Boeing finishes reinforcement work on 2 Dreamliners

Boeing Co. said it has finished reinforcing the wings of two more 787 Dreamliners, moving another step closer to flying the plane for the first time by year-end.

Workers in Everett, Washington, finished reinforcing the ground test airframe over the weekend, as well as the second Dreamliner, which is designated for the first flight test. Modifications on the flight test plane were completed Nov. 11.

"We are building momentum with each milestone we achieve," said Scott Fancher, vice president and general manager of the 787 program, in a statement distributed at a briefing at the Dubai Air Show.

The Dreamliner is more than two years late after five delays since October 2007. The most recent setback came in June, days before the planned maiden flight, when engineers discovered that some composite layers where the wing joins the body had separated in ground tests. The 787 is the first airliner being built with mostly composite plastics, rather than aluminum, to save on fuel consumption.

The airframe to be used in the static test, which takes place on the ground, is being refitted with strain gauges and instrumentation required for testing, Fancher said. He said the program is on track to fly the 787 by the end of the year.

"Our focus is now on completing the static test later this month, which will validate the modification," Fancher said. "Concurrently we are restoring the airplanes and completing the functional tests required to fly by the end of the year."

Boeing aims to deliver the 787 to its first customer in the fourth quarter of 2010. The original goal was May 2008.