Dreamliner 1 gets hydraulic power-on

One month after Boeing successfully completed the first electrical power-on of the first 787 Dreamliner, Flight International is reporting that the aerospace giant successfully completed the first power-on of the 787's hydraulic system last week. In a conference call with analysts today Boeing CEO Jim McNerney disclosed the hydraulic system milestone which gets that plastic bird one step closer to a first flight in the 4th Quarter of this year. The test allowed for the first movement of the Dreamliner's hydraulically actuated systems that include the ailerons, rudder, flaperons and some spoilers. The elevator, which is controlled by hydraulics, was not installed at the time of the test. Further tests of the hydraulic systems will include jacking the 787 off the ground to test the retraction and extension of its landing gear. I believe the hydraulic bounce kit is an after-market accessory not installed by the manufacturer.



(Flight International)

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787 Goes "Power-on" Successfully

EVERETT, Wash., June 20 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- The Boeing Company (NYSE: BA) has completed the Power On sequence for the first 787 Dreamliner, marking the completion of the next major milestone on the path to first flight later this year.

Power On is a complex series of tasks and tests that bring electrical power onto the airplane and begin to exercise the use of the electrical systems. The 787 is a more-electric airplane with the pneumatic, or bleed air, system being totally replaced by electronics.

"The team has made great progress in bringing the bold innovation of the 787 to reality," said Pat Shanahan, vice president and general manager of the 787 program. "There is plenty of work to be done between now and first flight, but with every step forward we grow more and more confident."

The Power On sequence began in early June with a series of pretest continuity checks to verify that the wiring installed in the airplane had been connected properly. Upon completion of those checks, the Boeing team plugged in an external power cart and slowly began to bring full power into each segment of the system, beginning with the flight deck displays. From that point forward, the pilot's controls were used to direct the addition of new systems to the power grid.

Note: the word "delay" is not found in the above press release. Congrats Boeing.



Photos: Boeing

Edited 2130Z to include photos.

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New 787 cockpit shots from Flightblogger

Can I have this guy's job? Flightblogger has posted up some brand new 787 shots from the Spirit Aerosystems plant in Wichita. These show an entirely complete 787 flight deck. Do the airlines get excited to remove all the plastic coverings from their planes, like I get excited to do with my new toys? The bottom shot shows Dreamliner 4, 5, 6, and 7 forward fuselage sections lined up being prepped for the trip to Everett, WA. Now if he can somehow get a shot of the flight deck after the power on tests of Dreamliner 1 at Boeing. I'd love to see one of these babies all lit up.






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787 Comes Out to See the World...Briefly

Over the weekend, Boeing rolled out a couple of the production 787s on a special day. The rollout marked the one year anniversary since major structural components began to come togther to make this beauty. See all the hi-res pictures below:


Images: Charles Conklin

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Boeing Revises 787 First Flight and Delivery Plans

Yes, it's official the 787 program has come upon another delay as Boeing is trying to let us down easy by adding slack in their delivery schedule to avoid any other delays. PointNiner brought you this information weeks ago when a "large purchaser" of the 787 reported upcoming delays due to retrofits of the center wingbox.

To put it in Boeing's terms: the first flight has been rescheduled because of slower than anticipated completion of work that came from all over via the Dreamhauler into Boeing's final assembly line, unanticipated rework (wingbox), and the addition of margins into the testing schedule.

The new (revised) delivery schedule is based on a more conservative production plan developed with all of the 787 partners. Boeing now expects to have a first flight of Airplane #1 in the fourth quarter 2008 (instead of the second quarter 2008), with a first delivery planned for the third quarter 2009 (instead of the first quarter 2009). That schedule now targets approximately 25 deliveries in 2009.

Don't get me wrong, I do like the 787 and Boeing aircraft, however, what has happened here is simply this: Boeing used to have balls and they have lost them. They have lost their way.

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