Boeing completes modifications on first 787

Boeing yesterday said it completed the side-of-body reinforcements on the first 787 Wednesday, installing new fittings at 34 stringer locations within the joint where the wing meets the fuselage, and that first flight remains on track before January.

Fixes on the static test airframe and the second flight-test aircraft are scheduled to be finished "in the coming days," it said. "Completing this work is a significant step toward first flight. We continue to be pleased with the progress of the team and remain confident the first flight of the 787 Dreamliner will occur before the end of the year," 787 Program VP and GM Scott Fancher said. "We will test the modification on the full-scale static test airframe later this month. As soon as we confirm the loads are being handled appropriately in the joint, we will complete preflight activities on the airplane."

When the static test airframe is finished, it will be refitted with strain gauges and instruments required for testing. Access doors, systems, seals and fasteners removed from aircraft No. 1 to provide access are being restored in preparation for continued testing, Boeing said. The manufacturer said it continues to install fittings on the fatigue test airframe and remaining flight-test planes and that more aircraft will be modified "in the weeks ahead."

Fancher said that "with the exception of a single high-speed taxi test, all remaining flight-test activities have been successfully completed on the first flight-test airplane."