Sources have confirmed to me that Boeing did not deliver a 787 to Air India today and further revealed that the company was not expecting to make a delivery from the Boeing Charleston facility today. There is still no confirmed date as to when Air India will allow a delivery to take place. Boeing is ready to deliver the three 787s parked at Charleston and is awaiting word from Air India. It was close, it seems, as of last Wednesday when ZA236 took a test flight but then rumors started to come out that the Indian Ministry of Finance as not signed off on the transfer of the final payment to Boeing. Again this further erodes any confidence that these airplanes will be delivered anytime soon. This entire episode is further proof of the incompetence and mismanagement at Air India and the Government of India itself.
In the meantime there are 4 787s (3 with Air India livery) that are parked at Charleston. The fourth aircraft is widely believed to be ZA238 which experienced the engine issue last month and now has a replacement engine. I anticipate that this airplane can make its first flight in about two weeks.
Lastly there was a line move in Everett and ZA537 (LN 74, CC-BBB) for LAN has been pushed out onto the 40-51 ramp to finish off minor assembly tasks before being sent over to the paint hangar. I anticipate that this airplane can deliver sometime in early to mid October since Boeing has a very full ramp of 787s that they need to deliver ahead of this particular aircraft.
Meanwhile ANA will be gearing up to take ownership of its 12th 787 as ZA100 conducts it customer test flights.
Showing posts with label ZA100. Show all posts
Showing posts with label ZA100. Show all posts
Friday, August 17, 2012
Saturday, August 11, 2012
Updated 787 delivery information
Activity around Everett has increased in recent days as far as the 787 is concerned. ZA100 (LN 7, JA803A) continues pre-delivery test flight, ZA262 (LN 49, ET-AOQ) performed a customer test flight and ZA118 (LN 67, JA813A) conducted its B-1 flight). Even though August is almost one half over a posting on airliners.net says that there will be 7 Dreamliner deliveries made this month not including deliveries to Air India. The delivery train starts this Monday (August 14th) with first delivery to Ethiopian of ZA262. Less than a week later ZA100 will deliver to ANA on the 20th.Qatar Airways is scheduled to be the 4th carrier to take the 787 (ZA461) around August 22nd followed by LAN (ZA536) on August 27th. ANA takes one on August 28th (ZA119). Both JAL (ZA182) and ANA (ZA118) take one each on August 30th. Again this schedule is subject to change and many of these deliveries can move to a later date. If this schedule holds then it would be the most 787s delivered by Boeing in one month and will add 3 new airlines flying the 787.
It is possible that Air India could be added this month but they are having a very hard time arranging financing to pay for the jets that are ready for delivery and is reflective of their financial distress. It is unknown if Boeing will penalize them for not taking delivery in a timely manner but Air India has been aware that these airplanes are ready for delivery but chose not to pursue financing until after they got approval to take delivery from the GoI. This reinforces the view of many that this is a very poorly managed airline. The Air India -787 saga continues, unfortunately.
September is also promising to be just as good as August was in terms of '87 deliveries with United and China Southern both taking their first airplanes. All September deliveries are tentatively scheduled for the second half of September and kcks off with Ethiopian taking delivery of ZA264 (LN 71, ET-AOR) on Sept. 18th as well as United (ZA288, LN 53, N20904) also signing for its first 787 on the same day. Two days later Japan Airlines will take its 6th 787 which is an early build Dreamliner, ZA178 (LN 27, JA824J). ANA takes a 787 which is the first 787 to be rolled out without needing to go to the EMC. ZA135 (LN 66, JA815A) should deliver around September 25th. Qatar Airways will take its second 787, ZA463 (LN 64, A7-BCD) on September 27 but also delivering on that date will be the first '87 for China Southern. This airplane is ZA382 (LN 43, B-2727).
All together this is 13 787s that is scheduled to be delivered over the next 6 weeks and will take Boeing to 25 787 delivered in 2012 not including tentative deliveries to Air India if and when that happens. By the end of September, if all goes according that what I laid out in this post, then there will be 7 customers flying the 787 by the end of the third quarter possibly 8 with Air India.
It is possible that Air India could be added this month but they are having a very hard time arranging financing to pay for the jets that are ready for delivery and is reflective of their financial distress. It is unknown if Boeing will penalize them for not taking delivery in a timely manner but Air India has been aware that these airplanes are ready for delivery but chose not to pursue financing until after they got approval to take delivery from the GoI. This reinforces the view of many that this is a very poorly managed airline. The Air India -787 saga continues, unfortunately.
September is also promising to be just as good as August was in terms of '87 deliveries with United and China Southern both taking their first airplanes. All September deliveries are tentatively scheduled for the second half of September and kcks off with Ethiopian taking delivery of ZA264 (LN 71, ET-AOR) on Sept. 18th as well as United (ZA288, LN 53, N20904) also signing for its first 787 on the same day. Two days later Japan Airlines will take its 6th 787 which is an early build Dreamliner, ZA178 (LN 27, JA824J). ANA takes a 787 which is the first 787 to be rolled out without needing to go to the EMC. ZA135 (LN 66, JA815A) should deliver around September 25th. Qatar Airways will take its second 787, ZA463 (LN 64, A7-BCD) on September 27 but also delivering on that date will be the first '87 for China Southern. This airplane is ZA382 (LN 43, B-2727).
All together this is 13 787s that is scheduled to be delivered over the next 6 weeks and will take Boeing to 25 787 delivered in 2012 not including tentative deliveries to Air India if and when that happens. By the end of September, if all goes according that what I laid out in this post, then there will be 7 customers flying the 787 by the end of the third quarter possibly 8 with Air India.
Friday, July 27, 2012
First 787 B-1 flight in almost 3 weeks scheduled to be conducted today
The first 787 B-1 flight to be conducted in almost three weeks is scheduled to take place today at about 10AM PT (1PM ET) today. ZA100 (LN 7, JA803A) will fly its first flight. This aircraft is the first production airplane to be assembled though it is also the aircraft that needed the most modifications. It has been in Everett for over three years since it started final assembly. If goes according to plan, this aircraft should deliver to ANA by middle to late August depending on any issues that would need to be corrected. The flight is on Flightaware.
According to a posting on the airliners.net forum, Boeing is planning to deliver some where around 7 '87s in August as follows:
ZA100 (LN 7, JA803A) to ANA - 2nd to 3rd week of August
ZA461 (LN 58, A7-BCB) to Qatar - 4th week of August
ZA262 (LN 49, ET-AOQ) to Ethiopian - 4th week of August
ZA118 (LN 67, JA813A) to ANA - last week of August
ZA536 (LN 68, CC-BBA) to LAN - last week of August
ZA119 (LN 69, JA814A) to ANA - last week of August
ZA182 (LN 70, JA828J) to JAL - last week of August
Notable is the absence of ZA135 (LN 66, JA815A) which was the first 787 that did not need to go to the EMC. This airplane probably needs a little bit more time to finish off the 300 some assembly tasks that remained after being pulled out of the assembly line. This list has the potential of adding 3 maybe 4 more 787s if the Indian Government finally approves the compensation deal between Air India and Boeing. That is the potential of 10 to 11 deliveries next month and would take Boeing to almost to the 2/3 point of the total 787 deliveries that they have projected for 2012 (35 to 42 with 12 currently delivered).
