Boeing begins work on 787 fix

Published 10:03 am Thursday, September 24, 2009

The Boeing Co. has begun the process of modifying its 787 Dreamliner in the hopes of putting the delayed jet in the air by the end of 2009.

In June, Boeing called off the 787’s first flight after discovering a flaw in the mostly composite jet. Last month, Boeing officials announced that the 787 would still fly by the end of the year after modifications were made.

Randy Tinseth, Boeing’s vice president for commercial airplanes marketing, confirmed in a blog post late Wednesday that those modifications are underway.

“We’ve begun installing the reinforcements on the area within the side-of-body section on Airplane #1 and on the static airframe,” Tinseth wrote.

Once the modifications are finished, Boeing will need to put the jet through the same tests it previously failed in order to make sure the reinforcements are sufficient.

Boeing’s 787 has won 850 commercial orders. The company expects to deliver the first Dreamliner next year.