BOEING 787 FLIGHT-TEST PROGRAMME PROGRESSING

KUALA LUMPUR, April 21 (Bernama)-- The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration
(FAA) granted Boeing an expanded type inspection authorisation (TIA) Wednesday,
clearing the way for its personnel to fully participate in future test flights
and for the collection of required flight-test data.

An initial TIA was granted Feb 11, which supported the collection of flutter
certification data, said the company in a statement here Wednesday.

The expanded TIA marks the FAA’s confirmation that the airplane and team are
ready to collect additional certification data.

Boeing achieved the expansion by demonstrating the readiness of the airplane
throughout a variety of speeds, altitudes and configurations.

The company also said the TIA expansion was another significant step towards
delivering airplanes to its customers.

"We remain on track to deliver the first airplane to ANA this year," said
Vice President and General Manager of the 787 programme, Commercial
Airplanes,Scott Fancher.

In addition to receiving an expanded TIA, Boeing also finalised the
aerodynamic configuration of the 787.

"We have completed sufficient testing to decide that no additional changes
to the external lines or shape of the airplane are required," said Fancher.

He added that having an airplane match its expected performance with so few
changes is rare and speaks of the maturity of design.

The 787 flight-test fleet logged its 500th hour of flying on April 16.

Last Sunday, the ZA003, the flight-test airplane outfitted with interior
elements, landed in Florida, where it would undergo extreme weather testing at
the McKinley Climatic Laboratory at Eglin Air Force Base.

Boeing released two videos highlighting flutter and ground effects testing.

These videos feature commentary by the pilots and the chief project engineer
and are available on www.boeing.com and www.newairplane.com.

During this testing, the airplane will be subjected to extreme heat and
cold, replicating environments in which the airplane must perform.

--BERNAMA




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