Boeing 787 Dreamliner - Mark Wagner [74]
Finally the first LCF, soon to be officially dubbed Dreamlifter in place of a host of more colorful unofficial nicknames, was ready for its first flight. On September 9, 2006, the Dreamlifter launched off the runway in Taiwan for its two-hour, four-minute maiden flight, with Boeing test pilots Joe MacDonald and Randy Wyatt at the controls. Using the Boeing test call sign RT876, the crew first flew the curious-looking Dreamlifter north, and then 150 nautical miles south along the eastern side of the island before heading north again. The modified aircraft handled well according to the crew, and MacDonald commented that “quite often during the flight, it was easy to forget you were in an LCF rather than a regular 747-400.”
Boeing, which successfully ferried the first LCF to Seattle on September 16, went into the test effort confidently expecting to devote about 250 hours to flight tests and a similar amount to ground tests, most of which were to be concentrated on loading/unloading, maneuvering, and interaction with the ground vehicles. The reality, as it turned out, was very different, and instead of getting a supplementary type certificate as expected by year-end, it was not to be until June 2, 2007, that U.S. FAA approval was granted.
Like virtually everything else concerned with the 787 development, even the development of the cargo loaders broke new ground. Designed and built by Canadian company TLD of Sherbrooke, Quebec, the world’s longest cargo loaders were 118 feet 1 inch long and 27 feet 6 inches wide, and could carry up to 150,000 pounds or 68 tons. Driving on 32 tires attached to 16 steerable axles, the loader had a maximum speed of 10 mph.
Early on in the flight tests, the team encountered vibration issues that delayed the start of crucial flutter tests and that ultimately led to the removal of the standard 747-400 winglets. With other issues creeping up on it, Boeing reshuffled its flight test and certification plan, and worked with the FAA to allow it to begin using the first aircraft, LCF1, to start delivering parts as part of the certification effort. The arrangement, which Boeing said “allowed the FAA to validate the overall delivery process and tools,” enabled the manufacturer to complete initial deliveries of subassemblies to Everett for the first 787, ZA001, as well as the subsequent static test airframe, ZY997 (see chapter 8).
Eventually the Dreamlifter, which was not certified to carry passengers beyond essential crew, was cleared for operations after completing 437 flight-test hours and 639 hours of ground testing.
Given the role of the Dreamlifter and its pivotal role in the 787, Boeing had to have absolute faith in its newest transport and the host of “unique” ground vehicles that went with it. These included a special vehicle to swing open the tail as well as support it, and the TLD-built cargo loader. Measuring 118 feet in length, the Canadian-built loaders were dispatched to all the key sites in the United States, Japan, and Italy, where all were tested as part of the Dreamlifter certification effort.
With certification achieved, operation of the Dreamlifter fleet was soon assumed by Evergreen International Airlines, with LCF2 the first to be heard using the telltale Evergreen call sign, on July 17, 2007 during a training flight. It seemed that this ungainly behemoth, which Mike Bair once described as the type of aircraft “only a mother would love,” was about to begin earning its keep as a massive cog in the 787 production wheel.
Day-to-day operation of the Dreamlifter