According to a posting on the airliners.net forum, Boeing is planning to deliver some where around 7 '87s in August as follows:
ZA100 (LN 7, JA803A) to ANA - 2nd to 3rd week of August
ZA461 (LN 58, A7-BCB) to Qatar - 4th week of August
ZA262 (LN 49, ET-AOQ) to Ethiopian - 4th week of August
ZA118 (LN 67, JA813A) to ANA - last week of August
ZA536 (LN 68, CC-BBA) to LAN - last week of August
ZA119 (LN 69, JA814A) to ANA - last week of August
ZA182 (LN 70, JA828J) to JAL - last week of August
Notable is the absence of ZA135 (LN 66, JA815A) which was the first 787 that did not need to go to the EMC. This airplane probably needs a little bit more time to finish off the 300 some assembly tasks that remained after being pulled out of the assembly line. This list has the potential of adding 3 maybe 4 more 787s if the Indian Government finally approves the compensation deal between Air India and Boeing. That is the potential of 10 to 11 deliveries next month and would take Boeing to almost to the 2/3 point of the total 787 deliveries that they have projected for 2012 (35 to 42 with 12 currently delivered).
Tuesday, July 17, 2012
Updated 787 delivery info for July and August
There is new updated delivery information from a variety of sources concerning future deliveries of the 787. First off, ANA apparently has taken delivery of another 787 probably yesterday. ZA508 (LN 51, JA811A) was delivered and should fly to Japan tonight. Apparently that looks to be the only delivery being made this month. However there is more clarity on future deliveries including those to Air India.
Air India - Ajit Singh, the Minister of Civil Aviation, reported that the GoI's CCEA should be taking up the matter of the compensation deal between Air India and Boeing in about 15 days. Now how soon after approval will these airplanes be delivered is another question. According to a posting on airliners.net, the carrier can take delivery of four '87s before August 5th from the flightline at Charleston. This is a rumor and there is nothing official to back it up as of yet. We just have to stay tuned for this drama to play out.
LAN - The first aircraft for LAN has now been moved to the flightline and will presumably be starting the pre-flight testing prior to its B1 flight. There has been some confusion as to when LAN will take this airplane but now there seems to be some clarification. The CEO of LAN told Flightglobal that the carrier will take delivery in September.
ANA - ANA's 787 fleet is well into double digits with several more on the way. There are 4 787s that are winding its way through pre-flight at Everett. According to a posting in airliners.net, ZA100 (LN 7, JA803A) should be making it's B1 flight tomorrow (July 18). This airplane is projected (of course not certain) to deliver around August 8th. The three other 787s are all airplanes that didn't need any re-work done at the EMC. It is quite possible that all these four airplanes can deliver in August though it's more likely that a couple will deliver in August and a couple more in September from this batch. There are still 2 more late build airplanes that are in storage that wold have to finish some amount of change incorporation and I would expect that these airplanes will be delivered later this fall. a, ZA118 is registered as JA813A (LN 67).
Finally, here's an interesting article that sums up Farnborough 2012 air show from aerospace analyst Saj Ahmad.
Air India - Ajit Singh, the Minister of Civil Aviation, reported that the GoI's CCEA should be taking up the matter of the compensation deal between Air India and Boeing in about 15 days. Now how soon after approval will these airplanes be delivered is another question. According to a posting on airliners.net, the carrier can take delivery of four '87s before August 5th from the flightline at Charleston. This is a rumor and there is nothing official to back it up as of yet. We just have to stay tuned for this drama to play out.
LAN - The first aircraft for LAN has now been moved to the flightline and will presumably be starting the pre-flight testing prior to its B1 flight. There has been some confusion as to when LAN will take this airplane but now there seems to be some clarification. The CEO of LAN told Flightglobal that the carrier will take delivery in September.
ANA - ANA's 787 fleet is well into double digits with several more on the way. There are 4 787s that are winding its way through pre-flight at Everett. According to a posting in airliners.net, ZA100 (LN 7, JA803A) should be making it's B1 flight tomorrow (July 18). This airplane is projected (of course not certain) to deliver around August 8th. The three other 787s are all airplanes that didn't need any re-work done at the EMC. It is quite possible that all these four airplanes can deliver in August though it's more likely that a couple will deliver in August and a couple more in September from this batch. There are still 2 more late build airplanes that are in storage that wold have to finish some amount of change incorporation and I would expect that these airplanes will be delivered later this fall. a, ZA118 is registered as JA813A (LN 67).
Finally, here's an interesting article that sums up Farnborough 2012 air show from aerospace analyst Saj Ahmad.
Saturday, July 14, 2012
Are 787 deliveries slowing down?
UPDATE: I got word that Qatar's first 787 will be delivered in August but it's still open as to when in August. Given that at Everett there are only three 787s that have had their B-1 flight thus far (ANA, Qatar, & Ethiopian), I'm going to say that only one 787 will be delivered this month. There hasn't been any word on other 787s that will have their B-1 flight but I expect that at least 2 more will take to the skies for the B-1 flight before the end of July in order to be delivered next month (ZA100 and ZA135).
There has been raised hopes and expectations that aviation geeks around the world would see an avalanche of 787 deliveries starting this summer. However we've seen only a trickle and I am at a loss to explain it. The Everett ramp is getting full of 787s that have either finished change incorporation or are airframes that do not need to go through the EMC but just have a few hundred small jobs left to be done. As successive airplanes come out of 40-26 the number of jobs that remain have fallen to less than 150 with ZA182 (LN 70) for JAL. This aircraft has yet to appear on the Everett flightline though it has been more than 9 days per line move on July 3, about 12 days ago. We may yet see ZA182 as early as tomorrow or Monday.
In terms of getting these planes ready for delivery, while the monster jobs of change incorporation have been completed on those airplanes, there is still a long line for delivery as these planes must go through the step by step process of pre-flight ground test, Boeing flight tests, customer flight tests as well as customer inspections and quality control reviews. It appears that there doesn't seem to be enough resources to tackle all this work for the 8-9 aircraft that are lined up ready for their turn. Both ZA508 (LN 51, JA811A) and ZA100 (LN 7, JA803A) were expected to be delivered this month to ANA. It's looking like on ZA508 will make it and there is rumors of extra work needed to prepare ZA100 for flight. This is the aircraft that needed the most rework as it was the first production standard 787 to enter final assembly. It is not known when this airplane is to finally take to the air.
In the meanwhile the first 787 for LAN, ZA536 (LN 68, CC-BBA) is now on the 40-51 ramp after being painted and is presumably finishing up some assembly tasks. There is some controversy about when it is to be delivered. with some reports saying delivery is in August but LAN is saying that they expect to take delivery of its first 787 late this year. Right next to is a 787 for ANA registered JA813A. This is registration that was assigned to ZA510 (LN 59) and previously I had it listed as in storage and not undergoing any change modification. I doubt that this airplane could have prepared to quickly though it is possible that this airplane may certainly have had some work completed while outside the EMC and it engines attached. I'm trying to find out the true identity of this airplane beyond the registration. There are some late build 787, notably ZA118 (LN 67, JA816A) and ZA119 (LN 69, JA817A) that have "gone missing." I'm assuming that these airplanes, if one of them is not the ANA 787 that currently is sitting on the 40-51 ramp, are in the paint hangar.
Lastly, it is quite possible that ZA262 (LN 49, ET-AOQ) for Ethiopian and ZA461 (LN 58, A7-BCB) for Qatar Airways could be ready for delivery by the end of this month. The former has conduct two Boeing test flights (including the ferry flight to Ft worth) and is currently being painted in Texas. I would expect this airplane back in Everett in about 7 to 8 days. It could could still conceivably conduct customer flights after its return to Everett before the end of the month. ZA461 is more of a question mark as Boeing needs to complete some interior assembly tasks (may be related to the IFE System) prior to further Boeing and customer test flights. Again it is entirely possible that his airplane could deliver by the end of this month.
Don't even ask me about Air India.
There has been raised hopes and expectations that aviation geeks around the world would see an avalanche of 787 deliveries starting this summer. However we've seen only a trickle and I am at a loss to explain it. The Everett ramp is getting full of 787s that have either finished change incorporation or are airframes that do not need to go through the EMC but just have a few hundred small jobs left to be done. As successive airplanes come out of 40-26 the number of jobs that remain have fallen to less than 150 with ZA182 (LN 70) for JAL. This aircraft has yet to appear on the Everett flightline though it has been more than 9 days per line move on July 3, about 12 days ago. We may yet see ZA182 as early as tomorrow or Monday.
