Warszawa 2013-04-20
Boeing B.787.
The first flights of the B.787.
On December 15, 2009, B.787 made its first flight. It was version B 787-8 No. ZA001, registration N787BA, with Rolls-Royce engines. Take-off weight 176,900 kg. The flight took off from Snohomish County Airport in Everett, Washington at 10:27 a.m. and landed at Boeing Paine Field in King County, Washington at 1:35 p.m. The original flight was supposed to last 4-5 hours, but due to bad weather it was shortened. It was piloted by an experienced crew: Captain Mike Carriker and Captain Randy Nerville. The flight was escorted by T-33 Shooting Star and T-38 Talon aircraft. It ran over the eastern part of the Juan de Fuca Strait. Initially, the flight altitude was maintained at 762 m, then it was increased to 4,572 m. The cruising speed was about 333 km/h. All flight parameters were transmitted to the monitoring center at the airport on an ongoing basis.
Flight tests of the prototypes lasted for 8.5 months and 6 machines were used. Let us recall that similar tests of the B 777 aircraft lasted 11 months and 10 copies were used. Six machines were used in the B.787 test flight program; ZA001 – ZA006. Four of them powered Rolls-Royce Trent 1000 engines and two engines from GE GEnx-1B64 engines. B 787 ZA002 aircraft in the colors of All Nippon Airways has been included in the program.
On April 23, 2010, B 787 No. ZA003 began climate testing at the McKinley Climatic Laboratory at Eglin Air Force Base, Florida. There is a climatic hangar that can simulate conditions in the range of +115 to -45 degrees C. The aircraft was tested at +46 degrees C and -43 degrees C, after which the plane took off.
B 787 No. ZA005, the first with General Electric GEnx engines, began ground testing of the engine in May 2010. The aircraft made its first flight on June 16, 2010. One of the copies also passed lightning strike tests. As a result, the aircraft received additional conductive elements to mitigate the effect of a lightning strike and make the machine meet the standards contained in FAA directives.
The B 787 in Europe made its debut at the international aviation exhibition at the Farnborough Airshow in Great Britain on July 18, 2010.
Unexpectedly, there were problems with the Trent 1000 engines. Rolls-Royce was forced to conduct additional tests, and Boeing added two more examples to the tests. 8 machines in total.
On November 9, 2010, the B 787 aircraft No. ZA002 made a test flight. Smoke appeared in the cabin during this flight. The plane made an emergency landing. Nothing happened to anyone. A Boeing spokesman said, "The plane landed safely and the crew was evacuated after landing at Laredo International Airport, Texas." It was quickly determined that the cause was a foreign element in the wiring harness. Flights resumed on December 23, 2010.
On July 4, 2011, All Nippon Airways began a week of flight operations using test B 787s in Japan. The aircraft made 1,707 flights in 4,828 hours. He visited 14 countries in Asia, Europe, North America and South America.
On August 26, 2011, the Rolls-Royce engines powering the B.787-8 received FAA and European Aviation Safety Agency certification at a ceremony in Everett.
On December 6-8, 2011, the sixth B 787-8 test aircraft, built under ZA 006, set two new world records for this class of machines in terms of uninterrupted flight distance and speed. The aircraft was powered by General Electric GEnx engines. There were 13 people on board (6 crew members, an observer on behalf of the National Aeronautic Association and 6 employees of Boeing plants). The plane took off on December 6, 2011 at 11:02 am from Boeing Airport in Seattle. It flew 10,710 nautical miles (19,835 km) non-stop to Shahjalal in Dhaka, Bangladesh, setting a new world distance record for aircraft weighing between 440,000 kg (200,000 kg) and 550,000 lb (250,000 kg). This flight broke the previous record of 9,127 nautical miles (16,903 km) set in 2002 by an Airbus A 330. After a two-hour stop and refueling, the plane flew back to Seattle, still heading east. This time it covered a distance of 9,734 nautical miles (18,027 km) landing again at Boeing Field in Seattle on December 8, 2011, at 5:29 am, setting a world record for circling the Earth in the air in 42 hours, 27 minutes.
In late 2011, B.787 began a world tour to promote the aircraft.
