Boeing's Press Release:

News Release Issued: February 16, 2010 2:51 PM EST

Final Boeing 747 Dreamlifter Enters Service
EVERETT, Wash., Feb. 16
/PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- The fourth Boeing (NYSE:BA) Dreamlifter – the final airplane in the fleet of specially modified 747-400s – entered service today. Dreamlifters transport the large composite structures of the 787 Dreamliner from partners around the world to Everett, Wash. for final assembly. The unique airplane, which was modified by Evergreen Aviation Technologies Corp. in Taipei, Taiwan, took off from Paine Field in Everett early this morning. Bound for Wichita, Kan., the Dreamlifter is returning the equipment used to transport the forward fuselage section known as section 41. The airplane's registry is N718BA.

I heard a couple years ago that Boeing may need as many as 6 Dreamlifter to support the higher production rate. With the Charleston Assembly Line due to start production middle of next year Boeing may have to procure two more low mileage 747-400 for conversion to LCFs to meet the higher expected output.

In the meantime ZA003 underwent more ground testing as does ZA004. Both aircraft still are expected to be in the air by the end of the month with ZA005 in the air by March and ZA006 flying by the end of April.

Flight testing continues with ZA001 starting flutter tests on February 14 with this testing expected to last a few weeks. Soon after that the 787 should receive its TIA (Type Authorization Inspection) which will be the formal start of certification flights with FAA inspectors on board the test flights.

Guy Norris has a great blog post detailing the 787 flutter tests.

787 - Forward to Flutter

On the production front, Boeing has sent airplane 13 to the paint shop after it had completed final assembly activities in building 40-26. Airplane 17 moved into position 1 for the start of final assembly and parts for airplane 18, destined for ANA, has started to arrive in Everett.

747-8

Since conducting first flight of the 747-8F, Boeing has been conducting further ground tests on RC501 as well as checking out the aircraft in preparation for the next flight speaking of which should occur as early as this coming weekend. RC521 is continuing its preparations for its first flight which should occur after RC501 as completed initial airworthiness flights. In the meantime, Boeing released some very spectacular images of RC501's first flight around the Seattle area.

All photos below are Boeing Photos:

747-8 First Flight Round Up

Boeing Photo
Yesterday, Boeing conducted the first flight of the enlarged version of the 747 known as the 747-8 after about a year delay. The aircraft, registered N747EX, took off at about 12:39 PM PST after a two and half hour delay due to low hanging clouds in the Everett area. Boeing needed a 1500 ft cloud ceiling and during the morning the ceilings were about 700 ft. The skies finally cleared and Boeing decided to go ahead with the first flight at 12:30 PM. The airplane did circuits around the Puget Sound vicinity as well as to the south of the Sound. The airplane landed back at Paine Field at about 4:18 PM PST thus making the total flight time 3 hours and 39 minutes.


Upon completion of the first flight Boeing put out the following press release:

News Release Issued: February 8, 2010 9:12 PM EST

Boeing 747-8 Freighter Successfully Completes First Flight Newest Boeing Freighter Touches Down Safely After 3-Hour, 39-Minute Mission

EVERETT, Wash., Feb. 8/PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- The Boeing (NYSE: BA) 747-8 Freighter successfully took to the sky for the first time today before more than 5,000 employees, customers, suppliers and community leaders. The flight begins a test program for the world's most efficient freighter.

With 747 Chief Pilot Mark Feuerstein and Capt. Tom Imrich in the flight deck, the newest member of the 747 family took off at 12:39 p.m. local time from Paine Field in Everett and landed at Paine Field at 4:18 p.m.

"It was a real privilege to be at the controls of this great airplane on its first flight, representing the thousands of folks who made today possible," said Feuerstein. "The airplane performed as expected and handled just like a 747-400."

