The First Flight of the 787 Dreamliner

[RinglingRingling]

Pilot & co-pilot the only two onboard. Could be up to a five-hour test flight.

so did they duplicate the 707 test flight maneuver of a barrel-roll over the Lake?

[VanillaGrl]

Thanks for sending me all the updates, Mel! Thought this one should be shared here too!

EVERETT, Wash., Feb. 24, 2010 – A third airplane has joined the Boeing 787 Dreamliner flight-test program

ZA004 Joins Flight-Test Program

[SeattleParrotHead]

Now 4 are flying . . ZA003 was in the air this weekend.
http://blog.seattlepi.com/aerospace/archives/198124.asp

Here's how the 787s fly before they can fly . . .

[VanillaGrl]

Very cool!!! Thanks, Mel!

[SeattleParrotHead]

Ultimate-load wing test completed on 787
The 787 team on Sunday completed the ultimate load wing up-bending test on the 787 static test unit.
Loads replicated 150 percent of the most extreme forces ever expected in service. The wings flexed up by about 25 feet.

[JollyMon66]

Ultimate-load wing test completed on 787
The 787 team on Sunday completed the ultimate load wing up-bending test on the 787 static test unit.
Loads replicated 150 percent of the most extreme forces ever expected in service. The wings flexed up by about 25 feet.

Flying in heavy turbulence that creates a 25 foot wing flex....that just might be 24 1/2 feet too scary for me.

[pair8head]

Ultimate-load wing test completed on 787
The 787 team on Sunday completed the ultimate load wing up-bending test on the 787 static test unit.
Loads replicated 150 percent of the most extreme forces ever expected in service. The wings flexed up by about 25 feet.

Flying in heavy turbulence that creates a 25 foot wing flex....that just might be 24 1/2 feet too scary for me.

If you are ever on an airplane and look out the window and the wings aren't moving up and down then it's time to worry. The wings should move some.

[Lightning Bolt]

It makes you wonder what kind of mega-turbulence brought down that Air France AirBus A330 last year just off Brazil?
(I see where the surviving family members are now starting to sue the airline today)

Sure, you see wings that can flex 25 ft., but you don't see the effect of wind sheer as it simultaneously bounces the fuselage like a basketball, and the stress that transfers from the bulkhead to the rest of the airframe

uh...stewardess, make my first drink a Jack Daniel's double... and hold the ice.

[SeattleParrotHead]

Of course, nobody knows for certain what brought down flight 447, but at this point they're thinking it was more likely mechanical failure than severe weather . .

"The first data from the doomed airliner reported a pitot failure and Air France has acknowledged that its jets had suffered several similar incidents. The Airbus went out of control as the electronic flight system failed after receiving conflicting airspeed readings via its three pitot tubes. Pitot tubes have long been prone to blocking by ice, rain and insects. A failure in airspeed indication is a big handicap for a pilot but the aircraft can still be flown by hand with power settings and attitude, the orientation of the aircraft in relation to its flight direction. Air France said that it was upgrading the probes, made by the French company Thales, on each of its 35 long-haul Airbuses but had not done so on the one that crashed on June 1."

"If it ain't Boeing, I'm not going."

[VanillaGrl]

Thanks, Mel!
http://www.cleveland.com/business/index ... ld_be.html

[JollyMon66]

Ultimate-load wing test completed on 787
The 787 team on Sunday completed the ultimate load wing up-bending test on the 787 static test unit.
Loads replicated 150 percent of the most extreme forces ever expected in service. The wings flexed up by about 25 feet.

Flying in heavy turbulence that creates a 25 foot wing flex....that just might be 24 1/2 feet too scary for me.

If you are ever on an airplane and look out the window and the wings aren't moving up and down then it's time to worry. The wings should move some.

I do know that the wings shake around in flight ("shake around" - how's that for a non-engineering term?) I was just shocked at 25 feet - WOW.

[SeattleParrotHead]

They aren't planning on the wings flexing 25 feet... the test indicates, that at 150% of the loads expected during normal flight, the wings could flex 25 feet and still not break.

[SeattleParrotHead]

One of the 787 test a/c is in Florida this week to see how it operates in extreme cold conditions . . .
http://www.boeing.com/Features/2010/04/ ... 22_10.html

[Dutch Harbor PH]

Mel.....did they do an Ultimate wing flex Failure test? Also when you say 150% flex is that 150% above the max normal expected loading or 50% above normal max loading....(Big Difference)....

Also with the Air France flight, in addition to the fly by wire system arguing with itself, did it ultimatly have failure of the vertical stabilizer also.....? Hasn't AB had some issues with Carbon Fibre to metal bonding....?


Ooooo....just actually watched the video.....yes it was an ultimate failure test.....

[SeattleParrotHead]

Not a 787, but still pretty cool . . .

[Dutch Harbor PH]

Not a 787, but still pretty cool . . .

That was cool Mel!

[VanillaGrl]

One of my co-worker/friends went to Farnborough, England for the biennial Airshow Monday, 19 July. He posted some of his pics of the 787 Dreamliner on his website: cruisinaltitude.com

[VanillaGrl]

Dang..this stuff just turns me on!

The cockpit of the Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner

[FINSUPinIdaho]

Just missed it here in Boise. All I heard about was Jaialdi (don't ask) on the news and missed the touch n go's....

http://www.ktvb.com/first-person/99435954.html

[VanillaGrl]

Cool! Wish it would do a fly-by downtown Houston.