Hot Weather Testing Being Conducted In The AZ Desert

The first landing of a Boeing 787 Dreamliner at Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport (KIWA) came this past weekend. The fourth 787 to be built, ZA004, is undergoing a short series of tests that require a combination of hot weather and low-altitude conditions. A crew of nearly 75 is supporting the airplane to ensure smooth operations during testing. The stay in Arizona is expected to last only a few days.

Photo Courtesy Boeing

The 787 flight test fleet, currently comprised of four airplanes, has logged more than 820 hours of flying in the last six months. Two more airplanes are expected to join the flight test fleet soon.

"Mesa is ideally suited for that because of the elevation and weather," said Boeing spokeswomen, Lori Gunter, said Monday.

Mesa Gateway Airport spokesman Brian Sexton told azcentral.com the plane made several landing at the airport, as well as conducted some tests over mostly empty desert at about 2000 feet AGL. "We had only a few complaints," he said.

FMI: www.boeing.com