Aircraft
Boeing 787-9 Earns Type Inspection Authorization
Boeing's 787-9 test articles have flown more than 100 missions. (Photo: Boeing)
Boeing's 787-9 test articles have flown more than 100 missions. (Photo: Boeing)

Boeing on Wednesday won FAA type inspection authorization (TIA) for the 787-9, marking the start of a new phase of flight testing in which agency personnel join the company’s engineers in Washington state’s Puget Sound region to gather the data required for certification. The authorization applies to 787-9 test airplanes powered by Rolls-Royce Trent 1000 engines—ZB001 and ZB002, the first two members of the fleet. The company expects to soon earn TIA for the third 787-9 test airplane, a General-Electric GEnx-powered Dreamliner carrying serial number ZB021, according to Boeing Commercial Airplanes vice president of marketing Randy Tinseth.