Last night Boeing moved both ZA006 and ZA531 (LN 16) for LAN out of building 40-24. ZA531 was moved to stall 105 on the Boeing flightline and ZA006 was moved to the paint hangar 45-04.
Also yesterday, the main fuselage for ZA177 (LN 23) and the wings for ZA116 (LN 24) arrived into Everett. All the major parts are now in building 40-26 and will be moved into position late Sunday night/early Monday morning. There will be a line move tomorrow where ZA100 (LN 7) will be moved out to building 40-24 (Later ZA1001 will be moved into the same building).
There is an unconfirmed rumor that I'm working to verify that ZA005 will fly as early as Monday, June 14th. Stay tuned ad I hope to have more information on this soon.
Lastly, Matt Cawby got pictures and video of G-STBA, the first 777-300ER for British Airways coming out of the Boeing paint hangar.
Matt Cawby's Blog Posting - June 11, 2010
Matt Cawby's BLog Posting June 12, 2010
Showing posts with label ZA531. Show all posts
Showing posts with label ZA531. Show all posts
Saturday, June 12, 2010
Monday, April 12, 2010
787 and 747-8 Update - April 12, 2010
This past weekend it was expected that Boeing was to fly all four 787 (ZA001, ZA002, ZA003, and ZA004). Both Guy Norris and Flightblogger reported this. This would have marked the first time that all four test airplanes would have flown and hopefully it will allow Boeing to start accumulating more test flight hours. Unfortunately, only ZA001 flew during this past weekend.
According to Guy Norris, ZA002 flight that was expected to take place on Saturday is now scheduled to fly on Monday, April 12th as Boeing wanted to conduct more ground tests on the aircraft which has new flight control software installed. It is flight testing of this new version of the software that will allow the FAA to issue the TIA (Type Inspection Authorization) and allow certification flight testing to proceed. The TIA was expected at the end of March and that was delayed from mid February. If the TIA is issued by the middle of April then the 787 program would have lost an additional 1/2 month of schedule margin.
ZA003 second flight was to have taken place yesterday, April 11th but it did not fly. The reason is unknown but this test flights are to signal the start of environmental control systems testing on board that aircraft as well as testing other systems on the aircraft including the RAM air systems.
ZA004 is going into a planned layup and will not fly until the end of April at the earliest. ZA001 is finishing up the last of stability and control flight tests and will now focus on low speed performance flight testing.
According to my accounting, The Boeing test fleet has accumulated almost 460 test flight hours as of April 11th. On April 9th, ZA004 flew the longest 787 test flight to date which is 6 hours and 40 minutes.
Flightblogger also reported on a potential problem with stringers in the rear of the 747-8 upper lobe (hump). The flange of the stringers may be to thin to handle the loads and thus would need to be replaced. Boeing and Vought (contractor) are studying the issue which may need to be resolved by replacing the stringers in question, a costly and time consuming process. Flightblogger says that the 747-8 in the test flight program would continue test flight under restrictions on their g-loads but they would continue. He says that the 747-8 is now entering flutter testing. So far I've show that the 747-8 program has accumulated just under 108 flight hours through April 11th. Flightblogger says that Boeing is thinking about using on of the production aircraft to augment the 747-8 test fleet. This aircraft would not be instrumented for the test flight program like the other three aircraft are but would perform engineering flight tests. The aircraft under consideration is RC503 which is the second production aircraft and is currently in the paint hangar at Everett.