In terms of getting these planes ready for delivery, while the monster jobs of change incorporation have been completed on those airplanes, there is still a long line for delivery as these planes must go through the step by step process of pre-flight ground test, Boeing flight tests, customer flight tests as well as customer inspections and quality control reviews. It appears that there doesn't seem to be enough resources to tackle all this work for the 8-9 aircraft that are lined up ready for their turn. Both ZA508 (LN 51, JA811A) and ZA100 (LN 7, JA803A) were expected to be delivered this month to ANA. It's looking like on ZA508 will make it and there is rumors of extra work needed to prepare ZA100 for flight. This is the aircraft that needed the most rework as it was the first production standard 787 to enter final assembly. It is not known when this airplane is to finally take to the air.
In the meanwhile the first 787 for LAN, ZA536 (LN 68, CC-BBA) is now on the 40-51 ramp after being painted and is presumably finishing up some assembly tasks. There is some controversy about when it is to be delivered. with some reports saying delivery is in August but LAN is saying that they expect to take delivery of its first 787 late this year. Right next to is a 787 for ANA registered JA813A. This is registration that was assigned to ZA510 (LN 59) and previously I had it listed as in storage and not undergoing any change modification. I doubt that this airplane could have prepared to quickly though it is possible that this airplane may certainly have had some work completed while outside the EMC and it engines attached. I'm trying to find out the true identity of this airplane beyond the registration. There are some late build 787, notably ZA118 (LN 67, JA816A) and ZA119 (LN 69, JA817A) that have "gone missing." I'm assuming that these airplanes, if one of them is not the ANA 787 that currently is sitting on the 40-51 ramp, are in the paint hangar.
Lastly, it is quite possible that ZA262 (LN 49, ET-AOQ) for Ethiopian and ZA461 (LN 58, A7-BCB) for Qatar Airways could be ready for delivery by the end of this month. The former has conduct two Boeing test flights (including the ferry flight to Ft worth) and is currently being painted in Texas. I would expect this airplane back in Everett in about 7 to 8 days. It could could still conceivably conduct customer flights after its return to Everett before the end of the month. ZA461 is more of a question mark as Boeing needs to complete some interior assembly tasks (may be related to the IFE System) prior to further Boeing and customer test flights. Again it is entirely possible that his airplane could deliver by the end of this month.
Don't even ask me about Air India.
Wednesday, July 11, 2012
787 production improving says Pat Shanahan
Speaking at the Farnborough Air Show, Pat Shanahan is indicating that the backlog of 787s at Everett will be gone sooner then everyone realizes. Boeing is making constant progress on the production front to such an extent that the backlog of 787s that are complete and ready to be delivered is growing. The situation has been likened to people waiting on line at the market waiting to check out with each person waiting their turn on line. The rate of 787s being released from production however, is exceeding the delivery rate though this should turn around sometime around the fall. Dominic Gates put together a piece on the 787 production rebound and plans for future production of the 787-9 and the 777X at Everett as well as the future of the EMC and the 787 surge line. It is expected that the surge line should be activated for production sometime this fall and allowing Boeing to go t o 5/month. Dominic also confirmed the ZA100 (LN 7, JA803A) should be delivered this month to ANA. This is the first 787 to enter final assembly back in June 2009. It has taken three years to deliver this airplane.
Other 787 News
During this pas week, Rolls Royce announced at the Farnborough 2012 air show that they will develop a new version of the Trent 1000 engine called Trent 1000-TEN (for Thrust, Efficiency and New technology). This engines is to have a 3% improvement in specific fuel consumption over the current package "B" Trent 1000 though I'm not sure how it compares to the the Package "C" engine which is currently undergoing testing in Derby, UK. The engine is to power the 787-8, 787-9 and the proposed 787-10 aircraft at a thrust of 76,000 lbs but can go as high as 78,0000. The idea of being able to power all three versions of the 787 is to provide for commonality for customers who order different versions of the aircraft. It'll be interesting to see if there is commonality across the older versions of the Trent 1000 family. The engine is expected to enter service in 2016 though a customer has yet to commit to the engine. Click here to read Rolls Royce's press release.
The Air India saga continues with no delivery date in sight unfortunately. Final approval could come tonight or it could come when hell freezes over, I'm betting on the later. Reuters put out an article describing how the Air India 787 order is in the limbo by being caught in the Government of India bureaucracy. Currently the Ministry of Civil Aviation is waiting for some sign off from some obscure other department and then some such committee can sign off on the compensation deal between Boeing and Air India. This can really mess with your head. Bottom line is that the 4 airplanes currently sitting on the Charleston flightline aren't going anywhere anytime soon.
Other 787 News
During this pas week, Rolls Royce announced at the Farnborough 2012 air show that they will develop a new version of the Trent 1000 engine called Trent 1000-TEN (for Thrust, Efficiency and New technology). This engines is to have a 3% improvement in specific fuel consumption over the current package "B" Trent 1000 though I'm not sure how it compares to the the Package "C" engine which is currently undergoing testing in Derby, UK. The engine is to power the 787-8, 787-9 and the proposed 787-10 aircraft at a thrust of 76,000 lbs but can go as high as 78,0000. The idea of being able to power all three versions of the 787 is to provide for commonality for customers who order different versions of the aircraft. It'll be interesting to see if there is commonality across the older versions of the Trent 1000 family. The engine is expected to enter service in 2016 though a customer has yet to commit to the engine. Click here to read Rolls Royce's press release.
The Air India saga continues with no delivery date in sight unfortunately. Final approval could come tonight or it could come when hell freezes over, I'm betting on the later. Reuters put out an article describing how the Air India 787 order is in the limbo by being caught in the Government of India bureaucracy. Currently the Ministry of Civil Aviation is waiting for some sign off from some obscure other department and then some such committee can sign off on the compensation deal between Boeing and Air India. This can really mess with your head. Bottom line is that the 4 airplanes currently sitting on the Charleston flightline aren't going anywhere anytime soon.
Sunday, July 1, 2012
Air India 787s on the move, Qatar 787 readied for Farnborough
Over the weekend Matt Cawby spotted the two Air India 787s that are ready for delivery sporting temporary US registration numbers on their fuselages. This lead to speculation that the aircraft are to be flown out of Everett for possible storage, maybe in the desert. Well the speculation was mostly correct. The two 787s, ZA233 (LN 29,VT-AND) and ZA236 (LN 35, VT-ANH) will be flown to Charleston to join sistership ZA237 (LN 46, VT-ANI) on Monday, July 2nd. Now the reason why it is being flown to Charleston isn't officially disclosed but the obvious reason could be for a triple delivery to AIr India and that still could happen but sources have told me that delivery to Air India is still listed as "TBD". It is conceivable that these three airframes for Air India will be delivered from Charleston but another reason is that if Boeing is able to turn the keys over to the carrier between July 4th and July 8th, they will be unable to fly away during those dates as the runway at Everett will be closed. This way Boeing leaves open the delivery and fly away during those dates by transferring these airplanes to Charelston. The most likely reason is to free up space in Everett for other aircraft that are ready to be delivered. Already ZA135 (LN 66, JA815A) is already out of paint and need to prepare for pre-flight. ZA100 (LN 7, JA803A) is currently sitting in the fuel dock sans its rudder (don't know why) this aircraft is projected to be delivered at the end of July but it still needs to have its rudder reattached and go through pre-flight. The pace of aircraft reaching the flightline ready for pre-flight is quickening and Boeing needs the space. Given the uncertainty of the Air India deliveries this is a good move to keep the pace at Everett moving. ZA461 (LN 58, A7-BCB) for Qatar Airways is already at Boeing Field to prepare to fly to Farnborough later this week this airplane is still projected to deliver later this month. Another flightline stall should open up tomorrow as ZA509 (LN 56, JA812A) will deliver today, as far as I know, and should fly away tomorrow July 2. ZA508 (LN 51, JA811A) should deliver around July 11th with fly away on July 12th.
