Boeing 787 Dreamliner’s first flight
Boeing’s all-new 787 Dreamliner touched down safely at Paine Field in Everett, Washington yesterday, launching a new era in air travel watched by an estimated crowd of more than 12,000 employees and guests.
The flight marks the beginning of a flight test program that will see six aircraft flying nearly around the clock and around the globe, with the plane’s first delivery scheduled for fourth quarter 2010.
The newest member of the Boeing family of commercial jetliners took off from Paine Field at 10:27 a.m. local time, landing after about three hours flight, at 1:33 p.m. at Seattle’s Boeing Field.
787 Chief Pilot Mike Carriker and Capt. Randy Neville tested some of the aircraft systems and structures, as on-board equipment recorded and transmitted real-time data to a flight-test team at Boeing Field.
After takeoff from Everett, the aircraft followed a route over the east end of the Strait of Juan de Fuca. Captains Carriker and Neville took the airpcraft to an altitude of 15,000 feet (4,572 meters) and an air speed of 180 knots, or about 333 km/h, customary on a first flight.
“Today is truly a proud and historic day for the global team who has worked tirelessly to design and build the 787 Dreamliner – the first all-new jet airplane of the 21st century,” said Scott Fancher, vice president and general manager of the 787 program. “We look forward to the upcoming flight test program and soon bringing groundbreaking levels of efficiency, technology and passenger comfort to airlines and the flying public.”
Powered by two Rolls-Royce Trent 1000 engines, the first B787 will be joined in the flight test program in the coming weeks and months by five others, including two that will be powered by General Electric GEnx engines.
Boeing says: “The 787 Dreamliner will offer passengers a better flying experience and provide airline operators greater efficiency to better serve the point-to-point routes and additional frequencies passengers prefer. The technologically-advanced 787 will use 20 percent less fuel than today’s airplanes of comparable size, provide airlines with up to 45 percent more cargo revenue capacity and present passengers with innovations that include a new interior environment with cleaner air, larger windows, more stowage space, improved lighting and other passenger-preferred conveniences.”
The first of 35 firm orders and 20 options of the 787 Dreamliner is scheduled to be delivered to launch customer Japan Airlines (JAL) by early 2011 and necessary preparations are now underway for its introduction into the JAL Group fleet. JAL as a user, has been actively cooperating with Boeing during the development stages of the 787 Dreamliner, and moving forward, will continue to render our support to them, says JAL: “Japan Airlines congratulates Boeing on the inaugural test flight of its highly-anticipated 787 Dreamliner. JAL is keenly awaiting the delivery of the state-of-the-art jet, which we target to strategically utilise on new long-haul routes between Tokyo and America, Europe, as well as South East Asia, afforded by the expansion of Haneda airport in October 2010.
Fifty-five customers around the world have ordered 840 787s, making the 787 Dreamliner the fastest-selling new commercial jetliner in history.
