Friday, June 19, 2009

Mike Mecham: 787 has a week worth of tests left

Mike Mecham of Aviation Week wrote an article detailing the testing left for the 787. Here's how it's all laid out:

Friday, June 19th to Sunday, June 21st : A series of 6 major ground tests. Initially this set of tests were supposed to be completed by Saturday but now has been pushed back to Sunday. Additionally, Pat Shanahan is supposed to have a flight readiness review on Saturday, June 20th.

Monday, June 22nd to Wednesday, June 24th - Final gauntlet testing lasting 48 hours. This testing meant to get a final check of all the 787's systems using a new release of the software that was modified after factory and intermediate gauntlet testing was completed and the necessary changes identified and written into the code.

Thursday, June 25th to Friday June 26th - This is the analysis of the data gathered by all the testing and final top to bottom and front to back inspection of the 787.

Saturday, June 27th - Taxi tests, this is an all day affair which will start with low speed taxi tests gradually building up to high speed taxi test and ending with rejected take off tests where the airplane will be bought to rotation speed or Vr and the nose wheel is lifted off the runway but the aircraft will not leave the ground.

Sunday, June 28th - If all goes well with the testing and analysis of the previous 9 days, this would be the day that ZA001 takes to the air. Mike Mecham reports that the plan is to fly the 787 for about five and a half hours but the first flight may last much loner than that. ZA001 will land at Boeing Field in downtown Seattle where it will be based for the remainder of the test program and where the test flight team is based.

Mike Mecham's 787 Report

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Uh.....How exactly does June 19 to June 27 add up to "weeks"?

Uresh said...

You're right, it's not "weeks" it a week.

Renata and Julian said...

22nd to 24th, gauntlet testing and check of new release of software!!!!

oh dear me, would not want to fly a plane with untested software, would rather have the gauntlet code as that HAS BEEN tested.

joolz