On Tuesday another line move should occur which will push out ZA119 (LN 69) for ANA and will mark the start of final assembly for ZA537 (LN 74) for LAN.
On Tuesday another line move should occur which will push out ZA119 (LN 69) for ANA and will mark the start of final assembly for ZA537 (LN 74) for LAN.
Friday, June 29, 2012
787 Flying During Farnborough
This morning Boeing announed that the ZA461 (LN 58, A7-BCB) for Qatar Airways will be flying demonstration flight from July 9 to July 11th during the Farnborough Airshow. This is the first time Boeing will be flying acommercial demonstration at an air show in over 25 years. Rumor has it that Boeing is doing this at the behest of Qatar Airways chairman Akbar Al-Baker (U-Turn Al) but that is not confirmed. According to Randy's Blog, ZA461 should arrive at Farnborough on Thursday July 5th. It will fly a validation flight the next day and fly demonstration flights on 4pm each day from July 9th to July 11th. The demo flight is 7 minutes long and will be flown by Boeing pilots.
The aircraft will have to leave from Boeing Field, according to Matt Cawby, the runway at Everett will be closed from July 4th to July 8th re-opening on July 9th. This also means no B-1 787 flights or delivery fly aways during this period. If there are to be any B-1 flights prior to the runway shut down, it would most likely be ZA100 (LN 7, JA803A) as this one seems closest to conducting any B-1 flights. It is also possible that the two Air India 787s at Everett can be delivered before the runway closure but again this is all dependent on the Indian Government approving the deal between Air India and Boeing. I have no word on when this may happen.
In the meantime, ZA509 (LN 56, JA812A) was supposed to have been delivered yesterday but appeared to have been taken on another test flight yesterday evening and is know expected to be delivered on July 1st and expected fly away on July 2nd.
The aircraft will have to leave from Boeing Field, according to Matt Cawby, the runway at Everett will be closed from July 4th to July 8th re-opening on July 9th. This also means no B-1 787 flights or delivery fly aways during this period. If there are to be any B-1 flights prior to the runway shut down, it would most likely be ZA100 (LN 7, JA803A) as this one seems closest to conducting any B-1 flights. It is also possible that the two Air India 787s at Everett can be delivered before the runway closure but again this is all dependent on the Indian Government approving the deal between Air India and Boeing. I have no word on when this may happen.
In the meantime, ZA509 (LN 56, JA812A) was supposed to have been delivered yesterday but appeared to have been taken on another test flight yesterday evening and is know expected to be delivered on July 1st and expected fly away on July 2nd.
Tuesday, June 26, 2012
787 Half Time Report
So now that we're coming to half way through the year I thought to do a brief review and then look forward to the second half of the 787 ball game.
Deliveries in the first half were shaky. We got word of the incorrectly installed shims on the horizontal tailplane (HTP) on many of the aircraft that were built and in service. This slowed down deliveries as it wasn't a hard problem to solve but more of a question of access to the areas of the aircraft that needed correction. As a consequence we've only seen 11 deliveries (what will be 11 deliveries by June 30th). There weren't any deliveries in February and May. The former probably due to the shim issue and the later due to issues with Air India. It was expected that Air India would have taken two 787s in May. It is now looking more like a July delivery though if the GoI approves the agreement between Boeing and Air India. ANA will be taking delivery of one 787, ZA509 (LN 56, JA812A), on June 28th and should fly away on June 29th. When this airplane is delivered Boeing would have turned over 11 787s so far this year. There is a slight chance that if the GoI approves the deal between Air India and Boeing on June 28th then Boeing could possibly deliver 2 or possibly all 3 787s that are currently ready for the carrier.
As we got into late spring early summer Boeing was now sending complete aircraft that had went through the full change incorporation process and were ready for pre-flight. These airplanes were augmented on the flightline by the first airplanes that go straight from the assembly line to the flightline (ok so maybe a slight detour to get a few minor jobs done). This is a major accomplishment for Boeing as now they have more certainty in the supply chain and their production system. ZA135 (LN 66) still had a about 300 small jobs to be completed but as Boeing get further into regular production, the number of these jobs will shrink.
So in short by the end of June Boeing will have delivered 11 787 so far in 2012 and they will have 10 more that are ready for delivery in July and into August. This number also includes the three for Air India that are ready to be delivered so Boeing really has 7 to work on as far as delivery preparations are concerned.
Can Boeing deliver 10 next month? It sure is possible but they will need to devote a lot of resources to get those planes ready, especially those coming off the assembly line. Currently ZA 135 (LN 66) just made its way into the paint hangar today while ZA100 (LN 7, JA803A) is now on the flightline ready for ground and flight tests. They still have to deal with the other aircraft that are coming off the assembly line, currently 1 787 every 9 days, the next line move is July 3. Boeing should push out 4 787s from 40-26 to the flightline during the month of July but I don't think they'll deliver in July due to the backlog of airplanes that are currently have to go through pre-flight.
Looking forward.
The next 6 months ahead is full of promise with deliveries to a lot different customers but also challenges when Boeing attempts to ramp to 5/month which I anticipate should occur around October. Beyond ANA and JAL, Boeing should deliver to Air India (fingers crossed), Qatar Airways, Ethiopian, LAN, United, LOT Polish Airlines, Hainan and China Southern. I'm still maintaining my view that Boeing will deliver 21 airframes straight from the assembly line (no change incorporation) in addition to the 11 that were delivered in the first half of this year. That is 32 airplanes. Add to that at least 4 787s (I think they do have the capability to deliver 5-6) from Charleston and yo are now at 36. There are currently 6 more that are in various stages of pre-flight (doesn't include LN66 and above or anything built in Charleston) or ready for delivery. Now we are at 42. Assuming 1.5 787s per month delivered from the inventory that is stored around Everett (that is 9, then we can realistically see 51 deliveries this year. This does not even factor in other production positives like activation of the surge line or the increase to 5/month. The final total could be substantially higher than 51 787s with these conditions factored in. Again this is all assuming that production continues without a hitch and that Boeing continues to drive down the assembled 787 inventory.
Deliveries in the first half were shaky. We got word of the incorrectly installed shims on the horizontal tailplane (HTP) on many of the aircraft that were built and in service. This slowed down deliveries as it wasn't a hard problem to solve but more of a question of access to the areas of the aircraft that needed correction. As a consequence we've only seen 11 deliveries (what will be 11 deliveries by June 30th). There weren't any deliveries in February and May. The former probably due to the shim issue and the later due to issues with Air India. It was expected that Air India would have taken two 787s in May. It is now looking more like a July delivery though if the GoI approves the agreement between Boeing and Air India. ANA will be taking delivery of one 787, ZA509 (LN 56, JA812A), on June 28th and should fly away on June 29th. When this airplane is delivered Boeing would have turned over 11 787s so far this year. There is a slight chance that if the GoI approves the deal between Air India and Boeing on June 28th then Boeing could possibly deliver 2 or possibly all 3 787s that are currently ready for the carrier.
As we got into late spring early summer Boeing was now sending complete aircraft that had went through the full change incorporation process and were ready for pre-flight. These airplanes were augmented on the flightline by the first airplanes that go straight from the assembly line to the flightline (ok so maybe a slight detour to get a few minor jobs done). This is a major accomplishment for Boeing as now they have more certainty in the supply chain and their production system. ZA135 (LN 66) still had a about 300 small jobs to be completed but as Boeing get further into regular production, the number of these jobs will shrink.
So in short by the end of June Boeing will have delivered 11 787 so far in 2012 and they will have 10 more that are ready for delivery in July and into August. This number also includes the three for Air India that are ready to be delivered so Boeing really has 7 to work on as far as delivery preparations are concerned.
