UPDATE: Jon has updated his blog to reflect new information he got. Dreamliner 1 will be at spot 105 as early as this Sunday but the engines won't actually be spooled up until next Thursday or Friday (May 21 or 22) at the earliest. They'll continue engine run tests through Memorial Day weekend gradually building up the thrust levels in the engines and testing the systems at different power setting on the engines. It is my belief that soon after Memorial Day, Boeing will be starting the intermediate gauntlet testing.
Jon got a lot of juicy details but the most important one is that Dreamliner 1 is due to turn on its Trent 1000s as early as this Sunday.
Right now it's going through final fuel tests along with fuel draining tests. It will then be fully fueled and towed to a remote parking spot by Sunday for the start of engine tests which should last about a week and a half according to Jon which will include high power engine runs that would take place around Memorial Day weekend.
Towards the end of these test, Boeing will initiate the intermediate gauntlet testing verifying the closed loop system of the 787s electrical architecture using both engine and APU power.
Lastly, Jon gave an update on ZA002 and ZA003.
ZA002 is back inside 40-24 where it is finishing up additional tests and then will be moved outside by the end of May to start that airplane on the road to its first flight. Jon says it's tracking closely behind ZA001 and may fly 20 days after ZA001. That would be a huge boost to the testing and certification plan.
ZA003 is now starting to get its passenger interior fitted inside (sounds like they're done with fastener reinstallation) this weekend.
Flightblogger May 15th Report
Good coverage by Jon and now you. Thanks.
ReplyDeleteDid some of the hydraulic testing get done while at the fueling station as previously described or does that happen after it leaves for the parking lot.
If not, the fueling tests actually took a rather long time.
Also, it appears that Boeing likes to move the ZA001 over the weekends!
Is the fastener work still going on in planes ZA004 & ZA005 ?
ReplyDeleteCan you bring us u to date on the remediation of the fastener issues on all the subsequent planes....does it extend out to only the test planes or to the first 20....
Will it all be cleared up before 7-20 starts production?