Today's flight was the first of more than 1,600 flight hours in the test program for the newest member of the Boeing freighter family. The airplane followed a route over Western Washington, where it underwent tests for basic handling qualities and engine performance. The airplane reached a cruising altitude of 17,000 feet (5,181 m) and a speed of up to 230 knots, or about 264 miles (426 km) per hour.

Powered by four General Electric GEnx-2B engines, the 747-8 Freighter will transition its testing program to Moses Lake, Wash., and Palmdale, Calif., where the other two test airplanes will join it in the coming month.

"This truly is a great day for The Boeing Company and the 747 program," said Mo Yahyavi, 747 program general manager and vice president, Boeing Commercial Airplanes. "It's the culmination of the hard work and dedication of our employees, suppliers and customers. While there is still much to do, I am excited to begin the flight-test program, which will demonstrate the capabilities of this airplane."

The 747-8 Freighter is the new, high-capacity 747 that will give cargo operators the lowest operating costs and best economics of any freighter. The airplane is 250 feet, 2 inches (76.3 m) long, which is 18 feet, 4 inches (5.6 m) longer than the 747-400 Freighter. The stretch provides customers with 16 percent more revenue cargo volume compared with its predecessor. That translates to an additional four main-deck pallets and three lower-hold pallets.

"The 747-8 Freighter continues the leadership of the 747 Freighter families, which carries more than half of the world's air freight, making it the standard of the air cargo industry," Yahyavi said.

Boeing launched the airplane on Nov. 14, 2005, with firm orders for 18 747-8 Freighters: 10 from Cargolux of Luxembourg and eight from Nippon Cargo Airlines of Japan. All told, Boeing has secured 108 orders for the 747-8, of which 76 are orders for the new freighter. Cargolux, Nippon Cargo Airlines, AirBridgeCargo Airlines, Atlas Air, Cathay Pacific, Dubai Aerospace Enterprise, Emirates SkyCargo, Guggenheim and Korean Air all have ordered the 747-8 Freighter.

Aviation media swarmed Paine Field in anticipation of this first flight and much of what follows are links to their reporting.

Flightblogger was on the Berm at Paine Field reporting on the first flight and has quite a bit of photos and videos posted.

Flightblogger: 747-8F First Flight Photos

Flightglobal : 747-8F First Flight

Saj Ahmad at Fleetbuzzeditorial.com also had a great piece on the 747-8 first flight as well as revealing a few tidbits of the 747-8I program. The first 747-8I should start final assembly in late 2nd quarter/early 3rd quarter of this year with roll out occurring in the 4th quarter of this year and first flight in the first quarter of 2011. Delivery of the first 747-8I should take place in 4th quarter of 2011 to a private BBJ customer in Kuwait followed shortly thereafter by first delivery to Lufthansa.

Fleetbuzzeditorial.com : Boeing 747-8F Takes to the Air

Dave Parker Brown of Airline Reporter was also at Everett and recorded a lot of video as well as photos. Thanks to Dave Brown for allowing me to use his video but you can also see his photos linked below:

AirlineReporter 747-8F Take Off Photos

Airline Reporter 747-8F Landing Photos

The following video is courtesy of David Parker Brown at AirlineReporter.com

Dave Brown's Take Off Video:

Dave Brown's 747-8F Landing Video

Matt Cawby, a fixture at Everett, got three great videos and a few nice pictures on his blog post:

Matt Cawby's 747-8F First Flight Post

Aviation Week has set up a page dedicated solely to the 747-8 first flight and includes a lot of extras like videos, photos, and interactive timeline and more.

Aviation Week's 747-8 First Flight Coverage

Aubrey Cohen at the Seattle Post Intelligencer got some great shots of the first flight as well:

Seattle PI 747-8 Photos

Aubrey Cohen's 747-8 First Flight Story

Lastly, as with the 787 program, I'll be attempting to track the 747-8 flight test progress. You can see the progress at the bottom of this blog which I'll try to keep as current as possible.

