Boeing 787 Dreamliner - Mark Wagner [100]
By late August, encouraged by the progress on the reinforcement, Boeing finally had the confidence to officially announce that first flight would happen by the end of 2009 and that first delivery was expected to occur in the fourth quarter of 2010. The new schedule included the addition of several weeks of schedule margin to reduce flight-test and certification risk. This more realistic acknowledgement of the task ahead was surprisingly well received by the nervous investment community.
Landing with its distinct, birdlike wing dihedral, ZA001 is pictured seconds from touchdown at Boeing Field, as Mount Ranier looms large in the distance. On May 12, 2010, just days before this image was taken, the 787 had been flown by ANA pilots Captains Masami Tsukamoto and Masayuki Ishii. The event, which was described as “amazing” by both, marked the first time non-Boeing pilots had flown the aircraft. Mark Wagner
At the same time, Boeing injected confidence back into the market by confirming that it aimed to hit a production rate of 10 787s per month by late 2013. However, it also had to admit that “the initial flight-test airplanes have no commercial market value beyond the development effort due to the inordinate amount of rework and unique and extensive modifications made to those aircraft.” The move, which applied to ZA001, 002, and 003, cost the company $2.5 billion, but avoided longer-term and expensive attempts at refurbishment.
While feverish triage on the 787 occupied the Everett workforce, Boeing was busy plotting the next move in its long-term production strategy. After almost four months of rumor and counterrumor, in late October 2009, it officially confirmed North Charleston, South Carolina, as the location for a second 787 final assembly site. In addition to serving as a location for final assembly of 787s, the facility would also have the capability to support testing and delivery. As well as expanding production capability to meet what Boeing saw as essentially undiminished market demand, the “decision allows us to continue building on the synergies we have established in South Carolina with Boeing Charleston and Global Aeronautica,” company president Jim Albaugh said.
Coming on the heels of the relatively recent, debilitating strike at Everett, the bold move was greeted with dismay by workers in Seattle and by delight amongst supporters in South Carolina, who had lobbied intensely to house heritage Boeing’s first-ever commercial-jetliner production line outside of Washington State. To reassure the concerned union members in Seattle that Charleston was not the thin end of the wedge, Albaugh added that “while we welcome the development of this expanded capability at Boeing Charleston, the Puget Sound region is the headquarters of Boeing Commercial Airplanes. Everett will continue to design and produce airplanes, including the 787, and there is tremendous opportunity for our current and future products here.” Albaugh also emphasized, “We remain committed to Puget Sound.”
In early February 2010, the fatigue airframe, ZY998, was trundled around to the purpose-made structural test rig in the northwest corner of the sprawling site. The test was “instrumental in confirming the longevity of the airplane,” said Scott Fancher. Unlike the static tests on ZY997, where loads were applied to the structure to simulate normal operation and extreme flight conditions, fatigue testing was a much longer process and simulated up to three times the number of flight cycles the 787 was likely to experience during a lifetime of service. Mark Wagner
Boeing moved quickly to develop the new site, which was initially aimed at 787-8s, but had