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On the Boeing Beat: Airplane Healthiness and More 787 News
Boeing has a lot more going on than just testing out their newest airplane, and speaking of the the 787 Dreamliner, it is going on a little bit of vacation today. Instead of just sticking to the skies above Washington, the second test plane is taking its testing on a little bit of a road-trip. The plane is expected to land at a closed military base in Victorville, California—just outside Los Angeles.
It’s not time to test out Boeing’s newest tech-toy on the 787, but they are bringing some snazzy new stuff to some of the planes within British Airways’ fleet. Boeing Health Management will be used to monitor the status and condition of over 100 airplanes as they fly around the globe. Specifically 747s and 777s will be included in the new program, where important people over at British Airways can log into a special website to check on all things related to the flights.
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Updates On The Boeing 787 Dreamliner, Including United's Love For It
As March rolls in, we are all now a little closer to finally boarding the first flight aboard the Boeing 787 Dreamliner. We’re always eager to see what’s going on with the newest bird in the sky, and we’ve rounded up some of its updates below.
· Two Engines Are Better Than One
We learned why it’s important to test airplanes, as one of the new 787s had to make an unscheduled landing late last month. One of the engines lost thrust, and the pilots had to bring it back down to earth to figure things out. The plane is able to fly with just one engine, but two is always better than one. Overall, it doesn’t seem to be a big deal and things should be back to normal testing shortly.
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Boeing Reveals a Sneak Peek Inside of Their New 787 Dreamliner
We’ve been more than a little excited over the Boeing 787, and we haven’t been afraid to show our love for the newest bird in the sky. However, we have grown a little tired just drooling over its composite body and sleek styling. That’s why we’re glad that Boeing has finally cracked the doors open to the plane to show off its interior goodies.
The current interior installed on the third test plane features fancy lighting, larger overhead bins, and boring seats with blue head rests. Don’t get disappointed if you don’t like what things look like right now, because once the planes get in the hands of the airlines, the interior will be altered and hopefully get cooler—hopefully. The latest in seating technology will probably find its way aboard this next generation airplane and, as long as it’s not face-to-face, it should be an improvement over current offerings.
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Boeing's 787 Dreamliner Is Getting Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger
When we last checked in on the 787 Dreamliner, it was doing its best to get a good grade on its initial flight tests. Things have been progressing nicely, and there have been no real issues for the new bird. There was a little problem with some junk in the fuel tank, but the engineers and mechanics at Boeing quickly worked out these issues. Some thought it was just leftover bits from the manufacturing process that trickled down into the gas tank; it wasn’t a major malfunction or anything.
The biggest overall test since its maiden journey was doing well enough in the skies to achieve airworthiness. Now with approval to move forward, things will get even more serious. The plane can now put the pedal to the medal and approach 650 miles per hour and climb to about 40,000 feet. Previously the pilots had been testing things out around 15,000 feet—just in case.
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What Will 2010 Bring For The Boeing 787 Dreamliner?
Now that 2010 has arrived, the folks at Boeing need to get serious about the 787. The first test flight went well and a second plane has even gone into the sky to test things out, but there’s still tons of work to do before we get to hitch a ride inside of the composite bird.
Test flights are taking place almost daily as the pilots, engineers, and pencil pushers on the ground attempt to determine how to solve any minor issues before they turn into major problems. If the day is dragging at your cubicle you can just head over to FlightAware to see if one of the planes is up in the air. We’ve done the hard work for you, so just click right here and you can see if the flight pattern is making any cool shapes. So far it just looks like a bunch of circles—but that’s probably a good thing!
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Boeing's 787 Dreamliner Hits The Skies For The First Time
In the image above, you witness the first second that the much delayed but much beloved Boeing 787 Dreamliner lists off the ground. The plane, whose original test flight was scheduled for two years ago, finally hit the skies around 1:30pm EST today, taking off from Seattle's Paine Field.
The event was presented with a live videocast on Boeing's website and on CNN, and we watched the behemoth taxi and then finally leave the runway, with two military jets in tow for monitoring, weather scouting, and photography purposes. The plane's first flight today is important for more than the reason that the two years of delays have ended, but because the 787 Dreamliner is made of composite materials, said to be fuel-efficient, and boasting new designs for everything from the wings to the size of the windows. It's not near as large as the new Airbus A380, but that's not the point; the Dreamliner is meant to be better and not simply bigger.
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Today's The Day For Boeing's New 787 Dreamliner To Take Flight
We’re pretty pumped about what’s going on in Washington today. After years of delays, problems, and missing puzzle pieces, the Boeing 787 Dreamliner is finally going to take flight.
Things are scheduled for a test flight at 10:00am PT (1pm EST) as long as the weather in the Seattle area is good to go. The new Boeing beauty will leave from Paine Field, do some testing stuff in the air, and then land at Boeing Field.