Read Guy's and Jon's articles here:
Flightblogger: 747-8F begins flutter testing as stringers get inspected (and other 787 items)
Guy Norris: Big Weekend for 787
Guy Norris: 787 Update
Now speaking of structural strength, Daniel Tsang of Airways Aviation News put out an interesting article on the side of body fix on the 787. As some of you may know, Boeing had to fix the side of body area due to that area being too weak to handle flight loads. The fix has been installed on 9 air frames and needs to be installed on another 8. All 787s going forward would have the side of body fix installed at the sub contractor prior to delivery to Everett though there would be some installation work to be done on the final assembly line prior to the wing-body join. It is expected that starting with LN 49, the parts that strengthen the side of body would not be needed as Boeing and it sub contractors would have redesigned those areas of the aircraft (the wing box and the center wing box) that would provide the additional strength needed and the installation of the parts would not be necessary. Daniel Tsang is reporting that the use of the parts that provide the reinforcement to the side of body would be a permanent solution though Boeing is looking to simply the production and installation of the parts by tweaking the design. You can read Daniel's article:
Daniel Tsang: Boeing looking at ways to simplify side-of-body modification
Production
Boeing is continuing to make its production milestones. ZA175 (LN 20) started final assembly on March 31st. This aircraft is a major milestone as it introduce a major blockpoint change which incorporates weight saving measures into the 787. ZA531 (LN 16) which is the second 787 for LAN came out of the paint shop painted all white (not in LAN color scheme as had been expected). Today there will be a line move as ZA176 (LN 21) will start final assembly. ZA150 (LN 17), the first aircraft for Royal Air Maroc, will be moved into the paint hangar though I don't know if it'll be painted in RAM colors. There will be another line move on April 26th when ZA115 (LN 22) will start final assembly. At that pace Boeing will be assembling 787s at a 2.5 per month clip which is what they had been expecting. I expect that Boeing will start final assembly on ZA177 (LN 23) and ZA116 (LN 24) in May.
According to Guy Norris, ZA002 flight that was expected to take place on Saturday is now scheduled to fly on Monday, April 12th as Boeing wanted to conduct more ground tests on the aircraft which has new flight control software installed. It is flight testing of this new version of the software that will allow the FAA to issue the TIA (Type Inspection Authorization) and allow certification flight testing to proceed. The TIA was expected at the end of March and that was delayed from mid February. If the TIA is issued by the middle of April then the 787 program would have lost an additional 1/2 month of schedule margin.
ZA003 second flight was to have taken place yesterday, April 11th but it did not fly. The reason is unknown but this test flights are to signal the start of environmental control systems testing on board that aircraft as well as testing other systems on the aircraft including the RAM air systems.
ZA004 is going into a planned layup and will not fly until the end of April at the earliest. ZA001 is finishing up the last of stability and control flight tests and will now focus on low speed performance flight testing.
According to my accounting, The Boeing test fleet has accumulated almost 460 test flight hours as of April 11th. On April 9th, ZA004 flew the longest 787 test flight to date which is 6 hours and 40 minutes.
Flightblogger also reported on a potential problem with stringers in the rear of the 747-8 upper lobe (hump). The flange of the stringers may be to thin to handle the loads and thus would need to be replaced. Boeing and Vought (contractor) are studying the issue which may need to be resolved by replacing the stringers in question, a costly and time consuming process. Flightblogger says that the 747-8 in the test flight program would continue test flight under restrictions on their g-loads but they would continue. He says that the 747-8 is now entering flutter testing. So far I've show that the 747-8 program has accumulated just under 108 flight hours through April 11th. Flightblogger says that Boeing is thinking about using on of the production aircraft to augment the 747-8 test fleet. This aircraft would not be instrumented for the test flight program like the other three aircraft are but would perform engineering flight tests. The aircraft under consideration is RC503 which is the second production aircraft and is currently in the paint hangar at Everett.