Can Boeing deliver 10 next month? It sure is possible but they will need to devote a lot of resources to get those planes ready, especially those coming off the assembly line. Currently ZA 135 (LN 66) just made its way into the paint hangar today while ZA100 (LN 7, JA803A) is now on the flightline ready for ground and flight tests. They still have to deal with the other aircraft that are coming off the assembly line, currently 1 787 every 9 days, the next line move is July 3. Boeing should push out 4 787s from 40-26 to the flightline during the month of July but I don't think they'll deliver in July due to the backlog of airplanes that are currently have to go through pre-flight.
Looking forward.
The next 6 months ahead is full of promise with deliveries to a lot different customers but also challenges when Boeing attempts to ramp to 5/month which I anticipate should occur around October. Beyond ANA and JAL, Boeing should deliver to Air India (fingers crossed), Qatar Airways, Ethiopian, LAN, United, LOT Polish Airlines, Hainan and China Southern. I'm still maintaining my view that Boeing will deliver 21 airframes straight from the assembly line (no change incorporation) in addition to the 11 that were delivered in the first half of this year. That is 32 airplanes. Add to that at least 4 787s (I think they do have the capability to deliver 5-6) from Charleston and yo are now at 36. There are currently 6 more that are in various stages of pre-flight (doesn't include LN66 and above or anything built in Charleston) or ready for delivery. Now we are at 42. Assuming 1.5 787s per month delivered from the inventory that is stored around Everett (that is 9, then we can realistically see 51 deliveries this year. This does not even factor in other production positives like activation of the surge line or the increase to 5/month. The final total could be substantially higher than 51 787s with these conditions factored in. Again this is all assuming that production continues without a hitch and that Boeing continues to drive down the assembled 787 inventory.
Sunday, June 17, 2012
787 Deliveries to take place soon
According to a post on a forum on Airliners.net, ANA should be taking delivery of 2 787s. ZA506 (LN 47, JA809A) will deliver tomorrow June 18 and ZA507 (LN48, JA810A) will deliver on June 19. Additionally ZA509 (LN56, JA812A) will deliver on June 28th according to the post. In terms of the Air India deliveries, that is still to be determined. It seems that the GoI has not given the go ahead as of yet on the deal between Air India and Boeing. If approval comes this week then I can see deliveries starting very soon thereafter.
July deliveries
The post also said that ZA100 (LN 7, JA803A) and ZA508 (LN 51, JA811A) will be delivered around July 31 and July 11 respectively and it may be possible for ZA135 (LN 66, JA813A) to be delivered during this month as well, this aircraft is still undergoing final assembly tasks on the apron. Qatar Airways, it seems may not take delivery this month but that Boeing will conduct its first flight and then send it to Farnborough under Boeing control and ownership after which Boeing will complete all necessary pre-delivery operations prior to handing the aircraft over to Qatar Airways. I also wouldn't be surprised to see further handover of aircraft to JAL and Air India in July.
Finally, I expect a line move late this week, around Friday the 22nd which should push out the first 787 for LAN, this is ZA536 (LN 68).
July deliveries
The post also said that ZA100 (LN 7, JA803A) and ZA508 (LN 51, JA811A) will be delivered around July 31 and July 11 respectively and it may be possible for ZA135 (LN 66, JA813A) to be delivered during this month as well, this aircraft is still undergoing final assembly tasks on the apron. Qatar Airways, it seems may not take delivery this month but that Boeing will conduct its first flight and then send it to Farnborough under Boeing control and ownership after which Boeing will complete all necessary pre-delivery operations prior to handing the aircraft over to Qatar Airways. I also wouldn't be surprised to see further handover of aircraft to JAL and Air India in July.
Finally, I expect a line move late this week, around Friday the 22nd which should push out the first 787 for LAN, this is ZA536 (LN 68).
Wednesday, June 13, 2012
Three paint hangars, three 787s
I got some more information last night and while I added it to my previous post I've also decided to start a new post as I see this as significant. Everett has three paint hangars and by tonight those three paint hangars will be filled with 787s that will be delivered by the end of July. They are:
45-01 - ZA118 (LN 67) this will be in there tonight
45-03 - ZA100 (LN 7) first 787 to enter production
45-04 - ZA461 (LN 58) first 787 for Qatar Airways
In my mind ZA100 is a milestone. This 787 entered final assembly about 3 years ago but has mostly sat in storage after being rolled out in the fall of 2009 waiting for change incorporation after flight testing was completed. Because it was the first to enter assembly it had the most work that needed to be done though most of the last three years it was sitting in storage.
There is a line move tonight with ZA118 leaving position 4 in 40-26 and going straight to the paint hangar. Over the next week we should see these three 787s emerging from the paint hangar and go directly to the flightline for preflight testing and work. With the exception of ZA461, these plans should deliver in July.
45-01 - ZA118 (LN 67) this will be in there tonight
45-03 - ZA100 (LN 7) first 787 to enter production
45-04 - ZA461 (LN 58) first 787 for Qatar Airways
In my mind ZA100 is a milestone. This 787 entered final assembly about 3 years ago but has mostly sat in storage after being rolled out in the fall of 2009 waiting for change incorporation after flight testing was completed. Because it was the first to enter assembly it had the most work that needed to be done though most of the last three years it was sitting in storage.
There is a line move tonight with ZA118 leaving position 4 in 40-26 and going straight to the paint hangar. Over the next week we should see these three 787s emerging from the paint hangar and go directly to the flightline for preflight testing and work. With the exception of ZA461, these plans should deliver in July.
Friday, June 1, 2012
Boeing asked to pay for Air India's mistakes and ineptitude
How much does Air India want Boeing to pay for AI's mismanagement and incompetence...$1,000,000,000.00. That amount is equal to over $37mm per 787. Now Boeing does owe Air India compensation for the delays but certainly $37mm is waaaay over the top. What Air India wants Boeing to do is pay for years of bureaucratic mistakes and idiocy at the air line. They couldn't even effectively merge Air India and Indian Airlines and the result is a huge strike that is financially hurting the airline. Now Air India want Boeing to pay for the financial costs of the strike.
Air India, of course, has no where to go and at the end they will have to blink. Boeing can easily deliver these airplanes to another customer though Boeing would have to hold on the the 787s while the BFE (buyer furnished equipment) is delivered to them for installation. Air India would be without the fuel efficient aircraft it so desperately needs to remain competitive with Emirates, Qatar Airways and other international carriers and it will further hurt their bottom line. I certainly hope that Boeing doesn't blink. They shouldn't be held hostage due to Air India's extremely poor decision making. Here's an Op-Ed from the New York Times regarding the Air India situation:
NYT: Air India’s Boeing Showdown Could Be a Mistake
In other news, I got wind of the 787s that are in the EMC at Everett. They are:
Bay C, ZA262, LN49, Ethiopian
Bay B, ZA382, LN43 China Southern
Bay A, ZA380, LN34, China Southern
Bay D, ZA287, LN52, United
Bay AW, ZA178, LN27, JAL
Quite interesting that ZA100, LN 7 is not there anymore. I don't know where it is hiding but it was at EMC for a good long while. I have to wonder if it's close to being delivered? Well we all know that there weren't any 787 deliveries in May but it could be setting up for a big June for the 787 program. There should be 4 787s for ANA and 1 for Qatar that would be delivered this month. If Boeing and Air India come to an agreement then that is another 3. I also expect that the first 787 to go from assembly line to flightline would be pulled out in a couple weeks. ZA135 (LN66) could sneak in under the wire to be delivered to ANA in June though the chances are remote but it would certainly be delivered by end of July.
