AMEVoice

Boeing has officially set December 15 at 1800 GMT for the first flight of the787 airliner after receiving final approval from the US Federal Aviation Administration, followed by the flight readiness review and successful completion of high-speed taxi tests.

ZA001, the airframer's first 787 Dreamliner, spent six hours on 12 December conducting taxi tests at the company's Everett, Washington facility north of Seattle.
 

The tests saw chief pilot Mike Carriker and engineering test pilot Randy Neville at the controls of the first majority-composite airliner, as it conducted eight runs up and down the 2746m-long (9010ft) runway, gradually building speed.

The two final runs, one to the north and one to the south, saw the long-range twin-engine jetliner lift its nose off the runway before returning it gently to the runway about six seconds later.

Boeing says the tests reached a top speed of 130kts, though radio transmissions between the aircraft, operating at Boeing 001 Experimental, and the Paine Field control tower discussed a top speed of 135kts achieved during the day's taxi tests.

Program officials gathered at 1430 GMT (630 PT) for the flight readiness review, say those familiar with the meeting where the aircraft was cleared to begin its high-speed taxi runs.

Before the taxi tests commenced, the US FAA granted Boeing the Experimental Airworthiness Certificate for the 787, officially placing it in the Part 91 regulatory classification and clearing the aircraft to commence flight testing at a time of Boeing's choosing.

The three-to-five-hour long first flight of the 787 is now entirely dependent on the weather conditions come Tuesday 15 December.

Boeing policy, in general, calls for "good visibility, no standing water on the runway and gentle or no winds" at the time of first flight.

According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Tuesday's weather forecasts a 90% chance of rain, with a high temperature near 7 degrees C (45 F).

The troubled B-787 is two and a half years behind schedule. Due to structural reinforcements, Boeing has increased the maximum take-off weight of all three variants and opted to shrink the wing of the 787-9 stretch.

The changes were disclosed in the December 2009 revision of the 787 Airport Compatibility document.  This defines the MTOW of the baseline 787-8 as 227,900kg (502,000lb) - up 8,400kg from the initially planned 219,500kg - while the 787-9's weight has grown by 2,270kg to 247,400kg. The short-range 787-3 has seen a 5,000kg increase to 170,250kg. The ranges of three 787 variants are not specified on this document. 

Boeing says the new weights will be introduced beginning with Airplane 20 and that the initial 219,500kg (484,000lb) MTOW for the first 787-8s delivered remain in effect.

Boeing said the weight increase "will help us to meet the expectations of our customers".

Another notable development is a third revision to the 787-9's wing, which started its design life with a common wing to the 787-8 at 60.1m (197ft 3in) span. This was later increased to 61.9m, then as high as 63.4m, but has now shrunk back to the same dimensions as the 787-8.

Boeing has set a target of commencing first flight of the 787 by the close of 2009, while the airframer hopes to achieve certification and first delivery to Japan's All Nippon Airways in the fourth quarter of 2010.

Boeing holds 840 firm orders for the 787 Dreamliner (This figure does not reflect the recently announced order for 25 787-8s for United Airlines).