ZA001 stretches its legs

FlightBlogger ^ | December 12, 2009 11:10 PM | Jon Ostrower

[skeptoid]

Boeing's busy day on the ground kicked off at 6:30 AM with a flight readiness review that finalized receipt of the Experimental Airworthiness Certificate from the FAA. This regulatory clearance now puts the 787, with clearance to operate Part 91 operations, the same regulatory category as aircraft like the Cessna 172. Once the Experimental Airworthiness Certificate had been obtained, the aircraft was cleared for final taxi tests.

[skeptoid]

John Ostrower has '138 Photos and 2 Videos of Note: 787's busy day on the ground' that includes raising the nosewheel during high-speed taxi.

They plan to fly it tomorrow.

[r9etb]

What a pretty plane....

[GonzoGOP]

It is amazing how different the plane looks without all the rivet lines and panel boundaries you normally expect to see on the fuselage of a big airliner. I'm not sure how much the little bit of extra streamlining helps the fuel economy, but it does make the plane look great.

[Haiku Guy]

I can hardly wait to fly in one of these beauties.

[Yo-Yo]

Two years behind schedule, but well worth the wait.

[Poundstone]

Airbus Killer on the way!

[VOA]

“
Two years behind schedule, but well worth the wait.
“

So is the A-400 military plane made by EADS (Airbus).
It did make a successful first flight last Friday; but is 25% overbudget.

I’m not raggin’ on EADS/Airbus...building a plane that’s safe and
can operate according to expectation...
It ain’t easy.

[rlmorel]

Is that true? Maiden flight?

[Yo-Yo]

Nope, it ain't easy. The A380 was late and over budget, too. The 787 is way over budget, and would be even more over if it weren't for creative bookkeeping at Boeing. The first half dozen aircraft that will be part of the very aggressive flight test schedule were originally supposed to be refurbished and sold after flight testing is done.

But there were so many unique modifications made to these first airframes that Boeing has written them off as unsellable, and moved the expense of building them from the 787 program to a generic R&D account.

The 787 is still over it's target weight, and the first few delivered aircraft may not have the originally advertised range.

Let's see how well Airbus does with their A350 program. My guess is not much better, and a strong chance that it will be as bad as the A400M or A380 programs.

[skeptoid]

Roger, they plan to completely defy gravity with every part of the aircraft and the people inside.

[wolf78]

Airbus Killer on the way!

*LOL. Right now, both Airbus and Boeing have their fair share of problems. Both the A380 and A400M were late, but so is the 787 and the 747-8, with the 747-8i (intercontinental, i.e. passenger version, not freight) probably making huge losses for Boeing, if the don't find more than their current 2 customers.

The 787 will be a success, but Airbus isn't stupid, either. The A350 will not only compete with the 787, but also the 777, Boeings cash cow. While the slightly smaller 787 looks like a clear winner when it comes to the 200-250 passenger segment, where Airbus only has the by then outdated A330-200, the stretched A350-1000 will hurt Boeing badly in the 350 passenger segment.

[rlmorel]

Heh, hadn’t heard...I try to keep my thumb on this stuff, but...this caught me by surprise.

[Drago]

1st Flight site w/video at 9:40am Tuesday:

http://787firstflight.newairplane.com/ffindex.html

[Publius6961]

BUMP!