One final set of testing down—one to go. The 787 team is celebrating another major accomplishment. This past Sunday during the flight of ZA102 (the ninth 787 to be built), the program completed its extended operations (ETOPS) flight demonstrations. Just last week, that same airplane flew the longest 787 flight to date at just over 18 hours. This wraps up the planned ETOPS testing required before first delivery to ANA later this quarter.
ETOPS testing on ZA102 wrapped up Sunday. Photo by Leo Dejillas.
Following a minor software modification next year, the Dreamliner will be qualified for 330 minutes of ETOPS capability—meaning it can fly five and a half hours away from an alternate airport.
Now that our planned ETOPS testing is in the books, the team will spend the next few weeks finishing Function & Reliability (F&R) demonstrations that lead up to initial Type Certification of the 787 with Rolls-Royce Trent 1000 engines. The final step will be to submit our paperwork to the FAA. Congratulations to the team!
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