Air India, of course, has no where to go and at the end they will have to blink. Boeing can easily deliver these airplanes to another customer though Boeing would have to hold on the the 787s while the BFE (buyer furnished equipment) is delivered to them for installation. Air India would be without the fuel efficient aircraft it so desperately needs to remain competitive with Emirates, Qatar Airways and other international carriers and it will further hurt their bottom line. I certainly hope that Boeing doesn't blink. They shouldn't be held hostage due to Air India's extremely poor decision making. Here's an Op-Ed from the New York Times regarding the Air India situation:
NYT: Air India’s Boeing Showdown Could Be a Mistake
In other news, I got wind of the 787s that are in the EMC at Everett. They are:
Bay C, ZA262, LN49, Ethiopian
Bay B, ZA382, LN43 China Southern
Bay A, ZA380, LN34, China Southern
Bay D, ZA287, LN52, United
Bay AW, ZA178, LN27, JAL
Quite interesting that ZA100, LN 7 is not there anymore. I don't know where it is hiding but it was at EMC for a good long while. I have to wonder if it's close to being delivered? Well we all know that there weren't any 787 deliveries in May but it could be setting up for a big June for the 787 program. There should be 4 787s for ANA and 1 for Qatar that would be delivered this month. If Boeing and Air India come to an agreement then that is another 3. I also expect that the first 787 to go from assembly line to flightline would be pulled out in a couple weeks. ZA135 (LN66) could sneak in under the wire to be delivered to ANA in June though the chances are remote but it would certainly be delivered by end of July.
Tuesday, May 8, 2012
May 2012 787 Deliveries
I just got information from a source that Boeing MAY only deliver just 1 787 which will be ZA233 (LN 29, VT-AND) for Air India. Given that the other two 787s (ZA506, LN 47, JA809A and ZA507, LN48, JA810A) that are on the flight line have not even flown there may be a lot of truth to this though they can still be delivered if Boeing conducts company and customer test flight over the next 3 weeks. I am not sure for the delay but it does appear that Boeing may be setting for quite a few deliveries in June. There has been speculation of which 787s that are in Boeing's EMC. I've gotten some of that information and it does appear that the following ANA 787s are inside the EMC: ZA100 (LN7), ZA508 (LN 51), and ZA509 (LN 56). Additionally there is a JAL 787 most likely ZA178 (LN 27). There is another 787 which may be for either United or Qatar.
Thursday, February 23, 2012
Getting close to the finish line
UPDATE (10AM) ZA236 is flying back to Everett today. This is a strong indication that F&R/ETOPs testing is complete. The F&R/ETOPs certification testing for the GEnx-1B powered 787s was based out of Boeing Field. With the airplane heading back to Everett the testing appears complete and this airplane can be released in order to prepare it for delivery to Air India.
Boeing's efforts to complete 787 flight testing with the GEnx-1B engines are close to being completed if they aren't finish already. ZA236 has flown just under 153 flight test hours thus far. The aircraft needed to fly about 150 F&R/ETOPs flight hours to finish the certification program for this version of the 787. Boeing has not confirmed that they are finished with the tests as of yet. The true indication that they are complete is when ZA236 flies back to Everett to finish preparations for delivery to Air India.
As far getting other 787s ready for delivery, there are about 10 787 at the Everett Modification Center that are undergoing change incorporation or shim inspection in the rear fuselage as well as one airplane in 40-24. Three of these airplanes were aircraft that are close to being delivered (to Japan Airlines or ANA) including ZA177 (LN23, JA822J), ZA179 (LN33, JA225J) and ZA117 (LN42, JA806A). Once these airplanes are inspected and repaired (if needed) then they will continue they typical preparations for delivery. The list of 787s at EMC is below with the locations highlighted in green. These are the airplanes I anticipate will be the next few that will be delivered. Interestingly enough these include a few of the very early build airplanes, ZA100 (LN 7), ZA534 (LN 10), and ZA501 (LN 12).
Jim Albaugh, speaking in Singapore has said that up to 55 787s would have to be inspected and repaired for the flaw. To put it in proper context, this would include all the airframes from LN 4 to LN 59, the latter of which is currently in position 1 in 40-26 and just starting final assembly. This number also includes the 5 airframes that have already been delivered to ANA but does not include any airplanes sections that have yet to be delivered to Everett for final assembly.
Boeing's efforts to complete 787 flight testing with the GEnx-1B engines are close to being completed if they aren't finish already. ZA236 has flown just under 153 flight test hours thus far. The aircraft needed to fly about 150 F&R/ETOPs flight hours to finish the certification program for this version of the 787. Boeing has not confirmed that they are finished with the tests as of yet. The true indication that they are complete is when ZA236 flies back to Everett to finish preparations for delivery to Air India.
As far getting other 787s ready for delivery, there are about 10 787 at the Everett Modification Center that are undergoing change incorporation or shim inspection in the rear fuselage as well as one airplane in 40-24. Three of these airplanes were aircraft that are close to being delivered (to Japan Airlines or ANA) including ZA177 (LN23, JA822J), ZA179 (LN33, JA225J) and ZA117 (LN42, JA806A). Once these airplanes are inspected and repaired (if needed) then they will continue they typical preparations for delivery. The list of 787s at EMC is below with the locations highlighted in green. These are the airplanes I anticipate will be the next few that will be delivered. Interestingly enough these include a few of the very early build airplanes, ZA100 (LN 7), ZA534 (LN 10), and ZA501 (LN 12).
Jim Albaugh, speaking in Singapore has said that up to 55 787s would have to be inspected and repaired for the flaw. To put it in proper context, this would include all the airframes from LN 4 to LN 59, the latter of which is currently in position 1 in 40-26 and just starting final assembly. This number also includes the 5 airframes that have already been delivered to ANA but does not include any airplanes sections that have yet to be delivered to Everett for final assembly.
Sunday, August 7, 2011
Boeing unveils first service ready 787
Boeing PhotosBoeing unveiled the first service ready 787 to a group of waiting ANA executives and assembled media (unfortunately your truly wasn't amongst them). The crowd was able to board and view the 787 configured for regional medium range missions for ANA. ANA expects to conduct the first revenue flight between Tokyo and Hong Kong sometime in October after delivery sometime next month. This is another clear sign that Boeing is ready to switch the program from a development program to production though the production system is still sorely needing a dramatic turn around. ZA101 now is now registered as JA801A and will soon undertake standard Boeing and customer test flights. ZA102 or ZA100 is expected to be the 2nd 787 delivered to ANA.
ZA102 is still conducting functionality and reliability testing around Everett and has about 60 more flight hours to complete. After this testing is done Boeing will submit all the remaining paperwork to the FAA and after about 30 days Boeing should have the final type certification for the Rolls Royce powered 787. Meanwhile flight testing is still continuing on the GEnx powered 787 with both ZA005 and ZA006 flying test missions. There is still no word on when Boeing will start GEnx F&R/ETOPs testing or which aircraft(s) will be used in that testing. Unsurprisingly the Trent powered 787s are not flying much as that part of the test program is completed though Boeing will probably have them on stand by in case the FAA wants them to run any further tests after the submission of paperwork.
Lastly, Boeing has restarted the 787 line with new deliveries for airplane 44 arriving into Everett. That aircraft is now in position 1 in building 40-26. According to Flightblogger, Boeing is expected to increase the rate to 2.5 by the end of August.
Here's Boeing's Press Release:
Boeing, ANA Roll Out the First 787 Dreamliner that Will Enter into Service
EVERETT, Wash., Aug. 6, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- The first Boeing (NYSE: BA) 787 Dreamliner that will enter into service with launch customer ANA rolled out of the paint hangar today. The airplane bears a special livery signifying the core element's of ANA's service brand – innovation, uniqueness and the inspiration of Japan.
"Our teams are making outstanding progress in completing the first airplane to be delivered and achieving certification of the 787," said Scott Fancher, vice presidentand general manager of the 787 program. "We are inspired by the airline's enthusiasm for this airplane and look forward to the day when we make our first delivery to ANA."
ANA's first 787 features a short-haul international interior design with business- and economy-class cabins.
