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The Boeing 787 Dreamliner Bends But Doesn't Break

April 7, 2010 at 10:40 AM | by | Comments (0)

Since we last left the 787, the new plane has been through even more and more tests. It still sounds like the plane will make its first commercial flight later this year, but we’re more interested in when we can see the bird in Continental Airlines livery.

The most recent milestone for the Boeing 787 Dreamliner was the wing stress test. During this test, engineers pretty much attempted to break the wings of the airplane by bending them upward with a tremendous amount of force. The wings went about 25-feet higher from their normal position, and the plane appeared to handle everything without a problem. This was not the case when the Boeing 777 first received a similar test.

Despite all the good news, Boeing has not yet released a firm date for when its new bird will begin the FAA in-flight certification process. Sure the airplane is flying around, but until the government says it’s safe and satisfactory the plane is a no-go for launch.

There’s loads of stuff to deal with yet on the current version of the 787, but the folks out in Washington are already looking towards the future. The 787-10 would be a stretch version of the more traditional 787. Boeing maintains that they’ve been considering alternate versions all along—including a smaller one, but we kind of want them to just focus on the initial, Dreamliner version for right now.

Related Stories:
· Bend Me, Shape Me [Randy's Journal - Boeing]
· Boeing 787 Dreamliner Wing Passes Ultimate Test [Seattle PI]
· Tests for Dreamliner Going Slower Than Expected [Reuters]
· The Boeing 787 Almost Breaks The Sound Barrier, and More Dreamliner News [Jaunted]

[Photo: Boeing]

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