Oft-delayed Dreamliner Passes Major Milestone

Bedeviled by logistical and labor problems that have caused a series of delays, Boeing’s vaunted 787 “Dreamliner” has just passed a major test, one all new aircraft have to before they’re certified to fly.

The company has completed destructive testing on a full-scale wing box of the long-range, twin-engine widebody. The wing box is the critical element of the airframe – a cantilevered beam that carries the wing to the fuselage. It also supports leading- and trailing-edge wing devices, such as slats and flaps as well as engines and landing gear. To say the structure is critical understates the case. It’s got to hold together.

To meet certification requirements, wings have to withstand loads up to 1.5 times (150 percent) of the highest aerodynamic load an aircraft could be expected to encounter. That’s where the destructive testing comes in. Boeing tests the wing box, until it fails.

What’s special about this wing box is that it’s fashioned totally from composites. Traditionally, airliner wing boxes have been metal. Composites save weight, and thus fuel.

Boeing says structural testing will continue on a pair of full-scale 787 airframes as part of the certification process.

Meantime, airlines continue to await the arrival of the cutting-edge, high-tech airliner. That waiting has gone on for quite a while.

© Cheapflights Ltd Jerry Chandler