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.

End of the month 787 Update

This morning Boeing launched a 787 flight test dedicated web site so that anyone can keep tabs on the 787 flight test progress. It includes of all things the cumulative flight test hours for the flight test fleet as well as for each individual airplane.

Hey Boeing, who did you get that idea from?

The hours they've calculated are from internal flight times they've calculated and not based on the hours that are posted on flightaware.com (you can link to the flightaware database by clicking on the individual aircraft. The number of flight hours they're calculating is about 3 hours more than what I have posted. I don't know the reason for the discrepancy.

The web site is very extensive and has a lot of information including the flight test roles for each of the 6 test airplanes, video and news reports from the flight test team and pilots, as well as the usual multimedia suspects one comes to expect. Boeing needs to be applauded for providing a greater degree of transparency at this critical stage of the 787 program.

Boeing 787 Flight Test Site

There are a few other tidbits coming out the 787 program through Matt Cawby. He has video of ZA004 gear swing test as well as reporting that the wings for LN 17 was flown in. This may mean that LN 12 has exited the final assembly line. Matt also reported that Boeing conducted VHF radio checks with ZA003. Lastly, Matt also reports that the third 747-8F (and third flight test aircraft) was moved to the Boeing flightline on Wednesday though it still is unpainted.

Matt Cawby's January 28th Posting