Dreamliner World Record Attempt

[Grahame Hutchison]

From Puget Sound ...

N787ZA B787-83Q Boeing Flown to Dhaka for world record attempt

L/N 6 C/N 40695 B787-3Q 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/smartju...n/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.

[Brenden S]

Was the A330 the Qantas A332 that did TLS-SYD direct?

[Michael Cleary]

TLS-SYD is 9290 nm, so that's probably the one they refer to.

LHR-SYD (the VH-OJA flight) is 9188 nm.

Wasn't there an A340 flight from either TLS or CDG to AKL (just over 10000 nm) that claimed the record a few years after the OJA one?

Interestingly, the Great Circle route from BFI to DAC is 'only' 6182 nm, and that takes you over Alaska, Siberia, China. Routing via (overhead) JFK and CAI pushes it just over 10000 nm. I wonder what the return route would be?

Then of course there is the often contentious issue of what constitutes 'Around the World' - this attempt is entirely in the Northern Hemisphere, though Dhaka is reasonably close (about 1500 nm) to the Equator and almost on the Tropic of Cancer.

[Andrew P]

isnt for sailing around the world means crossing the equator at least once

[Todd Hendry]

It was EBB and it flew TLS-MEL without the trim tank having any fuel in it. So missing 5000kgs of fuel.
Todd

[Brenden S]

Thanks Todd.

[Radi K]

Looks like it did it. http://flightaware.com/live/flight/BOE6

[Dave Powell]

Originally Posted by Michael Cleary

TLS-SYD is 9290 nm, so that's probably the one they refer to.

LHR-SYD (the VH-OJA flight) is 9188 nm.

Wasn't there an A340 flight from either TLS or CDG to AKL (just over 10000 nm) that claimed the record a few years after the OJA one?

Interestingly, the Great Circle route from BFI to DAC is 'only' 6182 nm, and that takes you over Alaska, Siberia, China. Routing via (overhead) JFK and CAI pushes it just over 10000 nm. I wonder what the return route would be?

Then of course there is the often contentious issue of what constitutes 'Around the World' - this attempt is entirely in the Northern Hemisphere, though Dhaka is reasonably close (about 1500 nm) to the Equator and almost on the Tropic of Cancer.

I don't dispute your data Michael - but can anyone xplain how London is Closer to Sydney than Toulouse??? is it to do with routing?thanks

Dave

[Michael Mak]

http://www.gcmap.com/mapui?P=SYD-LHR...S&MS=wls&DU=nm

Great circle distance.

[Grahame Hutchison]

Records achieved ....

from Boeing

EVERETT, Wash., Dec. 8, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Boeing (NYSE: BA) has established two world records with the 787 Dreamliner, setting new marks for both speed and distance for the airplane's weight class.
"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 Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner is the first airplane to provide both long distance capabilities with mid-size capacity (210-250 passengers in a three-class seating), allowing airlines to open new, non-stop routes preferred by the traveling public. The airplane is 20 percent more fuel efficient than similarly sized airplanes.
The sixth 787, ZA006, powered by General Electric GEnx engines, departed from Boeing Field in Seattle at 11:02 a.m. on Dec. 6 and set the distance record for its class (440,000-550,000 lbs.) with a 10,710 nmi (19,835 km) flight to Dhaka, Bangladesh, with credit for 10,337 nmi (19,144 km). This record had previously been held by the Airbus A330 based on a 9,127 nmi (16,903 km) flight in 2002.
Following an approximately two-hour stop for refueling in Dhaka, the airplane returned to Seattle on a 9,734 nmi (18,027 km) flight. The airplane landed at 5:29 a.m. on Dec. 8, 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 (NAA), and operations and other Boeing employees – 13 people in total.
Flight routing on the first segment of the journey took the airplane from Seattle across the U.S. to Nantucket. 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. On the second segment, the Dreamliner flew over Singapore, the Philippines and Guam before entering U.S. airspace over Honolulu and returning to Seattle.
Boeing holds world records for longest distance flights in five weight classes with records set by the KC-135, 767-200ER (extended range), 777-200 and 777-200LR (longer range). The 777-200 also holds the speed record for its weight class.