Boeing completed early low-speed taxi tests for the first 787 on 7 July. The tests, which began with a 15kt (28km/h) roll all the way up to just over 100kt, lasted more than 6h, and also featured a maximum braking rejected take-off test.
Boeing says that all the braking during the testing was done manually and did not use the aircraft's autobrake system. The speed range for low-speed taxi testing hovers below 120kt, with high-speed testing between 120kt and 130kt, Boeing says. The airframer expects that the rotation speed for the 787 on its maiden flight will be around 150kt.
The 787 fleet remains grounded and prohibited from undergoing high-speed taxi testing until a remedial reinforcement is installed on the side of body where the wing meets the centre wing box.
Boeing is re-evaluating the programme schedule as it works to design, fabricate and test a fix on the wing join, and is expected to provide an update on the first-flight timing in the "next several weeks".
Source: Flight International
