Aircraft
787 program now on track
For Boeing employees watching the first flight of the 787 Dreamliner on December 15, there was a palpable sense of relief and joy when test pilots Mike Car

For Boeing employees watching the first flight of the 787 Dreamliner on December 15, there was a palpable sense of relief and joy when test pilots Mike Carriker and Randy Neville lifted 787 ZA001 off the wet runway at Paine Field in Everett, Washington. ZA002, in livery of launch customer All Nippon Airways, made its first flight about a week later, on December 22.

Since ZA002’s first flight, the two flight test airplanes have logged dozens of hours, foreshadowing an ambitious and busy test schedule that has a goal of certification and initial deliveries at the end of this year. According to Boeing, six flight test airplanes will all be flying by June, and 34 test pilots will be involved in the test and certification program.

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