On September 26, 2011 (Monday), Boeing and ANA (Japan) airlines signed documents finalizing the delivery of the first B 787-8 Dreamliner. The main celebrations took place in Everett. Another B 787 No. ZA002, painted in the colors of the ANA line, has been put up for sightseeing. The plane to Japan left on November 27, 2011, at 06:35 (15:35 Polish time). It was important because the departure could be tracked via the Internet. The plane landed at Tokyo Haneda Airport.
The first commercial flight with an aircraft for ANA took place on October 26, 2011. It was a flight from Tokyo, Narita Airport to Hong Kong and back. Tickets were sold via the Internet on an auction basis. Minimum price 2,000 JPY. The first place was auctioned for 35,000 JPY.
The first information obtained from the carrier ANA turned out to be very good. The plane en route uses less fuel than the 20% promised by Boeing for the B.767. On the Tokyo-Frankfurt route, fuel savings amounted to 21%. Passenger feedback was also positive. Nine out of ten passengers said the trip exceeded their expectations and a quarter said they would fly the B.787 again, avoiding other aircraft. Air quality and cabin pressure met or exceeded expectations for nine out of ten people, with 92% saying the cabin atmosphere was as good or better than expected. The ANA surveyed 800 passengers who flew the B.787 on the Tokyo – Frankfurt route.
The first B 787 assembled at the South Carolina plant was built on April 27, 2012.
Initially, orders for aircraft were few. In 2005, just 56 with options for another 70 machines. However, by mid-2007, things were much better. Boeing collected 677 orders, which was a record at the time when the plane had a rollout ceremony. At the end of 2011, there were already 873 orders.
In the first months of operation, the B.787 did not cause any major problems. The problem was with landing gear extension. On November 8, 2011, ANA reported that the pilots were forced to extend the landing gear using the emergency manual system after an indicator light indicated that the wheels did not come out properly. A similar problem appeared in other machines and required only appropriate adjustment. One Ethiopian plane had to replace its engine.
B.787 versions.
Until 2013, the following versions were developed:
B.787-3 (300) – it was the first version, which, however, was not fully developed and was not used by any airline. The reason was a range of only 6,500 km. The plane was supposed to carry 290 passengers in two classes and maximum cramped seats. The calculated range turned out to be even smaller; 2,500 to 3,050 nautical miles (4,650 to 5,650 km). In addition, the aircraft was to have a 25-foot (7.6 m) shorter wingspan (about 52 m) to fit in the old-style hangars still used in Japan. The wingtips would also be different. With typical winglets. Another problem was the limitation of the maximum take-off weight to 364,000 pounds (165,100 kg), which translated into limiting the permissible baggage per passenger.
Boeing thought that an aircraft with a range of 4,500-6,500 km would be eagerly ordered by shipping companies, in place of the B.757-300 and B.767-200 aircraft. It has even accepted an order from two Japanese carriers for 43 machines. Because it was decided a little earlier that the basic model would be the B.787-8, which in addition had delays in relation to the schedule, therefore work on the B.787-3 was suspended. It happened in April 2008. At the beginning of 2010, all B.787-3 machines ordered so far were changed to B.787-8 versions. Because Boeing was developing the B.787-3 specifically for Japan, on December 13, 2010, the program was completely canceled.
B.787-8 – the most popular basic version in the first years of production. Standard designed for 210-250 passengers. The B 787-8 version became the basic one. It has a length of 186 feet (57 m) and a wingspan of 197 feet (60 m). Range is 7,650 to 8,200 nautical miles (14,200 to 15,200 km), depending on configuration.
B.787-9 – extended version, designed for 250-290 passengers in three classes. The B 787-9 is the first elongated variant. Range 8,000 to 8,500 nautical miles (14,800 to 15,750 km). The wings remained almost unchanged (they only collect more fuel). Initially, the B.787-9 was supposed to take as much fuel as the B.787-8. But after consultation with future users, additional forward tanks were added to the wings. The first customer will be Air New Zealand. Deliveries will start in early 2014.
B.787-10 – the longest version, designed for 290-310 passengers. Until the end of 2012, there was no significant information about the program progress of this version. Boeing has stated that there will be a need for an enlarged version. The proposed version is intended to compete with the planned A 350-900 and replace the B.777-200 ER. Back in March 2006, B.787 program manager Mike Bair said, "It’s not a question of if, but when we’re going to do it…"
Written by Karol Placha Hetman