Boeing Co. (BA) began the first in a series of 787 Dreamliner
test flights Monday, preparing for regulators to evaluate changes
to its lithium-ion battery system and marking another step in the
plane maker's effort to return the jet to commercial service.
The company flew what it dubbed a "functional check flight" on a
production model 787 Dreamliner, painted in the colors of LOT
Polish Airlines SA. Monday's flight at the company's Everett,
Wash., factory was designed to check the systems of the jet, which
hasn't flown since taking to the air for the first time on Jan. 13.
The entire 787 fleet was ordered grounded by the regulators around
the world on Jan. 16 after the lithium-ion batteries burned on two
Japanese 787s earlier that month.
Following Monday's roughly two-hour flight, with six crew
aboard, Boeing was to evaluate the performance of the aircraft's
systems and move to perform ground tests for certification.
"The crew reports that the flight went according to plan," said
Boeing spokesman Marc Birtel.
The LOT airplane is slated to fly next on a single demonstration
test flight "in the coming days" for certification testing with the
Federal Aviation Administration, said Mr. Birtel. FAA personnel are
expected to participate in the airborne certification trial.
The flight is the first for a Dreamliner since Feb. 11, when
Boeing conducted a pair of flight tests to gather temperature and
operating data for the jet's original battery design.
The company has been conducting a series of ground and
laboratory tests on the 787's new battery design, which includes
increased spacing between the eight lithium-ion cells, a new
stainless-steel containment casing, an updated battery charger and
a venting system for any smoke or fumes, should a failure
occur.
One critical ground test, which will be undertaken on one of
Boeing's original 787 test aircraft, will see the battery pushed to
destruction to verify the new containment and venting systems work
as designed, said two people familiar with the tests.
Once Boeing receives final approval from the FAA and other
global regulators, the company plans to deploy the modifications to
the fifty 787 jets in operators' hands in "roughly the same order
as deliveries," said Mr. Birtel, putting Japanese carriers All
Nippon Airways Co. (9292.TO, ALNPY) and Japan Airlines Co.
(9201.TO) at the front of the line of the eight current
operators.
Write to Jon Ostrower at jon.ostrower@wsj.com
Subscribe to WSJ: http://online.wsj.com?mod=djnwires
