BOEING 787 DREAMLINER MOVES TO FLIGHT LINE TESTING

KUALA LUMPUR, May 4 (Bernama) -- The Boeing 787 Dreamliner that will fly
later this quarter has moved to the flight line.

Fuel testing - the first in the next phase of extensive checks the airplane
must undergo - will begin in the next few days.

"We are making great progress, and moving ever-closer to first flight,"
Scott Fancher, vice president and general manager of the 787 Dreamliner program,
said in a statement from Everett Sunday.

In recent weeks, Fancher said, the 787 (designated ZA001) completed a
rigorous series of tests including build verification tests, structures and
systems integration tests, landing gear swings and factory gauntlet, which is
the full simulation of the first flight using the actual airplane.

He said with Chief Pilot Mike Carriker at the controls, the simulation
tested all flight controls, hardware and software.

The simulation also included manual and automatic landings and an extensive
suite of subsequent ground tests.

"These results give us confidence in our ability to move into further
gauntlet testing using either ground power or the airplane's engines or
auxiliary power unit. This is a significant milestone on the path to first
flight," Fancher said.

All structural tests required on the static airframe prior to first flight
also are complete.

The final test occurred April 21 when the wing and trailing edges were
subjected to their limit load - the highest loads expected to be seen in
service.

The load is about the same as the airplane experiencing 2.5 times the force
of gravity.

"We continue to analyze the data, but the initial results are positive,"
Fancher said.

Ground vibration testing, which measures the airplane's response to flutter,
also concluded on the second flight-test airplane, designated ZA002, at the end
of this week.

All the necessary structural tests required prior to first flight now are
complete.

Now on the flight line, ZA001 will undergo additional airplane power and
systems tests as well as engine runs.

After completing final systems checks and high-speed taxi tests, the
airplane will be ready for first flight, which is on schedule for later this
quarter.

The 787 Dreamliner has orders for 886 airplanes from 57 customers.

-- BERNAMA