Boeing’s new 787 Dreamliner has set new records for an around-the-world flight that began in Seattle and made just one stop, in Bangladesh.
The trip began late morning Tuesday and end just before 5:30 a.m. Thursday.
“Speed and distance capabilities are fundamental to the value the 787 brings to the market,” said Scott Fancher, vice president and general manager of the 787 program. “These records are a great way to demonstrate that this airplane is the game-changer we have promised.”
The records are for an airliner in the mid-sized weight class.
The record-setting flight began Tuesday just after 11 a.m. at Boeing Field when Boeing’s sixth test aircraft in the 787 series, ZA006, took off for an eastbound nonstop trip to Dhaka, Bangladesh.
The flight carried the plane across the United States to Nantucket where it began its Atlantic crossing. After crossing the Atlantic Ocean, the airplane entered European air space at Santiago, Spain, and proceeded down the Mediterranean, across Egypt to Luxor, across the Middle East and over India to Bangladesh.
After a two-hour refueling stop in Dhaka, the Dreamliner began its home leg. On the second segment, the Dreamliner flew over Singapore, the Philippines and Guam before entering U.S. airspace over Honolulu and returning to Seattle.
The plane set the distance record for its class (440,000-550,000 lbs.) with a 12,316-mile flight to Dhaka. The distance record for a mid-sized airliner had previously been held by the Airbus A330 based on a 10,496-mile flight in 2002.
Following an approximately two-hour stop for refueling in Dhaka, the airplane returned to Seattle on a 11,194-mile nonstop flight. The airplane landed back in Seattle at 5:29 a.m. Thursday, setting a new record for speed around the world (eastbound) with a total trip time of 42 hours and 27 minutes. There was no previous around-the-world speed record for this weight class.
The 787 carried six pilots, an observer for the National Aeronautic Association, and operations and other Boeing employees – 13 people in total, said Boeing.
John Gillie: 253-597-8663 john.gillie@thenewstribune.com
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