787 passes power-on test of elecrtical systems

Published 7:39 pm Friday, June 20, 2008

EVERETT — The Boeing Co. has completed another step toward putting its delayed 787 Dreamliner in flight later this year.

On Friday, the company announced it has finished turning on electrical power on its new 787 Dreamliner, a process it began earlier in the month.

“The team has made great progress in bringing the bold innovation of the 787 to reality,” said Pat Shanahan, vice president and general manager of the 787 program. “There is plenty of work to be done between now and first flight, but with every step forward we grow more and more confident.”

The successful tests mean that Boeing met the first milestone in a revised schedule that Shanahan laid out in April, when Boeing announced its latest 787 delay. The next major milestone for the 787 will be when it takes its first flight later in the last three months of this year.

Boeing’s shares rose about 1 percent in premarket trading but closed at $75.83, down almost 1.5 percent for the day.

The delayed Dreamliner has won nearly 900 orders. Boeing expects to deliver the first 787 in the third quarter of 2009.

The process of turning on power began with tests to verify that the wiring installed in the airplane had been connected properly. Upon completion of those checks, the Boeing team plugged in an external power cart and slowly began to bring full power into each segment of the system, beginning with the flight deck displays. From that point forward, the pilot’s controls were used to direct the addition of new systems to the power grid.

At each step of the testing, power is allowed to flow into one additional area and gauges are used to verify that the right voltage of electrical power reached the intended area.

“We are very methodical in ensuring the integrity of the airplane’s systems,” Shanahan said. “In completing the power-on sequence, we have verified both that the electrical power distribution system is installed as designed and that it functions as intended.”

The company will deliver the first jet about 15 months late. Many of the remaining 787 deliveries will be on average 20 months late.

Reporter Michelle Dunlop: 425-339-3454 or mdunlop@heraldnet.com.