"ANA's passengers will be the first to experience the 787 Dreamliner's comfortable interior environment," said Mitsuo Morimoto, ANA senior executive vice president and member of the board of directors. "Combined with ANA's superior levels of service, passengers will enjoy a spacious interior, larger windows, comfortable seats and touch-panel in-flight entertainment screens."
Some of the most innovative technologies aboard the 787 aren't visible, but will help passengers have a more pleasant and comfortable flight. Passengers will arrive at their destinations feeling more refreshed with the airplane's cleaner cabin air, lower cabin altitude and higher humidity.
Boeing plans to deliver the first 787 to ANA in September. ANA will operate its first 787 revenue flight as a charter international flight from Tokyo to Hong Kong.
Wednesday, February 16, 2011
Fourteen Months In...
It was around this time that Boeing had hoped to start deliveries of the 787 yet this time of the year still see the 787 still in flight test due to the fire that occurred on ZA002 as well as the uncontained engine failure of the Trent 1000 engine in Derby, UK. Yet in the past one month, Boeing has aggressively flew the 787 to the tune of over 395 flight hours. During media briefings on Monday, Boeing says that they are over 80% complete on the test flight flight program for the Trent powered 787 and 60% on the GEnx powered 787.
Of the other accomplishments or milestone, Boeing has received the updated power panels that will be installed on all the 787 though I'm not sure if the software fix is complete. Once these new power panels are installed Boeing should be cleared to start ETOPs testing.
Boeing also received the first set of package "B" Trent 1000 engines. These engines, I expect, will be installed on ZA004 for flight tests. As I had reported earlier, ZA004 will be out for about two weeks (Feb. 23 - March 11) in order to install and ground test the engines prior to resuming test flights.
Boeing is also expecting to add another production 787 (either ZA100 or ZA101) to help finish off some test flights though they are trying to get both these airplanes close to a final EIS configuration as possible and that will determine which airplane will join in functionality and reliability and ETOPs testing.
In the meanwhile 787 production still continues at 2/month with the first 787 for China Southern and the 34th 787 (ZA380) entering final assembly. Currently each airplane spends about 8 weeks going through the final assembly process though that pace is expected to increase by year end. The 35th 787 will enter final assembly on Feb. 28th (this being ZA236 for Air India).
Guy Norris: 787 test update
Aubrey Cohen: Boeing 787 Dreamliner is 80% through flight testing
Of the other accomplishments or milestone, Boeing has received the updated power panels that will be installed on all the 787 though I'm not sure if the software fix is complete. Once these new power panels are installed Boeing should be cleared to start ETOPs testing.
Boeing also received the first set of package "B" Trent 1000 engines. These engines, I expect, will be installed on ZA004 for flight tests. As I had reported earlier, ZA004 will be out for about two weeks (Feb. 23 - March 11) in order to install and ground test the engines prior to resuming test flights.
Boeing is also expecting to add another production 787 (either ZA100 or ZA101) to help finish off some test flights though they are trying to get both these airplanes close to a final EIS configuration as possible and that will determine which airplane will join in functionality and reliability and ETOPs testing.
In the meanwhile 787 production still continues at 2/month with the first 787 for China Southern and the 34th 787 (ZA380) entering final assembly. Currently each airplane spends about 8 weeks going through the final assembly process though that pace is expected to increase by year end. The 35th 787 will enter final assembly on Feb. 28th (this being ZA236 for Air India).
Guy Norris: 787 test update
Aubrey Cohen: Boeing 787 Dreamliner is 80% through flight testing
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
Flightblogger: First 787 delivery in September
Flightblogger, citing industry sources, says that Boeing will deliver the first 787 to ANA in September. During today's conference call Boeing reiterated it's intention to ramp up 787 output to 10/month by the end of 2013 for the current 2/month. Additionally, Boeing is saying that it will deliver roughly 20 787s this year though at this point it is unknown which 787s will be delivered though Flightblogger says ZA100, ZA101, and ZA102 (currently flying) are candidates to for delivery this year along with ZA177. Certainly I feel that most of the 787s delivered this year will go to ANA but a few will probably also be delivered to JAL and Air India is Boeing can manage 20 deliveries. As it stands about 20 to 25 787s need extensive re-work and Boeing has to devote significant resources to get these airplanes flight ready.
Also a very important question has been answered...Boeing will deliver the 787 with ETOPS certification though that certification work will have to wait after a permanent fix to the electrical issues that ZA002 encountered in November has to be implemented before that testing can proceed.
In other news Flightblogger also reported that ZA005 will be heading down to La Paz, Bolivia for high altitude take off and landing test after conducting similar tests at sea level in Aguadilla, Puerto Rico.
You can read Flightbloggers two informative posts here:
Flightblogger: Sources: ANA to see its first 787 in September
Flightblogger: 787 heads south for the winter in search of high and low ground
Also a very important question has been answered...Boeing will deliver the 787 with ETOPS certification though that certification work will have to wait after a permanent fix to the electrical issues that ZA002 encountered in November has to be implemented before that testing can proceed.
In other news Flightblogger also reported that ZA005 will be heading down to La Paz, Bolivia for high altitude take off and landing test after conducting similar tests at sea level in Aguadilla, Puerto Rico.
You can read Flightbloggers two informative posts here:
Flightblogger: Sources: ANA to see its first 787 in September
Flightblogger: 787 heads south for the winter in search of high and low ground
Sunday, October 3, 2010
787s move around Paine and ZA006 first flight on 10/4
Boeing repositioned a few 787s around Paine Field this past weekend with two RAM and one JAL 787 moved to a new parking site known as Kilo North. There are still a couple of 787s stored in front of Boeing main assembly building as well including a JAL 787 and one for LAN. Of the 10 787s built for ANA three are in the Hangar being readied for delivery ZA100, ZA101 ad ZA102) while 6 more are out on the flightline and one more on the flightline tent getting its side of body modifications done.
Matt Cawby got some great photographic documentation on these moves that occured yesterday:
Matt Cawby's Oct. 2 Blog Post
There should be a line move tomorrow where the 11th 787 for ANA (ZA116) and the 28th 787 (ZA232) will be moved into position on the final assembly line at Everett. Boeing is resuming final assembly after a pause to allow suppliers to catch up and to put the supply chain in a position to meet the production ramp up that is to occur around this time. Boeing hopes to be putting out a little less than 3 787s a month starting with ZA232.
Even more important is tomorrow, the final test 787, ZA006, will have its first flight. No flight time has been mentioned but in the past Boeing has flown the 787 on its first flight at around 10AM PST (1PM EST). The aircraft will be flown to Boeing Field where it will conduct a few days of ground tests before resuming flight testing. I hope to have more on ZA006s first flight tomorrow.
Matt Cawby got some great photographic documentation on these moves that occured yesterday:
Matt Cawby's Oct. 2 Blog Post
There should be a line move tomorrow where the 11th 787 for ANA (ZA116) and the 28th 787 (ZA232) will be moved into position on the final assembly line at Everett. Boeing is resuming final assembly after a pause to allow suppliers to catch up and to put the supply chain in a position to meet the production ramp up that is to occur around this time. Boeing hopes to be putting out a little less than 3 787s a month starting with ZA232.
Even more important is tomorrow, the final test 787, ZA006, will have its first flight. No flight time has been mentioned but in the past Boeing has flown the 787 on its first flight at around 10AM PST (1PM EST). The aircraft will be flown to Boeing Field where it will conduct a few days of ground tests before resuming flight testing. I hope to have more on ZA006s first flight tomorrow.
Friday, September 24, 2010
787 news - Sept. 24, 2010
Boeing Photo
Lots of small bits and pieces.
To start off, ZA006 has seemed to have attracted a little bit more attention with both Flightblogger and Susanna Ray of Bloomberg News putting up stories after my last post came out announcing another delay to its first flight.