747-8 First Flight

UPDATE 22 : And she's in the air!!

UPDATE 21 : BOE501 beginning take off roll!

UPDATE 20 : BOE 501/H is at the end of the runway ready to roll

UPDATE 19 : RC 501 will take off to the north

UPDATE 18 : RC 501 has started taxiing ot Rwy. 34L

UPDATE 17 : Control Surface checks are on going before taxiing

UPDATE 16 : Aircraft door being closed. Airstairs are being pulled away

UPDATE 15 : Inboard engines are spooling up. Aircraft should taxi at 12:30 PM PST

UPDATE 14 : Engines are coming on!

UPDATE 13 : Boeing's Live Feed Reporting to resume soon. Engines start coming up soon.

UPDATE 12 : Boeing now saying that take off is within the next hour.

UPDATE 11 : Increasing clear skies and Boeing employees walking back outside...a good sign now!

UPDATE 10 : In somewhat related news, Dreamliner 1 will be flying at 11:30 PM PST and Dreamliner 2 will be in the air at 12 noon PST.

UPDATE 9 : Now reporting blue sky at Everett! Maybe they can go now? Stay Tuned...

UPDATE 8 : Guy Norris is reporting that the revised window for first flight is rumored to be between 1 noon and 2 PM PST

UPDATE 7 : Reports are that skies are clearing very, very slowly. Employees are leaving the area to go back to work...I guess they're still not sure about when the flight will go off, and to top it all off, Boeing Webcast has gone offline. We're in for a quite a wait.

UPDATE 6 : Boeing is saying up to a 30 minute delay because of the weather. Still waiting for that low hanging clouds to leave the area.

UPDATE 5 : Report that the aircraft is moving! Boeing's Web cast is live.

UPDATE 4 : Flightblogger reporting flight crew is on the airplane

UPDATE 3 : Fog is starting to burn off. Current weather is cloudy with low hanging clouds and the temp is around 45 degree F. It is expected that the sun would be out but it is possible that Boeing can hold off on engine start due to the low ceiling. Boeing needs to have a 5 mile visibility and a 5000 ft cloud ceiling for today's flight. We're about 35 minutes away from 10:10 AM PST take off time for the first 747-8.

UPDATE 2 : Fog is rolling into Everett some observers are reporting

UPDATE 1 : Just up on Flightaware: BOE501/B748 has just filed a flight plan. It is scheduled to depart from KPAE (Snohomish County) at 10:00 PST heading for KPAE (Snohomish County) for an
estimated arrival at 14:00 PST.
Expected route: V23 BEZOV ISLND V165 CVV JAWBN TOU TOU080055 TOU 4752 4358 4752
JAWBN WEBVE
For more information visit http://flightaware.com/live/flight/BOE501

I'll be reporting and updating this post throughout today to document the first flight of the first 747-8. The aircraft successfully completed it taxi tests on Saturday in preparation for today's flight.

Currently the weather in Everett is 44 degrees F and cloudy but around flight time the weather is expected to be partly sunny with a temperature of 46 degrees F.

The plan is for the 747-8 to take off and test the initial aircraft response. The aircraft will return to Everett after its first flight. After a couple of days, Boeing will base this aircraft from Moses Lake, International Airport for the remainder of the initial airworthiness tests. After the 747-8 has completed this milestone RC501 as well as RC 521 and RC 522 will all be flown out of Palmdale, California for the remainder of the test flight program so as to not to interfere with 787 testing going on at Boeing Field. Typically, Boeing runs test flights out of Boeing Field but with two major programs entering flight test, Boeing decided to separate the two test flight programs. Please check back here during today for updates on the first flight. You can also follow me on Twitter.