Read Guy's and Jon's articles here:
Flightblogger: 747-8F begins flutter testing as stringers get inspected (and other 787 items)
Guy Norris: Big Weekend for 787
Guy Norris: 787 Update
Now speaking of structural strength, Daniel Tsang of Airways Aviation News put out an interesting article on the side of body fix on the 787. As some of you may know, Boeing had to fix the side of body area due to that area being too weak to handle flight loads. The fix has been installed on 9 air frames and needs to be installed on another 8. All 787s going forward would have the side of body fix installed at the sub contractor prior to delivery to Everett though there would be some installation work to be done on the final assembly line prior to the wing-body join. It is expected that starting with LN 49, the parts that strengthen the side of body would not be needed as Boeing and it sub contractors would have redesigned those areas of the aircraft (the wing box and the center wing box) that would provide the additional strength needed and the installation of the parts would not be necessary. Daniel Tsang is reporting that the use of the parts that provide the reinforcement to the side of body would be a permanent solution though Boeing is looking to simply the production and installation of the parts by tweaking the design. You can read Daniel's article:
Daniel Tsang: Boeing looking at ways to simplify side-of-body modification
Production
Boeing is continuing to make its production milestones. ZA175 (LN 20) started final assembly on March 31st. This aircraft is a major milestone as it introduce a major blockpoint change which incorporates weight saving measures into the 787. ZA531 (LN 16) which is the second 787 for LAN came out of the paint shop painted all white (not in LAN color scheme as had been expected). Today there will be a line move as ZA176 (LN 21) will start final assembly. ZA150 (LN 17), the first aircraft for Royal Air Maroc, will be moved into the paint hangar though I don't know if it'll be painted in RAM colors. There will be another line move on April 26th when ZA115 (LN 22) will start final assembly. At that pace Boeing will be assembling 787s at a 2.5 per month clip which is what they had been expecting. I expect that Boeing will start final assembly on ZA177 (LN 23) and ZA116 (LN 24) in May.
Thursday, March 25, 2010
787 News Round Up
The 787 program continues apace with the pending TIA for the 787. Production continues with a new milestone set to take place on Monday, March 29th. That day the parts for LN 20, which is the first weight optimized 787, will be loaded into the assembly tool at position 1 in building 40-26.
The aircraft, ZA175, is destined for Japan Airlines with GEnx engines. The line will move on March 28 with LN 16 coming out and going to the paint hangar. Also on that day Boeing will hopefully be conducting the extremely important ultimate load test on ZY 997. Currently, Boeing is conducting tests on the static air frame in a build up to the ultimate load tests this Sunday. Mike Mecham of Aviation Week has a great blog post describing the ultimate load test.
Mike Mecham : The final wing bend (hopefully)
In other news, LAN airlines confirmed news that was already known...that they will take some of the early 787s. In total they're moving up the delivery of 10 787s with LN 10 and LN 16 due to be delivered in about a year from now during the 2nd quarter of 2011. Here's LAN's press release:
LAN confirms early 787 arrival
The aircraft, ZA175, is destined for Japan Airlines with GEnx engines. The line will move on March 28 with LN 16 coming out and going to the paint hangar. Also on that day Boeing will hopefully be conducting the extremely important ultimate load test on ZY 997. Currently, Boeing is conducting tests on the static air frame in a build up to the ultimate load tests this Sunday. Mike Mecham of Aviation Week has a great blog post describing the ultimate load test.
Mike Mecham : The final wing bend (hopefully)
In other news, LAN airlines confirmed news that was already known...that they will take some of the early 787s. In total they're moving up the delivery of 10 787s with LN 10 and LN 16 due to be delivered in about a year from now during the 2nd quarter of 2011. Here's LAN's press release:
LAN Will Be One of the First Airlines in the World to Receive the BoeingFlightblogger says that LAN will be joining the likes of ANA, Air India, Continental, JAL, Qatar Airways, Ethiopian, China Southern and Royal Air Maroc as operators of the 787 by 2011. Read Jon's post:
787 Dreamliner
SANTIAGO, Chile, March 25 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- LAN Airlines S.A. ("LAN" or "the Company") (NYSE: LFL; IPSA: LAN), one of the leading airlines in Latin America, and its subsidiaries today announced that the Company signed an agreement with Boeing to adjust the delivery of ten Boeing 787-8 Dreamliners to be incorporated into the Company's long haul fleet. This new delivery schedule anticipates by three years the arrival of this aircraft, previously scheduled for 2014 and now expected starting in the first semester of 2011.
In this way, LAN becomes the first airline in the western hemisphere to receive the Dreamliner, which is expected to revolutionize the airline industry, incorporating the most advanced technology. These ten aircraft are part of the original order for 26 Boeing 787s placed by LAN in 2007 and previously scheduled for delivery between 2014 and 2019. In addition, LAN has outstanding orders for six leased Dreamliners.
