The video of the destructive testing of the Dreamliner wing has been posted by Boeing.
While the failure load isn’t shown the commentary says it had reached the certification target of 150% of maximum aerodynamic load before it broke at the place in the structure predicted by the designers.
In New Zealand where Air NZ was one of the first airlines to order the 787 Boeing has repudiated earlier claims that it made that the jet could open new non-stop routes to Asia from Wellington, which has a short and often challenging runway.
This short item by Roeland van den Bergh in the Dominion Post on Monday seems to signal more candor is coming from Boeing about what the Dreamliner can, and cannot, do for the airlines.
Boeing and Wellington Airport at odds
Wellington Airport is misrepresenting the ability of the Boeing 787 to fly direct to Asia from the city, despite new information showing it is not economically possible, the aircraft maker says.
The airport company believes the new technology 787 will be the first big jet capable of flying beyond Australia from its short runway, because of its more powerful and fuel-efficient engines.
But Boeing regional president Craig Saddler said the up to 280-seat 787-9, which Air New Zealand has ordered, could not reach Asia with a profitable load of passengers.
Air New Zealand has eight of the next-generation jets on order, and expects to start taking delivery of them from early 2012.
“Wellington International Airport misrepresents the Boeing view on 787 operations from Wellington,” Mr Saddler said.
“The 787-9 will not reach Asia with an economic payload from the existing runway.”
The smaller 787-8 which Qantas budget offshoot Jetstar has bought would also be load-restricted for a Wellington to Asia route.
The airport was provided with new technical information last month to “clearly illustrate this point”, Mr Saddler said.
He confirmed Air New Zealand’s analysis that the 1936-metre long runway would need to be extended by 400 metres for Asian 787 routes.
Wellington Airport chief executive Steven Fitzgerald said Boeing’s most recent analysis was based only on Air New Zealand’s technical requirements, which the airport’s experts “consider overly conservative”.
Boeing had previously advised that both 787 models would be capable of operating profitably from Wellington.
Wellington Airport’s research showed there was sufficient demand to sustain a daily direct service to Asia.
7 Comments
Ben,
There seems more to this than immediately meets the eye and, from my perspective, is unprecedented. Clearly NZ and JQ are unhappy with WLG/Infratil airport charges. But noting that Boeing 747SP and Boeing 767-200ER aircraft have operated long haul from WLG, presumably profitably, the newly-developed NZ/Boeing view could be seen as a canard – a mixed aeronautical metaphor? Boeing previously supplied technical data to WLG based on typical industry mission rules. Now they have appear revisited the analysis in concert with NZ, based upon very onerous mission rules that constitute a “perfect storm” of mission rule conditions that are statistically highly unlikely in revenue service.
Or could it be severe MEW to OEW creep, say 20,500 lbs?
Scott,
I think the lack of current performance quotes for the 787s indicates a reality check on what the design will achieve for Air NZ. Boeing sources have also mentioned that the first jets will be overweight. And Wellington is a tough airport, to the extent that some 737 services to Australia are also payload limited to a small degree flying west.
However the commercial side of the story you mentioned may well be influencing Air NZ’s stance given its keeness to concentrate on hubbing traffic over Auckland rather than Wellington.
I recall the 747SP and earlier DC-8 services out of Wellington with awe. The DC-8s would do an engine run up facing in the opposite direction then release just enough brake to do a fairly lively U-turn to give them a running start while those of us who had glimpsed the other end of the then even shorter runway of those days did everything but flap our arms in encouragement for what must have been the hottest take off the type ever did in commercial service.
PS Scotia Clipper. Pardon my fading eyesight in misreading you as Scott.
Ben,
You may call me anything you like, just not late for dinner as my sainted father would say.
As you rightly say, WLG is challenging and the DC-8 has had its moments there, including a dramatic 1975 incident both for television viewers in the Newlands NDB beacon surrounds and in the cockpit? (first EFIS) – http://poneke.wordpress.com/2008/06/10/newlands/
Nevertheless, times have moved on and the 787 will be quite capable of a safe harbour circuit under RNP procedures should an engine fail after takeoff on the more challenging runway 34, thus allowing higher MTOW, more bums on seats and, I would have thought, economic returns.
Something, methinks, is rotten in the state of Denmark… back to my cage.
I think it was John Spiers as aviation writer for The Australian in the early 80s who flew in a jump seat beside astronaut Pete Conrads during a strong cross wind approach in the Qantas 747SP. ‘You’re gonna land on THAT’ Conrads said. On landing they couldn’t open the doors for some time because the winds were too strong.
And WLG made it easier for QF SP drivers by painting additional triangular touchdown zone limit markers as “Go-around points”. They remain as mute witness to a bygone era!
Methinks ANZ will not be the only ones howling when updated payload/range/economic performance statistics and delivery schedules begin to emerge from the big tent and are compared to some of the earlier marketing materials and guarantees.