Boeing expected to fly its third 787-10 prototype just around the time of this year’s Paris Air Show, completing a series of first flights that started in March with Rolls-Royce Trent 1000-powered ZC001 taking off from the company’s factory grounds in North Charleston, South Carolina. Speaking with reporters just ahead of the show, Boeing 787-10 chief program engineer Wayne Tygert called the first example—on display here at the show—one of the company’s leading airplanes in terms of quality, translating into “very little if any [traveled work]," and no “squawks” during any of the early flight test missions.  

Tygert reported that Boeing finished flutter testing on ZC001 on May 31, and that the company planned to start autoland testing on the second airplane—the GEnx-1B-powered ZC036—during the first days of June. Apart from autoland and flutter, ZC001 tests stability and control, avionics, propulsion and the primary flight control system (PFCS). Along with stability and control and flutter, GEnx-1B-powered ZC036 tests performance and aircraft maintenance manual (AMM) validation.

The third airplane—another Rolls-powered example, designated ZC002—will test performance and systems, such as the environmental control system (ECS), as well as performance and the AMM. Now having completed low-speed flight control system testing, Boeing has already progressed through 20 percent of the program, putting it on schedule for what Tygert called the bulk of the testing by the end of the year.

“So far we are essentially seeing what we expected,” he said. “Our goal was to have the most boring flight test program we’ve ever seen, and so far we’re marching down that path.”

As much as the smooth introduction of the 787-9 contrasted with the tortured path from launch of the 787-8 to revenue service, the 787-10 appears well on its way to mirroring the success of the -9. The fact that the 787-10 uses about 95 percent of the same parts used in the 787-9 should help matters, as will the evolution of a production system 787 business operations director Bob Manelski characterized as practically transformed over the past six years.

“The thing that we have now that we didn’t have even a year ago is, in a simple word, clarity,” said Manelski. “If you were here in the early days—2010, 2011...frankly [it was] not a very organized way to run a business.” 

Manelski described a much better orchestrated work flow, in which parts and systems sit aligned in the order they go in the airplane before assembly. “There’s no misunderstanding of what is the work for the day,” he said. “So when I say we have that clarity and we can see the work, everyone who comes into work on a given day can see and know what success looks like.”

While that success translates into both program-execution and cost reduction, Manelski conceded that the lack of parts commonality between the first Dreamliner model and the 787-9 means that when a -8 rolls down the line, workers notice a distinct difference. “The flow is the same, but what we see more often now is when an -8 comes through, it’s noticeable,” he said. “The -8 is harder to build now because we have such a common -9 and a -10...and we’re not delivering as many -8s. The -8 becomes more of an anomaly.”

The commonality between the 787-9 and -10 will, of course, also benefit operators, who, Manelski expects, will want still more of the largest Dreamliner as they continue to open new markets with the airplanes.

Apart from its 18-foot stretch, the only visually obvious difference between the -9 and -10 lies in its semi-levered main landing gear, leaving minimal structural reinforcements in the wing and some systems modifications to account for the bigger cabin as the primary changes under the skin. Boeing arrived at the total 18-foot stretch by inserting five frames in front of the wing and four frames aft of the wing, allowing for the addition of 40 passenger seats and a total capacity of 330 in a two-class layout. Other, less obvious changes include systems revisions to account for the extra fuselage length, a strengthened wing, fuselage and tail, an increase in the capability of the ECS and enough extra cargo space for one more pallet or two extra LD-3 containers in both the forward and aft holds.     

While maximum landing weight increases by 20,000 pounds to 445,000 pounds and maximum zero fuel weight jumps 25,000 pounds to 425,000 pounds, maximum takeoff weight remains unchanged at 560,000 pounds.

Notwitstanding the minimal number of modifications, engineers remained mindful of ensuring what changes they did make did not affect how the airplane operates in revenue service, explained Tygert. So they spent a lot of time validating maintenance manuals and preparing to operate the airplanes in flight test much like an airline would in revenue service, he added.  

Expected to fly with Singapore Airlines during the first half of next year, Boeing has collected firm orders firm orders for 149 copies of the 787-10 from seven airlines and two leasing companies.