Boeing readies 787 for first flight

[Nigelinoz]

The first flight has now been delayed!!

Boeing delays 787 Dreamliner test flight | The Australian

That's probably the best news that the CEO of Airbus has had for ages.

 

[oz_mark]

It's a bit of a shame, but maybe it helps out the airlines that have been trying to delay things

 

[NM]

And explanation from FlightBlogger here on youtube.

 

[NM]

Maybe the real reason for the delay is that Qantas and other customers have asked Boeing to redesign the 787 with two extra exit rows so they can charge customers extra for the premium seating locations to achieve their financial goal .

http://www.frequentflyer.com.au/com...assengers-extra-exit-17740-12.html#post247263

 

[oz_mark]

Some details in other news reports as well: Dreamliner delay hits Qantas, Jetstar | Herald Sun

Scott Fancher, the head of the Dreamliner program, explained the structural problem in a conference call early Tuesday morning. He said that late in May engineers, performing wing bend tests on the airplane that is set aside inside the factory specifically for ground testing, found that strain gauges showed higher stress than predicted by the computer models at multiple points along the upper part of the wing-to-body join.

 

[codash1099]

For a view of the downside, this looks interesting:

Is Boeing's New Plane Safe? - The Daily Beast

 

[Evan]

Looks likes its delayed a few extra months now :-|

 

[oz_mark]

So anyone want to bet on whether it will actually fly this year?

 

[codash1099]

More detail on the problem here

Understanding the 787 structural reinforcement (Update1) - FlightBlogger - Aviation News, Commentary and Analysis

 

[Evan]

So anyone want to bet on whether it will actually fly this year?

Yeah well that may be an interesting bet hahaha
But they will be lucky i think to have it in the air in Q3, if it is Q3 it sounds like September at earliest.

 

[pauly7]

Maybe the real reason for the delay is that Qantas and other customers have asked Boeing to redesign the 787 with two extra exit rows so they can charge customers extra for the premium seating locations to achieve their financial goal .

Weak.... what about 'For enhanced safety, the Boeing 787 will have emergency exits for every single passenger'

 

[oz_mark]

I am sure there will be lots of media reports in the coming weeks as Boeing readies the 787 for its first flight.

That there was. Perhaps not the media reports you had in mind though!

 

[codash1099]

Weak.... what about 'For enhanced safety, the Boeing 787 will have emergency exits for every single passenger'

They would need at least one without an exit so that they could charge a premium for all the others.

It all sounds better than "we are redesigning it so that the wings will stay on"

 

[NM]

That there was. Perhaps not the media reports you had in mind though!

With the airline industry, nothing surprises me anymore!

 

[oz_mark]

More detail on the problem here

Understanding the 787 structural reinforcement (Update1) - FlightBlogger - Aviation News, Commentary and Analysis

Is it just me or is failing at 120% of load, rather than 150%, a long way short of design.

 

[straitman]

Is it just me or is failing at 120% of load, rather than 150%, a long way short of design.

About 20% short. A significant issue one would think. I guess that's why they do the tests and don't just believe the computers :!:

 

[oz_mark]

About 20% short. A significant issue one would think. I guess that's why they do the tests and don't just believe the computers :!:

I guess I am more used to models being a little bit out from the real world. This just seems like a lot out!

Makes me wonder what else they will find on the way to 150% (or elsewhere in the plane for that matter)

 

[NM]

787 Taxi Testing

Some good info, video and pcis from FlightGlobal.com:

Yesterday brought the first taxi tests for ZA001, the latest major step on its way to the sky. Chief project pilot Mike Carriker (left seat) and test pilot Randy Neville (right seat) took N787BA out of Stall 105 starting around 10:00 AM PT and had the first 787 back by 4:30 PM PT.

 

[simongr]

After the sights of the collosus of Toulouse the 787 looks a little dinky...

 

[serfty]

The first 787 flight is unlikely before 2010

Boeing news | Boeing 787 wing flaw extends inside plane | Seattle Times Newspaper

The wing damage that grounded Boeing's new composite 787 Dreamliner occurred under less stress than previously reported — and is more extensive.

An engineer familiar with the details said the damage happened when the stress on the wings was well below the load the wings must bear to be federally certified to carry passengers.

In addition, information obtained independently and confirmed by a second engineer familiar with the problem shows the damage occurred on both sides of the wing-body join — that is, on the outer wing as well as inside the fuselage.

...

Estimates by the two engineers of the minimum time needed to fix the problem suggest the plane is now unlikely to fly until next year.