Thu, Aug 14, 2008
Look Ma... No Legs!
Progress on Boeing's oft-delayed 787 Dreamliner continues to
move slowly towards first flight, scheduled for November. Last
weekend, Boeing began tests of the landing gear on the first
aircraft, swinging both the nosegear and main landing gear as part
of its testing efforts.
The Seattle Times reports the nose and main gear assemblies were
first tested separately, and then jointly -- just as they operate
on in-service aircraft. Testing was scheduled to continue
throughout the week.
Boeing debuted the first 787 in a flashy public ceremony in July
2007. At that time, however, the plane was little more than a
cobbled-together shell, with few major systems installed. Customers
and pundits alike questioned whether Boeing would be able to meet
its ambitious schedule, which called for certification of the first
787 delivery by May 2008.
Boeing boldly downplayed those fears... but if anything, those
predictions of gloom were optimistic. Supplier issues, a shortage
of the specialized fasteners needed to assemble the 787's
innovative composite "barrel" sections, and problems integrating
the plane's many complex subsystems made Boeing's earlier
Dreamliner assertions a true nightmare.
In April, Boeing announced its third delay to the Dreamliner
program... pushing off first flight to the end of 2008 and
"approximately" 25 deliveries the year after, starting in the third
quarter of 2009. For the moment, the company is sticking to that
schedule.
Though it may seem a rather mundane accomplishment, the gear
trials mark one of the most significant tests of systems
integration on the first airframe, since the company
completed power-on of the aircraft in
June.
Swinging the landing gear taxes the 787's electrical and
hydraulic systems, as well as its structure.
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