787 First Flight Could be Delayed Until 2010

[Matt Molnar]

Boeing Gives 787 a New Livery, But First Flight Could be Delayed Until 2010
The 787 may not fly this year, according to a report in Wednesday’s Seattle Post-Intelligencer. Problems with the area where the wing meets the fuselage, which caused the previous first flight delay in June, are much more complex than originally thought.

“It’s got to take at least three to four months just to get something installed on an airplane,” said a structures engineer who has been briefed on the issue. “It’s definitely a costly fix to go and do this work.”

Apparently the fix will require “a thorough redesign of the plane’s wing-to-body join, and the necessary parts will be very difficult to install on the test airplanes that have already been built.” Ouch. The timing of the report could be especially painful for Boeing shareholders depending on the results of the firm’s quarterly earnings report, which will also be released today.

Yesterday, Boeing revealed a new paint scheme for the remaining unpainted test aircraft...

[T-Bird76]

Ugly colors...but I guess since they can't fly it they decided to paint it.

[PhilDernerJr]

Is that really going to be the scheme that it flies in? Horrible.

[jerslice]

Is that really going to be the scheme that it flies in?

That's assuming it flies and doesn't instead become the new gatekeeper for the parking lot :-D