Boeing 787 Dreamliner completes its first flight
Boeing's new 787 Dreamliner passenger aircraft has successfully
completed its first test flight in the US, the BBC reported.
The three-hour flight started from Everett, north of Seattle, and the plane landed at Boeing Field, just south of Seattle.
The 787 project had been delayed by two-and-a-half years following a series of hitches, including design problems.
Boeing has pegged its hopes to the Dreamliner, which promises to be one of the world's most fuel-efficient planes.
The two test pilots carried out a number of basic system checks, including testing the landing gear and flaps.
"The airplane responded just as we expected," said Randy Neville, one of the pilots. "It was a joy to fly."
The take off and landing was watched by several hundred Boeing employees, industry guests and aircraft enthusiasts.
The Dreamliner, which is powered by Rolls-Royce engines designed in the UK, will now go into nine months of continuous testing, with six planes flying around the clock.
Its popularity is partly thanks to its lightweight design. Made of carbon and titanium, it should reduce fuel consumption as well as save on maintenance costs.
The design aims to make the plane nimble and able to fly long distances without refuelling.
Analysts say the company has invested more than $10bn in the project, and will have to give some sort of compensation to customers for late planes.
How late the planes are, and how they will perform, will not be known until all the flight tests are completed.
The Dreamliner has attracted some 840 orders from all over the globe, although some have been cancelled because of the delays.
Boeing has said it hopes to deliver the first plane by the end of 2010 to Japan's All Nippon Airlines.
Azerbaijan is among countries using Boeing 787 aircraft. According to the State Civil Aviation Administration, the country has ordered two such planes for the first time in CIS and they are expected to be delivered in 2014. The planes will be used for direct long-distance flights to the United States, European and southeast Asian countries.*
The three-hour flight started from Everett, north of Seattle, and the plane landed at Boeing Field, just south of Seattle.
The 787 project had been delayed by two-and-a-half years following a series of hitches, including design problems.
Boeing has pegged its hopes to the Dreamliner, which promises to be one of the world's most fuel-efficient planes.
The two test pilots carried out a number of basic system checks, including testing the landing gear and flaps.
"The airplane responded just as we expected," said Randy Neville, one of the pilots. "It was a joy to fly."
The take off and landing was watched by several hundred Boeing employees, industry guests and aircraft enthusiasts.
The Dreamliner, which is powered by Rolls-Royce engines designed in the UK, will now go into nine months of continuous testing, with six planes flying around the clock.
Its popularity is partly thanks to its lightweight design. Made of carbon and titanium, it should reduce fuel consumption as well as save on maintenance costs.
The design aims to make the plane nimble and able to fly long distances without refuelling.
Analysts say the company has invested more than $10bn in the project, and will have to give some sort of compensation to customers for late planes.
How late the planes are, and how they will perform, will not be known until all the flight tests are completed.
The Dreamliner has attracted some 840 orders from all over the globe, although some have been cancelled because of the delays.
Boeing has said it hopes to deliver the first plane by the end of 2010 to Japan's All Nippon Airlines.
Azerbaijan is among countries using Boeing 787 aircraft. According to the State Civil Aviation Administration, the country has ordered two such planes for the first time in CIS and they are expected to be delivered in 2014. The planes will be used for direct long-distance flights to the United States, European and southeast Asian countries.*
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