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Four of the five Boeing 787s currently being used on its flight test program were involved in a number of tests away from their base at Everett over the last week.
Boeing announced on September 3 that ZA001 was taking a break from operations from Edwards Air Force Base, with the aircraft positioning to Roswell, New Mexico, for tests including rejected takeoff tests. ZA002 deployed to Keflavik Airport in Iceland for cross wind stability and control autoflight testing, while ZA003 deployed to Yuma, Arizona, for hot weather testing. ZA004 has been conducting testing on external pressure distributions through the flight envelope out of Victorville, California, and will then head to Glasgow, Montana, after its program at Victorville wraps up.
With its four sisterships away from Boeing Field, ZA005 has remained there, conducting ice shape testing required for certification. Artificial ice shapes have been affixed to the leading edges of the wings and horizontal and vertical stabiliser of the aircraft to verify its performance in icing conditions. Natural ice testing has already occurred.
To date, the five 787 test aircraft have conducted more than 1727 hours of flying on 556 sorties. The sixth flight test aircraft is expected to join the test fleet over the coming months, while two early production aircraft will also be involved in some testing, ahead of certification and delivery during the first quarter of 2011.
