787 April 2017 Mid Month Review

	Number
Testing Complete	3
To be assembled in Everett	183
To be assembled in Charleston	140
Parts Arriving	6
Undergoing final assembly	6
Storage	1
Storage/Change Incorporation and Re-Work	0
Change Incorporation and Re-Work	1
Pre-Flight Prep	10
Production Testing	5
Non Customer Flight Tests	2
Ready for Delivery	2
Donation	3
Delivered	540
TOTAL	902

Well most of the way through April Boeing has delivered 8 Dreamliners on their way to delivering 10 787s this month.  An early build 787 for Ethiopian has been pushed out though the delivery date for ZD008, (LN 18, ET-ATI) seems somewhat in flux.  I've heard that delivery can happen in May though I've also heard that delivery won't occur until "after June"  For now I'm listing as stored until there is more definite clarity to delivery.  In the meantime Boeing will deliver 2 more 787 before the end of the month for a total of 10 deliveries.

Production totals for April look to be 11 787s completed and rolled out from the two 787 factories with another 10 or 11 aircraft starting final assembly.  Note that 3 of these 787s were built in Everett and had started final assembly and rolled out within the month of April.

Boeing has gotten the 787-10 flight testing off to a good start.  It appears that they're only flying the aircraft on the weekdays thus far and I'm uncertain that this is going to change.  It may mean that the flight test team doesn't have as much risk to retire or that the flight test schedule doesn't require as many flight hours as the -8 or -9 thus limiting testing to the weekdays.  I'm also expecting that the second flight test 787-10, ZC036 (LN 548, N548ZC) should take to the air around May 2nd, a week from this coming Tuesday. ZC002 is still in final assembly and I expect it to roll out aroune the 2nd week of May and should join flight testing around late June.Thus far the lone 787-10 flight test aircraft has racked up about 72.38 flight test hours.  Boeing needs to achieve Initial Airwothiness Testing which I believe should be down shortly, it will be followed by the TIA (type inspection authorization) which would allow the 787-10 to start the certification program with the FAA and have the FAA on board the -10 to observe the certification flight tests and sign off on each required test flight objective.  The 787-9 achieve the TIA after about 275 flight test hours on the initial Roll Royce powered 787-9 which took about 3 months.  The 787-8 received it's TIA after about 4 months of flying. I believe certification testing for the -10 should start around the end of June to early July time frame if not earlier.

You can follow my log of the 787-10 flight test by clicking the link below for the 787 Spreadsheets.

787 Spreadsheets

Big Day for the 747 Program

Lots of happenings at Boeing for the 747 program. A lot of positive news about this program coming out from Boeing and other places. In short they are:

1. The 747-8F has received it TIA (Type Inspection Authorization) so now FAA engineers and inspectors will ride along to certify the 747-8F.
2. Boeing started fuselage assembly of the first 747-8I.
3. A 747-8F for Korean Air Cargo made its appearance on the Everett ramp today in full Korean Air livery joining the 747-8F for Cargolux.

Boeing Photo

The start of fuselage assembly represents a major milestone in the 747-8I program. Boeing has already been working on the wings but as you can see from the Boeing photo, the iconic shape of the 747 is starting to become reality for the newest version of the aircraft. It will be amazing to see the full aircraft, with it stretched upper deck, completed sometime this fall and prepared for its first flight scheduled to take place late this year or early next year. Here's Boeing's press release:

Boeing Begins Fuselage Assembly for First 747-8 Intercontinental

EVERETT, Wash., June 14 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Boeing (NYSE: BA) began fuselage assembly of the first 747-8 Intercontinental at the factory in Everett, Wash. Mechanics loaded panels for the 31-foot, 8-inch (9.6 m) long front section of the new airplane into the assembly tool. The panels are part of section 41, the area of the fuselage that houses the flight deck on the upper deck and the forward passenger cabin on the main deck, an area that most airlines typically configure with first class seating.

The 747-8 Intercontinental is the new, high-capacity 747 that offers airlines the lowest operating costs and best economics of any large passenger airplane while providing enhanced environmental performance. Boeing has 109 orders for the 747-8 -- 33 for the 747-8 Intercontinental and 76 for the 747-8 Freighter. The first 747-8 Intercontinental is scheduled to deliver in late 2011.

Randy Tinseth put up a few more great pictures of the assembly of the first section 41 for the 747-8I on his blog. First Look - 747-8 Intercontinental.