Well first a little bit of good news for this particular airplane....First flight is no longer scheduled for Oct. 4th but now has been pushed back to Oct. 2...eight days from now. In the last couple of days FAA officials were on board ZA006 for engine run tests. I still don't know if the aircraft has undergone its mini gauntlet or not.
The last test flight 787 has been delayed due to unspecified "challenges" in getting the airplane ready for it's first flight. My personal feeling is that they will get the airplane to fly in the next few day but at this point in the program with hundreds of hours of ground testing and build experience behind them already, Boeing should have retired much of the risk at this point that would lead to the 787s first flight. I have to wonder if these issues can have an effect on getting the production 787s ready for their first flight and eventual delivery to customers? At this point in the development and with all the delays taken into account, the 787 and the systems on board should be a very mature aircraft.
The 787 production aircraft are gearing up for their future as I write this. Already ZA102 (LN9), which will be the next 787 to fly, is now due to have it's first flight on November 8 instead of November 1st. However, I can confirm that this airplane is getting the passenger interior that ANA has ordered (being installed right now) and will fly with a full passenger interior layout. In due course I expect ZA100 (LN7) and ZA101 (LN8) will get their passenger interiors installed very soon. The installation of passenger interiors does highlight how close Boeing is to the finish line with the 787 flight test program though there are still issues, such as the unexplained (as of now) failure of a Trent 1000 IP turbine, that Boeing still has to address. Flightblogger has an article about that on the Flightglobal web site.
Flightblogger: Cause of 787 engine test failure remains unclear
Flightblogger: Trent 1000 engine failure investigation hangs over 787
Flight testing seems to have taken a few days off with no test flight yesterday and no flight plans filed for any of the 787s today (so far). v Boeing would need to fly the Rolls Royce equipped 787s an average of six hours and twenty minutes a day for the next 113 days (mid January) in order to certify the Rolls Royce powered 787s. They would have to fly the GEnx-1B powered 787s an average of 4 hours per day for the next 113 days in order to have that aircraft/powerplant combination certified by mid January.
Lastly, construction workers in South Carolina are topping off the 787 final assembly hall this weekend. The building should be completed by next summer and the first 787 should be rolling off in early 2012.
Here's Boeing Press Release:
To start off, ZA006 has seemed to have attracted a little bit more attention with both Flightblogger and Susanna Ray of Bloomberg News putting up stories after my last post came out announcing another delay to its first flight.
Well first a little bit of good news for this particular airplane....First flight is no longer scheduled for Oct. 4th but now has been pushed back to Oct. 2...eight days from now. In the last couple of days FAA officials were on board ZA006 for engine run tests. I still don't know if the aircraft has undergone its mini gauntlet or not.
The last test flight 787 has been delayed due to unspecified "challenges" in getting the airplane ready for it's first flight. My personal feeling is that they will get the airplane to fly in the next few day but at this point in the program with hundreds of hours of ground testing and build experience behind them already, Boeing should have retired much of the risk at this point that would lead to the 787s first flight. I have to wonder if these issues can have an effect on getting the production 787s ready for their first flight and eventual delivery to customers? At this point in the development and with all the delays taken into account, the 787 and the systems on board should be a very mature aircraft.
The 787 production aircraft are gearing up for their future as I write this. Already ZA102 (LN9), which will be the next 787 to fly, is now due to have it's first flight on November 8 instead of November 1st. However, I can confirm that this airplane is getting the passenger interior that ANA has ordered (being installed right now) and will fly with a full passenger interior layout. In due course I expect ZA100 (LN7) and ZA101 (LN8) will get their passenger interiors installed very soon. The installation of passenger interiors does highlight how close Boeing is to the finish line with the 787 flight test program though there are still issues, such as the unexplained (as of now) failure of a Trent 1000 IP turbine, that Boeing still has to address. Flightblogger has an article about that on the Flightglobal web site.
Flightblogger: Cause of 787 engine test failure remains unclear
Flightblogger: Trent 1000 engine failure investigation hangs over 787
Flight testing seems to have taken a few days off with no test flight yesterday and no flight plans filed for any of the 787s today (so far). v Boeing would need to fly the Rolls Royce equipped 787s an average of six hours and twenty minutes a day for the next 113 days (mid January) in order to certify the Rolls Royce powered 787s. They would have to fly the GEnx-1B powered 787s an average of 4 hours per day for the next 113 days in order to have that aircraft/powerplant combination certified by mid January.
Lastly, construction workers in South Carolina are topping off the 787 final assembly hall this weekend. The building should be completed by next summer and the first 787 should be rolling off in early 2012.
Here's Boeing Press Release:
Boeing Marks Construction Milestone on South Carolina 787 Final Assembly Building
NORTH CHARLESTON, S.C., Sept. 24 /PRNewswire/ -- Boeing (NYSE: BA) today marked completion of the steel framework for its new 787 Dreamliner Final Assembly building with a special topping-out ceremony. The event was held in conjunction with BE&K/Turner, the design-builder of the facility.
The final piece of steel was put into place on the 1.1 million-square-foot (102,193 square meters) structure less than a year after the November 2009 groundbreaking. Approximately 18,000 tons of steel are used in the building.
"By this time next year, the Final Assembly building will be complete, and we will have begun production of the first South Carolina-built 787 Dreamliner. That is tremendous – from green-field site to airplane production in about 18 months," said Marco Cavazzoni, vice president and general manager, 787 Final Assembly and Delivery. "The support we've received and continue to receive from our South Carolina partners and suppliers, as well as the state and local community is amazing and is one of the main reasons we've been able to reach these significant milestones in such a short timeframe."
Construction on the new facility is on schedule, with airplane production due to begin in July 2011 and first delivery in first-quarter 2012. At full production rate, Boeing will assemble and deliver three 787s per month from South Carolina to customers around the world. The South Carolina Final Assembly facility will be one of only three in the world producing twin-aisle commercial jetliners.
Wednesday, September 1, 2010
Flightblogger: Boeing to add 4 more 787s to test flight program; ZA006 delayed to September 24th
UPDATE: Flightblogger was informed that Boeing will only add two 787s, ZA101 for ground testing and ZA103 for ETOPS testing. The other 2 aircraft will not join the flight test program and will be preparing for delivery.
Word just got to me that first flight of ZA006 is now delayed to September 24th according to Boeing's newest schedule. I'm still trying to ascertain the reason for the delay.
Additionally, according to Flightblogger, Boeing is adding 4 more 787 from the production run to aid in the test flight program. Airplanes 7 through 10 (ZA100, ZA101, ZA102 and ZA530) are to join the flight test program in order to ensure that the current schedule is maintained. All four airplanes are to be equiped with the Trent 1000. The first three airplanes are destined for ANA while ZA530 is for LAN Airlines. According to Flightblogger, these aircraft will have minimal instrumentation needed for flight testing and will be used mainly for ETOPS flights as well as functionality and reliability testing. I do also believe that the performance of the production aircraft will be compared to the flight test airplane performance.
Flightblogger: Report: 787 test fleet to grow from six to ten
Word just got to me that first flight of ZA006 is now delayed to September 24th according to Boeing's newest schedule. I'm still trying to ascertain the reason for the delay.
Additionally, according to Flightblogger, Boeing is adding 4 more 787 from the production run to aid in the test flight program. Airplanes 7 through 10 (ZA100, ZA101, ZA102 and ZA530) are to join the flight test program in order to ensure that the current schedule is maintained. All four airplanes are to be equiped with the Trent 1000. The first three airplanes are destined for ANA while ZA530 is for LAN Airlines. According to Flightblogger, these aircraft will have minimal instrumentation needed for flight testing and will be used mainly for ETOPS flights as well as functionality and reliability testing. I do also believe that the performance of the production aircraft will be compared to the flight test airplane performance.
Flightblogger: Report: 787 test fleet to grow from six to ten
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
