Boeing 787 finishes flight tests in move toward OK

Boeing Co.'s new 787 Dreamliner, the world's first composite-plastic commercial jet, finished its 20- month flight-test program last weekend in the final hurdle toward approval for passenger service that could start next month.

The final test flight finished Aug. 13 with the ninth Dreamliner built, Chicago-based Boeing said in a statement today. The plane took off from Billings, Montana, with a 14- member crew and flew for 90 minutes in a test that included simulations of takeoff with a failed generator and failed fuel flow indication. It landed at 1:58 p.m. local time in Everett, Washington, home to Boeing's widebody-jet factory.

The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration, which has worked with Boeing since the 787's inception, now must verify the paperwork in a review Boeing has said it expects this week and then certify the plane before it can be delivered to the first customer.

It took four days to announce the completion of the testing program because Boeing had to first make sure all the required points had been met and no further flights were needed, said Lori Gunter, a spokeswoman.

Six test jets have been based out of Seattle's Boeing Field since the model's maiden flight in December 2009. Boeing sent the planes all over the world, testing high-altitude performance in Bolivia, noise in Montana and crosswinds in Iceland. During about 4,800 flight hours, crews pushed the aircraft to extremes, dealt with simulated and real emergencies -- including a fire on one -- and flew through inclement weather, seeking out lightning and icy conditions.

The Dreamliner will be more than three years late once Japan's All Nippon Airways Co. gets the first one, making it Boeing's longest commercial development program ever. Boeing struggled with parts shortages, new materials and the manufacturing process developed for the 787.

Fuel Savings

Boeing says the 250-seat jet will fly farther and use 20 percent less fuel than rivals by shedding the traditional, heavier aluminum fuselage and replacing some hydraulics and pneumatics with an all-electric system.

The company had expected computer modeling and new, streamlined processes to reduce the physical testing to 8 1/2 months, which would have been about two months less than typical and the shortest flight-test program Boeing had ever done. Engineers and pilots also had extra time to prepare, since the first flight was 28 months later than planned.

Boeing created a new companywide flight-test unit so that the commercial test jets could share airfields with the military programs. And more ground testing on the 787 was moved into the second shift to keep the days free for flying, with engineers and mechanics working around the clock.

Still, the program was plagued by problems including the November electrical fire that grounded the fleet for six weeks and forced a seventh delay to the original May 2008 certification target.

The planes that completed testing last weekend were powered by engines from Rolls-Royce Holdings Plc., one of two options for customers and the first that will enter service. Tests on aircraft using General Electric Co.'s GEnx engine are continuing.