Later in the day Boeing announced that the 747-8F achieved a major milestone in receiving the Type Inspection Authorization from the FAA. This now means that Boeing will conduct certification flight tests with the FAA on board as the organizations deems the aircraft safe enough to allow its personnel on board for test flights. The 747-8F program has gotten off to a rocky starts but now seems to be gathering momentum. It still remains to be seen if Boeing can deliver the aircraft to Cargolux on time by the end of this year. Here's Boeing's press release:

Boeing 747-8 Freighter Receives Expanded Type Inspection Authorization

EVERETT, Wash., June 14 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Boeing (NYSE: BA) received expanded type inspection authorization (TIA) from the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) for the 747-8 Freighter on June 11. This authorization clears the way for FAA personnel to participate in test flights and collect required data.

"This is a major step in our effort to test and certify the 747-8 Freighter for our customers," said Mo Yahyavi, vice president and general manager for the 747 program, Boeing Commercial Airplanes. "The airplane is performing well in the tests. We have demonstrated the airplane's readiness to move onto the next stage in the flight-test program through tests at a variety of speeds, altitudes and configurations."

With the issuance of TIA, the 747 program is beginning expanded certification testing. During this phase of testing, the extremes of the flight envelope are explored. Testing conditions include operations in hot and cold weather as well as takeoffs and landings at high-altitude airports. In addition, over-speed conditions, hard landings and engine-out conditions are tested.

"The airplane is handling beautifully," said Mark Feuerstein, 747 program chief pilot, Boeing Test and Evaluation. "It is a joy to fly."

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

Photo courtesy of David Parker Brown

Lastly, Dave Parker Brown of Airlinereporter.com, got some terrific pictures of the third 747-8F to come out of the final assembly hall at Everett. The aircraft is destined for Korean Air Cargo when the certification program is complete. You can see the other pictures by Dave by clicking here.

Flightblogger has a couple of posts about todays 747 events:

Flightblogger: FAA grants expanded type inspection authorisation to 747-8F

Flightblogger: Korean Air Cargo first 747-8F revealed as program earns TIA

787 get expanded Type Inspection Authorization...Finally

Boeing Photo of ZA003 at Eglin Air Force Base


The FAA has given Boeing the expanded TIA (Type Inspection Authorization) for the 787 last night. This now means that Boeing and the FAA will undertake test flights and ground tests to certify the 787. Boeing is still planning for first delivery by the end of this year to ANA. Boeing also announced that ZA003 is in Florida to undertake extreme weather testing after flying 5 hours from Boeing Field to Eglin Air Force Base. Boeing also noted that the 78 test fleet has now exceed 500 test flight hours. I'm still trying to find out when flight test will start to take place with FAA inspectors and engineers aboard but I anticipate that it will be soon. Here's Boeing's press release.

News Release Issued: April 20, 2010 11:14 PM EDTBoeing 787 Flight-Test
Program Progressing
EVERETT, Wash., April 20 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) granted Boeing (NYSE: BA) expanded type inspection authorization (TIA) today, clearing the way for its personnel to fully participate in future test flights and for the collection of required flight-test data. Initial TIA was granted Feb. 11, which supported the collection of flutter certification data.
The expanded TIA marks the FAA's confirmation that the airplane and team are ready to collect additional certification data. Boeing achieved the expansion by demonstrating the readiness of the airplane throughout a variety of speeds, altitudes and configurations.
"This TIA expansion is another significant step toward delivering airplanes to our customers. We remain on track to deliver the first airplane to ANA this year," said Scott Fancher, vice president and general manager of the 787 program, Commercial Airplanes.
In addition to receiving expanded TIA, Boeing finalized the aerodynamic configuration of the 787.
"We have completed sufficient testing to decide that no additional changes to the external lines or shape of the airplane are required," said Fancher. "Having an airplane match its expected performance with so few changes is rare and speaks to the maturity of the design."
The 787 flight-test fleet logged its 500th hour of flying April 16. On Sunday, ZA003, the flight-test airplane outfitted with interior elements, landed in Florida, where it will go through extreme weather testing at McKinley Climatic Laboratory at Eglin Air Force Base.
Boeing released two videos highlighting flutter and ground effects testing. These videos feature commentary by the pilots and the chief project engineer and are available on http://www.boeing.com/ and http://www.newairplane.com/.

Flightglobal had picked up this story and you can read their article here. Fligtblogger also has a post on his blog about the TIA.

Flightblogger: Boeing 787 granted Type Inspection Authorization