Boeing 787 Aircraft

Boeing 787 Dreamliner first flight postponed for 5th time

www.chinaview.cn 2009-06-24 07:29:24

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The Boeing company's first 787 Dreamliner is readied for its first test flight, scheduled for June, at the Boeing company's Everett, Washington plant, April 30, 2009.(Xinhua/Reuters Photo) Photo Gallery>>>

CHICAGO, June 23 (Xinhua) -- Chicago-based Boeing Company announced on Tuesday that the first flight of the 787 Dreamliner, which is scheduled by the end of this month and has already been two years delayed, will be postponed for the fifth time due to a need to reinforce an area within the side-of-body section of the aircraft.

In a statement, Boeing said the need was identified during the recent regularly scheduled tests on the full-scale static test airplane. Preliminary analysis indicated that flight test could proceed this month as planned.

However, after further testing and consideration of possible modified flight test plans, the decision was made late last week that first flight should instead be postponed until productive flight testing could occur. Boeing has postponed the first flight for four times in past two years, citing parts shortages, defects, redesign work and problems with suppliers for disrupting development.

Boeing didn't give the definite rescheduled timetable of the first flight and first delivery. The airplane giant just indicated that after the final determination of the required modification and testing plan, "Several weeks" will be needed before the new schedule is available.

According to the statement, the 787 team will continue with other aspects of testing on Airplane No. 1, including final gauntlet testing and low-speed taxiing. Work will also continue on the other five flight test aircraft and the subsequent aircraft in the production system.

"Consideration was given to a temporary solution that would allow us to fly as scheduled, but we ultimately concluded that the right thing was to develop, design, test and incorporate a permanent modification to the localized area requiring reinforcement," said Scott Carson, president and CEO of Boeing Commercial Airplanes.

However, Carson said on June 16 at the Paris Air Show that the "airplane could fly today" and reiterated the plan for the first-flight by the month's end.

Boeing said its financial guidance will be updated to reflect any impact of these changes when the company issues its second quarter 2009 earnings report in July.

The Boeing 787 Dreamliner is a mid-sized, wide-body, twin-engine jet airliner currently under development by Boeing Commercial Airplanes. It will carry between 210 and 330 passengers depending on variant and seating configuration. Boeing stated that it will be more fuel-efficient than earlier Boeing airliners and will be the first major airliner to use composite materials for most of its construction.^[3] Boeing's development of the 787 is also innovative in the collaborative management approach with suppliers.

On January 28, 2005, the aircraft's development designation 7E7 was changed to the 787.^[4] Early released concept images depicted a radical design with highly curved surfaces. On April 26, 2005, a year after the launch of the program, the final look of the external 787 design was frozen, with a less rakish nose and a more conventional tail.

Boeing featured its first 787 in a rollout ceremony on July 8, 2007, at its Everett assembly factory, by which time it had become the fastest-selling wide-body airliner in history with nearly 600 orders.^[5] A total of 861 Boeing 787s have been ordered by 56 customers as of April 2009.^[6] Originally scheduled to enter service in May 2008, production has been delayed multiple times and it was scheduled to enter into service in 2010.^[7][8][9] The aircraft's maiden flight has been delayed with no confirmed schedule for its first flight as of late June 2009.^[10]

First Flight of Boeing 787 Delay

Boeing announced Tuesday that the first flight of the oft-delayed Boeing 787 will be postponed "due to a need to reinforce an area within the side-of-body section of the aircraft."

Boeing had been shooting for a first flight by the end of June. This weekend was to include some systems testings for 48 hours straight, followed by some taxiing and a takeoff roll to the point that the nose would lift off the runway before returning to the pavement. Then, presumably, the company would look at the results and schedule the first flight.

However, Boeing said the flaw " was identified during the recent regularly scheduled tests on the full-scale static test airplane," and the company made the decision to come up with a permanent fix rather than a temporary one that would allow test flights to happen sooner.

Said Scott Carson, president and CEO of Boeing Commercial Airplanes:

"Consideration was given to a temporary solution that would allow us to fly as scheduled, but we ultimately concluded that the right thing was to develop, design, test and incorporate a permanent modification to the localized area requiring reinforcement.

"Structural modifications like these are not uncommon in the development of new airplanes, and this is not an issue related to our choice of materials or the assembly and installation work of our team."

Added Boeing in its press release:

"First flight and first delivery will be rescheduled following the final determination of the required modification and testing plan. It will be several weeks before the new schedule is available.

"The 787 team will continue with other aspects of testing on Airplane #1, including final gauntlet testing and low-speed taxiing. Work will also continue on the other five flight test aircraft and the subsequent aircraft in the production system."

In an analyst and media call Tuesday morning, Boeing kept repeating that they'll have to work through the problem to see what impact it has on the schedule, including first deliveries.

The program for the 787, a composite airplane that promises greater fuel efficiency and lower operating and maintenance costs, was launched in 2004 with first deliveries promised in 2008.

However, that schedule has keep slipping as Boeing struggled with design and production issues. Before Tuesday's announcement, Boeing had intended to deliver the first airplane in first quarter 2009.