Boeing 787 tests going well with 4th plane starting tests on Sunday

Boeing says 787 testing going well

MINNEAPOLIS — Boeing is putting its new 787 through an aggressive flight-testing schedule, with the fourth plane set to begin test flights on Sunday.

Boeing says it needs to fly the test planes a total of about 90 hours per week to run through the tests needed to deliver the plane by the end of this year.

Jim Albaugh, who runs Boeing’s commercial airplane division, spoke Tuesday at a conference in New York. He says the testing so far has included more than 100 stalls, some practice with an engine off, and a dive that brought it close to the speed of sound.