You can watch live as Boeing’s 787 takes to the air Tuesday morning
Depending on weather conditions, the 787 will take off from Paine Field at 10 a.m. Pacific Standard Time. For those not near Paine Field or do not want to brave the weather, Boeing will begin a live webcast 24 hours before first flight on its website.
Boeing is allowing employees to come out and watch the jet take off from Everett’s Paine Field or land at Seattle’s Boeing Field, said Yvonne Leach, spokeswoman for the 787 program. Employees also can watch the webcast.
Besides the webcast, the public has a few options for watching the 787 take off at Paine Field, which will likely see a flood of aviation enthusiasts.
The Future of Flight Aviation Center and Boeing Tour will close its gallery and deck for a private event for first flight. But the center’s cafe and gift shops will be open to the public. And up to 242 people can watch the 787’s first flight in the center’s theater for at no charge.
Last Saturday, Boeing has already performed high speed and low speed taxies down the runway, including lifting the Dreamliner’s nose off the ground.
“Our pilots told me the airplane performed beautifully,” said Mike Delaney, vice president and chief project engineer for the 787, in a statement. “We’re going through and analyzing the data to ensure we’re ready for first flight. From evaluations we’ve done so far, everything looks good.”
TSA moves to deploy new screening technology
The Transportation Security Administration said it is moving ahead to procure and roll-out next generation screening technology.
Assistant Administrator-Office of Security Technology Robin Kane, speaking Friday at the American Assn. of Airport Executives/Dept. of Homeland Security/TSA Aviation Security Summit in Washington, said that “advanced technology” X-ray machines to be deployed at airports throughout the US for carry-on baggage screening will “start coming off the production line in January.”
ATs, produced by Rapiscan Systems and Smiths Detection, will “provide clear, high-definition X-ray images that improve TSA security officers’ ability to detect potential threat items,” according to TSA.
Republic Airways considering Bombardier jets for Frontier Airlines fleet, says report
Republic Airways Holdings is considering replacing Frontier’s Airbus fleet with Bombardier CSeries planes.
The Gazette newspaper of Montréal reports that Indianapolis-based Republic is eyeing Montréal-based Bombardier’s CSeries 100- to 145-seater jets to possibly meet Denver-based Frontier’s future needs.
The Gazette attributed the report to comments by Republic CFO Hal Cooper at an airline industry conference.
(Photo: Drewski2112/Flickr Creataive Commons)