The Boeing 787-8 undertook its first flight in December 2009 and is expected to begin commercial operations in 2010. It has the capacity to seat approximately 250 passengers, providing a unique in-flight experience due to innovative technological advances featured inside the aircraft cabin. In addition, Dreamliners are fuel efficient and ecologically friendly, providing a significant reduction in emissions.
The Dreamliners will assist in the renewal and growth of the Company's long-haul fleet, allowing LAN Airlines and its subsidiaries to serve international destinations, improving connectivity between Latin America, Europe and the United States.
Mr. Enrique Cueto, LAN's Chief Executive Officer, stated, "The incorporation of the Boeing 787 ensures the Company's sustainable growth while preserving the environment and incorporating state-of-the-art technology to deliver the best travel experience for LAN's passengers. LAN looks forward to incorporating this new generation of aircraft in the first half of 2011."
"Partnering with LAN Airlines, one of the world's great air carriers, is an exciting way to introduce the 787 to the flying public. We look forward to seeing the Dreamliner fly with LAN's livery. The 787 Dreamliner represents one of those rare generational advancements in powered flight that will provide superior operating economics, compelling environmental performance and unique passenger comforts. LAN and its passengers will be among the early beneficiaries of these enhancements," said Marlin Dailey, Vice President Sales Boeing Commercial Airplanes.
LAN confirms early 787 arrival
Sunday, January 31, 2010
787 News
Boeing's production of 787 continues as the flight testing program is well underway. Boeing just started final assembly on the 16th airplane destined for LAN. LN 16 is also known as ZA531 (ZA530 is assigned to LN 10).
The current production and aircraft disposition list is below as well as at the bottom of the blog at all times:
Lastly, Flightblogger is reporting that ZA002 should be flying again around now and that ZA001 should be back in the air around Feb. 2, 2010 (Groundhog Day). Finally, ZY998, the fatigue test air frame is finally being moved to building 40-41 where it will go through 3 years of test to see how the air frame will fair over a life time of service.
Flightblogger: Pre-flight and layup: A 787 and 747 Round Up
747-8 still hasn't moved. At last report Boeing wanted to rerun some gauntlet tests. No word on how the retesting has gone or when taxi tests will begin.
The current production and aircraft disposition list is below as well as at the bottom of the blog at all times:
Lastly, Flightblogger is reporting that ZA002 should be flying again around now and that ZA001 should be back in the air around Feb. 2, 2010 (Groundhog Day). Finally, ZY998, the fatigue test air frame is finally being moved to building 40-41 where it will go through 3 years of test to see how the air frame will fair over a life time of service.
Flightblogger: Pre-flight and layup: A 787 and 747 Round Up
747-8 still hasn't moved. At last report Boeing wanted to rerun some gauntlet tests. No word on how the retesting has gone or when taxi tests will begin.
Sunday, January 10, 2010
787 Update - January 10, 2010
Yesterday another flight test 787 showed up on the Everett ramp being prepared for it's first flight. Sources tell me that this aircraft is ZA004 but a registration has not yet shown up on it's side.
ZA003 should show up very soon on the Everett ramp as well very soon to start it's preparations for first flight.
Both ZA003 and ZA004 are projected to have their first flights in the first week of February.
Additionally, Matt Cawby reported on his blog that the fatigue test air frame is very close to finishing its side of body modifications and should be moved to the fatigue test area around January 30th to start 3 years of fatigue testing. It will be moved out of the temporary hangar that is on the Boeing flight line.
Matt Cawby's January 9, 2010 Blog Update
Flightblogger got a great article up on the production challenges that the 787 still faces now that the aircraft has entered test flights. Thus far Boeing has completely assembled 1 complete 787s (LN 1 through LN 11) plus two test air frames (ZY997 and ZY998). Currently there are 4 aircraft undergoing final assembly (LN 12 through LN 15) and parts of LN 16 are just starting to arrive in Everett. Flightblogger is reporting that Boeing planes to start increasing production on the 787 round mid February.
