Posted on 06/05/2007 9:13:31 AM PDT by Paleo Conservative
EVERETT, June 04, 2007 -- The Boeing Dreamlifter, the specially modified 747-400 used to transport the major assemblies of the all-new Boeing 787 Dreamliner, was granted type certification on Saturday, June 2, from the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).
The certification recognizes that the Dreamlifter has successfully passed all of the stringent testing and safety requirements required by the FAA. The Dreamlifter does not need to be certified by other regulatory agencies.
"This certification reflects not only the safety and reliability of the Dreamlifter but also its remarkable performance," said Scott Strode, 787 vice president of Airplane Definition and Production.
As part of the flight test program, FAA officials flew on board the Dreamlifter as it delivered major sections of the Dreamliner from partner sites around the world to the Boeing factory in Everett, Wash., for final assembly. The flights allowed the FAA to validate the overall delivery process and tools. The Dreamlifter is not certified to carry passengers beyond essential crew. The Dreamlifter completed 437 flight-test hours and 639 hours of ground testing since its first flight on Sept. 9, 2006.
With certification achieved, operation of the Dreamlifter fleet will soon be assumed by Evergreen International Airlines (EIA) of McMinnville, Ore. EIA must first complete the required New Airplane Process Document process proving it is ready to operate the aircraft. Boeing expects the transition to EIA to occur in June.
The green color was the primer. The first plane wasn’t painted in its livery before testing in case modifications needed to be made.
The news just keeps getting worser and worser for Airbust.
That’s what the little mask thingys are for :>)
That’s one Funky lookin’ airframe.
Also, if they keep it at under 10,000 feet... :>)
The result of outsourcing going global. When the 747 was the prime aircraft, my company (Northrop, now Northrop Grumman) fabricated the fuselage panels from just behind the cockpit to just before the tail section. Shipment to Boeing was accomplished by railroad cars modified to look something like the body of the Dreamliner.
But where were they fabricated? I thought it was difficult to transport fuselage sections larger than a 737-900 by rail especially when bridges, tunnels, and turns are taken into account.
When I first saw that photo I thought it was Rosie O’Donnell’s new private plane...
Who says we can't deport all the illegals...let's load'em up and drop them off waaaaay south...
They won’t need seats !!!!!
Hey looks cool why not just add another deck seat and windows and presto Airbus380 instant competitionHow about nother deck, a swimming pool and basketball court is more like it. You could probably build a house inside and play Dorothy (Wizard of Oz). "We are not in Kansas anymore."
Don't forget the flags of all nations.
They were fabricated in Hawthorne, CA. Yes, rail routes had to take bridges & tunnels into account — but they managed it. The program lasted 25 years, give or take.
OK. Maybe I read too much into the statement, “... delivered ... from around the world.” BTW, who is making the fuselage parts being shipped from DFW?
How does this plane compare in size and cost to a C-5 and a C-17? What’s that Russian plane that we are leasing equipment deliveries to the middle east? Can this plane replace these???
You telling me this has been flying over my house before being certified?
You would need some oxygen masks as well - the back isn't pressurized.
It has more cargo volume than the C-5 but not the payload weight capacity. It’s unpressurized. It might be useful for transporting oversized aerospace cargoes like satellites and space probes, but it’s not useful as a military freighter. It requires lots of ground equipment to load and unload freight. There is special equipment that is necessary to open and close the tail door, because the hinges are unable to support the weight of the door.
ROTFLMAO!
Is there a hybrid version?
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