All the ground tests have gone well over the last few days. The latest test was a high-speed taxi where the pilots put the pedal to the medal on the new bird. The plane reached speeds of about 150 mph, and despite every desire to just get up and go, stayed on the ground. However, the nose of the plane did lift up, if ever so slightly.
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Boeing 787 Is Dreaming Of A Flight Christmas And Might Just Get It
We had our doubts and definitely enjoyed using the '7-Late-7' nickname, but Boeing’s next generation passenger jet might be getting off the ground sooner than initially thought. Of course the test flight is years over schedule overall, but the plane might just be slightly ahead of its revised schedule. The most recent estimate was for a first test flight on December 22, but now the plane might just take-off as early as next week.
The window for the first flight for the Boeing 787 Dreamliner will open on December 15. It’s not set in stone, and we kind of have doubts about that day, but to have the thing fly anytime next week would be pretty sweet. The plane has pretty much passed all of the on-the-ground tests, but there are just a few final tests left—aren’t there always? Boeing also needs to get some kind of experimental approval thing from the US Federal Aviation Administration—probably a lot of paperwork and cash to get one of those.
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We May Just See The '7-Late-7' Fly For Christmas
It’s pretty clear that engineers and executives at Boeing only want one thing for Christmas, and that’s for the 787 to finally take flight for the first time. We’ve been going back and forth on when this thing will finally test things out, and once again, it seems like there just might be some good news.
The whole wing connecting to the body problem seems to have been resolved, and it sounds like no parts will fall off during a test flight, which is great news. Just to make sure, there will be all kinds of stress tests on the ground to ensure that these wings can withstand the pressures of flight, turbulence, and probably a lot worse.
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'7-Late-7' May Actually Fly In 2009 After All
If you’re getting sick of the Boeing 787 Dreamliner saga, just let us know, because we’re almost over it ourselves. We thought things would be grounded until 2010, but now Boeing is claiming that the long delayed plane will fire up its first test flight by the end of this year. This is great news for airplane dorks like us, and for All Nippon Airways, as they’ve got first dibs on the new bird.
Industry analysts were thinking that Boeing wouldn’t be able to deliver the goods until 2011 at the earliest, but after test flights later this year (if they happen), the first deliveries should be happening late in 2010. Even with all the delays and trouble getting things off the ground, the plane is still expected to be a solid moneymaker for the company.
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Boeing's 787 On The Backburner Possibly 'Til 2010
At this point in the 787 saga, we feel badly for Boeing and all the issues they’ve had with their next generation airplane. The 787 Dreamliner has been taunted with unkind nicknames, but let’s be honest, the constant delays are just adding fuel to the fire. During the company’s recent earnings conference call, CEO Jim McNerney was peppered with questions about his new pride and joy. However, like any good executive, he didn’t reveal anything too damning.
The company is still assessing how long it will take to repair the recently discovered flaws and issues with the new bird, which means it’s going to be pretty difficult to provide a first flight timeline, since they’re busy arguing over how long it will take to fix everything. The company did say that they hope to release an updated test and deliver schedule within “several weeks.”
Meanwhile, The Seattle Times cited a couple of Boeing engineers who stated that some of these issues will likely take four to six months to work out, and that the first flight could be pushed into 2010. To make matters worse, the CEO over at Qatar Air is talking junk and letting everyone know that Boeing has “lost its leadership.” He has a right to be a little pissed—his company has 60 of these new planes on order and he’s got nothing to show for it.
Related Stories: [Photo: Wikimedia]
· Boeing Doesn't Know Yet How Long 787 Fix Will Take [Seattle Times]
· Qatar Air CEO Says 'Boeing Has Lost Its Leadership' [USA Today]
· Boeing coverage [Jaunted]
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Boeing 787 Test Flight Delayed; Now Nicknamed The '7-Late-7'
Remember just the other day when we were all excited about the Boeing 787 finally taking off? Well, due to some unforeseen issues, it looks like the Dreamliner is now no go for launch. Besides us, we’re pretty sure there are some less than pleased stockholders and airline executives.
Apparently, the new plane needs some reinforcement where the wing and fuselage meet before things can move forward. Of course we’re all for safety first, but this is still a little disappointing. Engineers insist that the composite material used in the new bird is still the right choice, regardless of the delays that they've experienced.
For now, Boeing said it would be several weeks before they reveal even a new timetable for the 787’s first flight. We’re pulling for this thing to get up in the air sooner rather than later, but we can’t help but chuckle at some of the plane’s new nicknames; Nightmareliner, Hangar Queen, and 7-Late-7 are some of our favorites.
Related Stories: [Photo: Wikimedia]
· Initial Flight of Boeing 787 Delayed Again [Seattle Times]
· Boeing 787 Dreamliner Dubbed 7-late-7, Nightmareliner, & More [Seattle Post-Intelligencer]
· Airline News coverage [Jaunted]
