Boeing Dreamliner wings bend, apparently don’t break

Published 7:28 pm Tuesday, March 30, 2010

EVERETT — The Boeing Co. met another milestone on its new 787 jet program this weekend but still has a long road ahead to meet its goal of delivering the first Dreamliner this year.

On Sunday, Boeing performed its ultimate wing load test, bending the 787’s wings 25 feet upward. The goal of the test is to ensure the 787’s wings could withstand 150 percent of the most extreme forces the airplane is expected to experience while in service. Although Boeing engineers will need weeks to determine the outcome, the company reported that initial results look positive.

“The test program has been more robust than any conducted on a Boeing commercial jetliner,” said Scott Fancher, vice president and general manager of the 787 program, Boeing Commercial Airplanes. “We are looking forward to the technical team’s report on the details of the test results.”

Boeing is more than two years behind schedule on delivering its mostly carbon fiber composite 787 jet. Since the first Dreamliner made its maiden flight Dec. 15, three additional 787s have joined the flight test fleet. Two more 787s, which will be powered by General Electric engines, have yet to fly. The first four flight test 787s are powered by Rolls Royce engines.

Earlier this month, Jim Albaugh, president of Boeing Commercial Airplanes, told analysts that the company already had used up some of the one and a half months of padding it had put into the 787 flight test program. In order to deliver the 787 by year’s end, Albaugh said, Boeing will need to have all six test planes flying roughly 90 hours a week.

The four 787s that are in flight testing have logged almost 400 hours in the air during roughly 130 flights. Altogether, Boeing estimates the 787 program will put in 2,000 hours of flight testing.

In January, Boeing completed its initial air worthiness testing on the 787 — the testing allowed Boeing to put additional jets and personnel in the air. Its next major milestone will be to receive Type Inspection Authorization from the Federal Aviation Administration. After that obstacle is cleared, Boeing can begin some of the high-profile maneuvers of flight testing: testing in both hot and cold weather, takeoffs at high altitude locations, and hard landings. FAA officials take part in that phase.

Lastly, Boeing will put its 787 flight test aircraft through function and reliability testing, which demonstrates the aircraft, including all its equipment and parts, will perform as expected when put into use by airlines.

Boeing has 876 Dreamliner jets on order. The company’s stock increased $1.52 on Monday to close at $74.11, hitting a new 52-week high.