Boeing 747-8 Completes Taxi Trials; Aircraft ready for first flight

Boeing Photo

In a Press Release this evening, Boeing said that the 747-8F is has completed taxi trials and is ready for first flight. First flight is schedule to occur on Monday, Feb. 8, 2010 at 10 AM PST. Here is the text of Boeing's Press Release:

News Release Issued: February 6, 2010 8:46 PM EST

Boeing Completes 747-8 Freighter Taxi Tests

EVERETT, Wash., Feb. 6 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Boeing (NYSE: BA) completed taxi tests on the first 747-8 Freighter today. With Chief Pilot Mark Feuerstein at the controls, the airplane reached a top seed of approximately 90 knots (103.5 mph, 166.6 kph).

"The airplane performed well," said Mo Yahyavi, 747 program vice president and general manager, Boeing Commercial Airplanes. "Based on early indications, the airplane is ready to fly."

This was the last functional test planned before first flight. The first flight of the 747-8 Freighter is scheduled for Monday, Feb. 8.

The taxi test were widely filmed today and here are a few videos courtesy of Liz Matzelle who videotaped the taxi tests in HD.

747-8 Taxi into Position from Liz Matzelle on Vimeo.

747-8 Run 1 Part 1 from Liz Matzelle on Vimeo.

747-8 Run 1 Part 2 from Liz Matzelle on Vimeo.

747-8 Run 2 from Liz Matzelle on Vimeo.

747-8 Run 3 Part 1 from Liz Matzelle on Vimeo.

747-8 Run 3 Part 2 & Taxi to Parking from Liz Matzelle on Vimeo.

747-8 Taxi Tests and 787 Flight Tests

UPDATE 4: RC501 has finished taxi tests today but on the last high speed taxi run, smoke apparently developed from the righ hand gear possibly indicating a brake problem. Details are unknown at this time.

UPDATE 3: ZA001 took off at 2:22 PM PST and is flying in eastern Washington State as is ZA002. ZA002 is to the noth of ZA001 at this time.

UPDATE 2: ZA001 will be returning to the air at around 1:5 PM PST. Looks like Boeing is settling into the test program quite nicely. They can surpass 100 787 flight hours either today but most likely tomorrow.

UPDATE: RC501 is performing it's taxi tests on the runways and taxiways of Paine Field this afternoon. Meanwhile ZA002 has departed Boeing Field for another test flight. No word on if ZA001 will be joining her in the air.

Liz Matzelle has a short video up of RC 501 on Everett's runway


RC501 is about to start it's taxi tests. It's about 1 PM in Everett Right now and the aircraft has its engines turning at this moment.

ZA002 is also on deck to make another test flight this afternoon. It was supposed to be up by now but still have no indications of it lifting off.

Through yesterday, Boeing has amassed over 87 flight test hours with both ZA001 and ZA002. Word from Guy Norris is that ZA004 will run its engines for the first time very soon and ZA003 will conduct evac slide deployment tests, also very soon.

Guy Norris

Start of 747-8 taxi tests on tap for 2/6/10; ZA001 return to flight test delayed

According to Guy Norris' latest blog post, RC501, the first 747-8, will start taxi tests tomorrow morning (Feb. 6, 2010) with these tests running through Sunday with a rejected take off test. Boeing plans to conduct the first flight on Monday, Feb. 8, 2010 at 10AM PST. I'll be blogging the event live on that day.

Guy also said that ZA002 conducted more stall tests yesterday, ZA001 is still on the ground due to unspecified problems which hopefully should be resolved today allowing the aircraft to rejoin the test program.

Guy Norris: 747-8 Readied For Taxi Tests

Boeing says 747-8 First Flight Window Opens Feb. 8th at 10AM

Boeing Photo

Boeing is saying that first flight of the 747-8 can take place starting at 10 AM local time from Everett Field on February 8, 2010.

First flight is dependent on the 747-8F clearing its taxi tests which should take place this weekend.

747-8F First Flight News

Sources are telling me that taxi tests for RC501 (LN1420) are on plan to start this weekend with first flight for sometime middle to late next week. Time will tell if this schedule holds.