Dreamliner One, Boeing's first 787, has been powered on for the first time since before last year's 57-day machinists' strike concluded in early November, providing the crucial next step in the troubled twin's development as Boeing sprints to complete its first flight by 30 June.
But while sources say there is no indication that the first flight has moved beyond Boeing's current target of the second quarter of this year, internal schedules are moving away from specific dates for milestones including first flight - which had been set as 24 April - towards a classification of "to be determined".
According to Boeing, once the flight-test campaign begins, the airframer expects that all six flight-test aircraft will be airborne within four months. Boeing previously thought its six test aircraft would be flying within two months of the first flight, based on its revised April 2008 schedule.
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The last of the structural components for Dreamliner Five, the penultimate flight-test 787 and the first to be powered by General Electric GEnx engines, arrived in Everett on 25 January for final assembly. In addition, the wings for Dreamliner Six have arrived, fully painted, structurally complete and largely packed with systems.
Although Boeing chief executive Jim McNerney does not expect any further disruptions to the 787 schedule, he indicated in his company's year-end earnings report that he felt that the flight-test programme could present a "possible long pole in the tent" for meeting the certification and delivery target in the first quarter of 2010.
McNerney added that for the first two flight-test aircraft, the time-consuming fastener replacement operation is virtually complete, although Boeing concedes that some fasteners will not be fully replaced until refurbishment following the completion of the flight-test programme.
Boeing points out that the remaining fasteners requiring replacement "have the ability to withstand the loads and number of cycles expected during the flight-test programme", adding that the fasteners are "not easy to reach and don't represent a safety of flight issue".
Boeing has provided delivery guidance, advising its launch customer, Japan's All Nippon Airways, to expect its first 787-8 in February 2010, with service entry the following month - 22 months later than first scheduled. Aircraft Seven, the first production 787, will begin revenue service on Japanese domestic routes for crew training and ETOPS rating purposes.
As first deliveries come into focus, some 787 operators have found an uncertain future. Citing a "poor economic environment", Russia's S7 Airlines, which was set to receive its first aircraft in 2014, cancelled its order for 15 787s, but insists it retains interest in the aircraft.
Boeing's 787 Dreamliner backlog now stands at 895 aircraft from 58 customers.
Source: Flight International
