Boeing 787 First Flight Thread

[brianw999]

Well done Boeing....it's amazing what you can do with cheap composites, isn't it ?

Sorry folks....the voices told me to say it. I ignored their pleas to use occasional bold type though.

Seriously though, well done to all at Boeing....and yes, that wingflex is something else.

[LauraB]

Could one of you guys please explain what advantages the wingflex gives? It's very beautiful!

[SYDCBRWOD]

That was amazing to watch. That wingflex was crazy!

Not as crazy as the original planned wingflex - imagine, before they added all that reinforcing we could have had the wings pivot up at the wingroot! Now that would be decent flex!

[Highkeas]

Could one of you guys please explain what advantages the wingflex gives? It's very beautiful!

I doubt if the wing flex is much different than other Boeing aircraft (777, 747). I think the camera position and wing shape exaggerate the wing flex.

[TAP-A343]

Congratulations to Boeing.

However, let's not forget that this is just the beginning of the flight test and certification programmes.

The ultimate achievement is to deliver the first aircraft to ANA.

[Leftseat86]

When airplanes start looking more and more like birds, something is being done right...

[Alessandro]

Could one of you guys please explain what advantages the wingflex gives? It's very beautiful!

Harder to break, a stiff wing would need to be much heavier to withstand same amount of
force.

[Alessandro]

Exciting week to say the least, both A400m and B787 successful maiden flights add the rollout of the
White Knight 2 and the Space Ship 2.

[Alpha Sierra]

Very impressive first flight, watched it live on the webcast yesterday, congratulations to everyone at Boeing.

Let's hope that the remainder of the test program goes well and that we'll soon see it commence with its first commercial flights.

[Eric Diffoot]

First Flight Results Buoy Boeing


Dec 16, 2009

Guy Norris/Seattle [email protected]

Boeing says initial results from the first flight of the 787 give it confidence the certification program will be completed on schedule late next year. The first flight on Dec. 15 lasted 3 hours and 5 minutes, around two-and-a-half hours shorter than planned due to poor visibility. But the aircraft "flew better than in our simulators," said 787 chief pilot Mike Carriker, who added all systems performed well. "This aircraft could turn around and fly again today, but we want to put more instrumentation in the aircraft." The aircraft spent its time running race track patterns over the San Juan Islands near Vancouver Island at altitudes of up to 12,000 feet. The original plan was to perform some work over the Puget Sound area before testing at up to 15,000 feet over Eastern Washington during the latter phases of the flight. But neither of these targets were possible because of the weather, said Carriker. Tests included opening up the flight envelope for take off and landing configurations with different flap settings, and cycling the landing gear. The flight achieved around 50% of the points on the test card. Some of the points not completed required long straight runs but "because of the weather we had to turn around every 15 minutes. The only thing that stopped us was the descending cloud deck over the Straits of San Juan de Fuca," Carricker said. The first aircraft, ZA001, is due to make its second flight before the end of the month. A total of six test aircraft will be dedicated to the flight test program which is set to be complete by October. ZA001 is scheduled to complete initial airworthiness, stability and control and primary flight control system tests over the next three to four weeks before moving on to flutter tests that will clear the way forward for higher speed envelope expansion work in February. Photo credit: Liz Matzelle

http://www.aviationweek.com/aw/generic/story.jsp?id=news/BUOY121609.xml&headline=First%20Flight%20Results%20Buoy%20Boeing&channel=comm

Now next on the list for Boeing, getting the certification program done ON TIME.

[akerosid]

Single slotted flaps?

For a start, let me just add to the messages of euphoria; it is certainly a gorgeous aircraft.

One thing I did notice is that the flaps appear to be single slatted, unlike the earlier Boeing models - 737 Classic/747 (triple slotted)* and 737NG/777 (double)*, while the 787 has a single flap panel. Have a look at these terrific shots by Jeremy Lindgren:

http://jetphotos.net/viewphoto.php?id=6732802

http://jetphotos.net/viewphoto.php?id=6732913

(Got to say, I just love the angle in the second photo with "everything hanging out")

Airbus has always had a single flap panel; not that I want to turn this into an A -V- B issue, as this is clearly Boeing's achievement, but it is interesting that they have reverted from the design of the 777 flaps to a design closer to the Airbus model?

[Jan-Jasinski]

Just as I thought Airliners.Net and Jetphotos.Net would look like today XD!

[Saavy]

That, my friends, is poetry in motion. Well done, Boeing.

[Jerrycobra Boeing]

nice job boeing! i should visit here more often, have been uh, a while, well, ZA002 has a flight window at 8:45am tomorrow, with better conditions than ZA001 did, lets hope for another good flight!

[Jet-fighters.Net]

ZA002 made it first flight this morning

http://flightaware.com/live/flight/BOE2