Second Plane Could Fly 10 Days Later

A source close to the project says the first Dreamliner flight is planned for December 18th, with the second flight possible just after Christmas. However, Boeing officials said in an e-mail a date has not been set for the maiden flight.

UPI reports that the Seattle times learned of the plans from someone described as being "close to the program." The Dreamliner has been beset by problems, and delivery dates have been pushed back by more than two years. But Boeing officials have continued to insist that the all-composite airliner would fly before the end of 2009, saying at one point last week that they have already fueled up the airplane.

ANN reported last week that the 787 had passed static tests on the wing and side-body reinforcements which had been the cause of the latest delay. Boeing announced on June 23 that it was necessary to reinforce an area of structure at the side-of-body section of the 787. The modification entails installing new fittings at 34 stringer locations within the joint where the wing is attached to the fuselage. The modifications were completed on the first two flight-test airplanes and the full-scale static test airplane in November. During the test on the 787 Dreamliner static test airframe last week, the wing and trailing edges of the airframe were subjected to its limit load -- the highest loads expected to be seen in service. The load is about the same as 2.5 times the force of gravity for the wing.

The UPI report said that test pilots had started the engines on the flight test airplane last Tuesday, sending white smoke billowing into the air as the oil that protects the engine during storage burned away.

FMI: www.boeing.com