As certification of the 787 Dreamliner approaches at the end of this year and launch customer All Nippon Airways (ANA) prepares to take delivery of its first airplane, Boeing’s service ready team is putting the final touches on preparation for entry into service. Mike Fleming, Boeing director of 787 services and support, is busy strengthening each segment of what he described as a three-legged stool in which the airplane is ready, support is ready and the customer is ready.
And these elements certainly ought to be ready because two-and-a-half years of delays in the 787 program have provided more time for the service-ready team to prepare aspects such as training, equipment and inventory. The team’s first 787 customer is Boeing’s own flight test operation. “From a support perspective, since the start of flight test we’ve had people learning the airplane inside out,” Fleming said.
