Boeing moved quickly this month to erase any doubts about the progress of the 787 flight-test program after “an assessment of the availability of an engine needed for the final phases of flight test this fall” led it to conclude that it couldn’t deliver the first production airplane until the middle of next year’s first quarter. Last week, all five flight-test airplanes remained active, said Boeing. Four of the five airplanes conducted remote test operations, while ZA005 continued testing from its base of operations in Seattle.
ZA001, the first 787, took a break from operations at Edwards AFB in California for a week’s worth of trials in Roswell, N.M., where plans called for it to perform testing in rejected-takeoff conditions. Last month, ZA001 visited Roswell to conduct wet-runway testing. Boeing had deployed ZA001 to Edwards AFB for several weeks of testing focused on takeoff- and landing-performance conditions.
Meanwhile, the second 787, ZA002, made its way to Iceland for high-latitude and cold-weather testing at Keflavik Airport.
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