L/N 6 C/N 40695 B787-8 N787ZA BOEING
Dep BFI 11:02 PST ETA DAC 19:12 BDT
Call Sign BOE006 Hex Code AAACC7
Photo Credit: Drewski (Taken at BFI prior to a test flight)
http://www.flickr.com/photos/smartjunco/5091294161/sizes/l/in/photostream/
The Dreamliner known as ZA 006 took off from Boeing Field Tuesday
morning for a non-stop flight to Dhaka, Bangladesh, just over 10,000
nautical miles from Seattle.
The flight path will pass over New York City, past Cairo, Egypt, and onto
Dhaka, where it will touch down nearly 21 hours later.
After what pilots say will be a brief "pit stop" to refuel, the Dreamliner
will take off again to complete it's around-the-world test flight,
returning to Boeing Field by Thursday.
During the test flight, Boeing hopes to break the 787's weight class
records for unrefueled distance and speed around the Earth.
"This is not a difficult task for this airplane," said Mike Sinnett, Vice President and Project Engineer for the 787 program. "It's the most fuel efficient airplane in its class, almost 20 percent more fuel efficient than anything in its size."
The record is currently held by Airbus, set in 2002 when an A-330 flew just over 9,100 nautical miles without refueling.
Boeing calls this flight an "endurance run" to test the Dreamliner's capabilities and push all it's technologies to the limit.
The test flight will also showcase the Dreamliner's abilities on international flights and demonstrate a real-world scenario to both airlines and passengers.
"Flying around the world with one stop really validates what we set out to do," said Sinnett.
Teams of technicians will go along on the flight to meticulously watch the 787's performance. Another Boeing team will meet the jet on the ground in Bangladesh. Each person had to be weighed along with their baggage prior to stepping on the plane.
Following the test flight, ZA 006 will be an instruction tool for pilots in training. It will then be refurbished and resold to an airline.
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