Anticipation is in the air around the Puget Sound region.
What’s not in the air yet? The Boeing Co.’s 787.
But the flurry of activity surrounding the company’s delayed Dreamliner here in Everett has the aviation industry’s hopes high that this time, Boeing’s 787 will take flight as planned.
Boeing confirmed Wednesday that it has begun “final gantlet” tests on the first 787, as one of the last steps toward its first flight. The tests are expected to last a couple of days, according to an e-mail from Boeing spokeswoman Lori Gunter.
After nearly two years of delays to its 787 jet program, Boeing is being cautious about giving a first flight date, saying only that the Dreamliner will fly by year’s end. But nearly every aviation journalist, Boeing worker or person on the street will theorize which day the 787 will fly: Dec. 15; Dec. 17 (the date of the Wright brothers first flew their plane); Dec. 19 or 22, to name the days most talked about.
The company called off the 787’s first flight in June after discovering a flaw in the area where the jet’s wings join the body. Boeing finished installing a modification on its first 787 last month and wrapped up static tests on the jet last month. Those results, which are necessary to clear the jet for its first flight, are expected shortly.
While it awaits those results, Boeing has gone ahead with further testing on its mostly composite Dreamliner.
Boeing’s Randy Tinseth, vice president of marketing for commercial airplanes, noted on his blog Wednesday that the company had put its 787 through final gantlet tests when it thought the jet would fly in June. That series of test lasted a week. This time around, Boeing won’t need to repeat all of the tests. The purpose of the final gantlet tests is to verify the flight readiness of the 787’s systems. Boeing is retesting in areas where it has made improvements to the systems software over the last several months.
The Dreamliner still needs to complete taxiing tests as well before flying. Taxiing could take place as early as next week.
Boeing is racing to get its 787 in the air by year’s end, the date Boeing officials promised earlier this year. They repeated the promise last week at a Red Cross heroes breakfast.
The Dreamliner’s first flight marks the beginning of a flight test program, which will include six 787s, aimed at gaining the Federal Aviation Administration’s approval. Boeing plans to deliver the first of the 840 Dreamliner jets on order in the fourth quarter of 2010.
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