Boeing 787 undergoes extreme weather testing
Published 2:16 pm Thursday, April 22, 2010
The Boeing Co. is putting its 787 Dreamliner through a series of extreme-weather tests in Florida as the company works toward certification later this year.
Boeing’s new 787 jet is in a hangar at the McKinley Climatic Laboratory at Elgin Air Force Base. Inside the hangar, the aircraft experiences heat as high as 115 degrees Fahrenheit and as low as minus 45 degrees Fahrenheit. Sensors and monitors will allow the test team to determine if all systems hardware and software operate as expected.
Cold-weather testing is being conducted first, with preliminary hot-weather testing to follow. Additional extreme-weather testing will be conducted later in the flight test program.
“We have Dreamliner customers who will operate the 787 in a wide variety of environments throughout the world,” said Scott Fancher, vice president and general manager of the 787 program. “This testing is about ensuring that the airplane meets the expectations of our customers.”
Boeing hopes to gain Federal Aviation Administration approval for its 787 later this year so that the aerospace company can deliver the first Dreamliner to Japan’s All Nippon Airways by year’s end, roughly two years behind schedule.
A crew of approximately 100 people traveled from Seattle to support the test operations on ZA003, the third 787 airplane to be built. The testing in Florida is expected to last nearly two weeks. Boeing’s second 787 to be built, ZA002, has been undergoing a variety of testing in Victorville, Calif., last month.