Flightblogger: Dreamliner Production Challenges Lie Ahead
Finally through today, January 10, 2010, the 787 test fleet has accumulated over 45 and half hours test flight hours. Also today, Za001 flew the longest 787 test flight thus far at 5 hours and 48 minutes. You can track the 787 flight test hours by going to this spreadsheet here.
ZA003 should show up very soon on the Everett ramp as well very soon to start it's preparations for first flight.
Both ZA003 and ZA004 are projected to have their first flights in the first week of February.
Additionally, Matt Cawby reported on his blog that the fatigue test air frame is very close to finishing its side of body modifications and should be moved to the fatigue test area around January 30th to start 3 years of fatigue testing. It will be moved out of the temporary hangar that is on the Boeing flight line.
Matt Cawby's January 9, 2010 Blog Update
Flightblogger got a great article up on the production challenges that the 787 still faces now that the aircraft has entered test flights. Thus far Boeing has completely assembled 1 complete 787s (LN 1 through LN 11) plus two test air frames (ZY997 and ZY998). Currently there are 4 aircraft undergoing final assembly (LN 12 through LN 15) and parts of LN 16 are just starting to arrive in Everett. Flightblogger is reporting that Boeing planes to start increasing production on the 787 round mid February.
Flightblogger: Dreamliner Production Challenges Lie Ahead
Finally through today, January 10, 2010, the 787 test fleet has accumulated over 45 and half hours test flight hours. Also today, Za001 flew the longest 787 test flight thus far at 5 hours and 48 minutes. You can track the 787 flight test hours by going to this spreadsheet here.
Wednesday, January 6, 2010
787 Round Up - January 6, 2010
Boeing PhotoNow that we're out of the Holiday's here's some news from around the 787 program.
First off I'm hearing that ZA004 should be out of building 40-24 very soon, perhaps even by tonight. ZA003 is still in the paint hangar which may indicate that ZA004 might fly before ZA003.
ZA001 continues to make almost daily flights and has, to date, racked up over 24 flight hours. ZA001 is flying to get Type Inspection Authorization ahead of certification testing that would be planned to start around mid February. The airworthiness test flights that are currently taking place are to ensure that all the systems perform as advertised as well as to make sure there aren't any flutter issues with the aircraft.
ZA002, which has not flown since Dec. 22, 2009, is undergoing post-flight checks as well as re-calibration and testing of several systems including the Common Core System according to Guy Norris of Aviation Week. There is still no word on when ZA002 will resume flying.
Now that Boeing has gotten the 787 flying, some attention will be turned to 787 production. Flightblogger has put up an article about the side of body modifications for the production 787s going forward. Currently the airplanes are assembled without the mods put in. Starting with airplane 16 (LN 16), which should be in Everett next month, the mods will be partially done at Boeing Charleston on Section 11 (center wing box) and at Everett on Section 12 (wing boxes) prior to the wing body join. This will continue through aircraft 49 (LN 49) and then with aircraft 50 there will be an incorporated redesign of the area that shown the lack of structural strength thus eliminating the need of the modifications that will be present in the first 49 787s.
Flightblogger: Boeing to incorporate Side of Body Mods into Production 787s
Flightblogger also published an interesting blog post comparing the takeoff noise footprint of the 787 vs the 777. Quite interesting and I do think the 787 does have a lower noise footprint vs the 77 but that should be expected. The 777 has a larger diameter engines vs the 787 but the 787 also has other noise reduction designs incorporated into the aircraft.
Flightblogger compares the sounds of 787 vs 777 at Takeoff
One none 787 note. The other airplane that Boeing is going to start test flying is the 747-8. The first one RC501 is still out on the Boeing flightline, presumably undergoing gauntlet testing. Last month I got word that first flight of this airplane is supposed to be on January 14th. While sources have recently told me that it's still the 14th they've also said that it's likely to slip, possibly to the 21st of January. Stay tuned for that one!
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