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Flight Test 787-8 ZA004 draws self portrait.

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I rarely get to share what I do with the public, but in this case I'm proud to show off. The pattern is my design and it took some fine tuning to make it fit our test requirements. (flightaware.com) More...

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pilotjag
pilotjag 6
Wow that is so cool! I wonder if the 737 MAX will do this as well
whip5209
Ken McIntyre 7
It would be a much smaller trace!
pilotjag
pilotjag 3
True that
Shadowstarz
Shadowstarz 2
They did do one with a MAX few months back. February of this year.
Shadowstarz
Shadowstarz 2
https://www.usatoday.com/story/travel/flights/todayinthesky/2017/02/13/boeing-flies-giant-max-sky-737-test-flight/97866942/
dougraymond
Doug Raymond 6
Couldn't help but notice that the orientation of the plane in respect to the Boeing factories - or is that the only way the wings would fit inside the CONUS? Nice flying @arerecich.
arerecich
arerecich 14
Yes, and yes. I wanted it pointing at Seattle (its home) and big enough to be 18 hours; Michigan-Texas was the widest spot. Just so happens the tip of the tail is right over the Boeing Huntsville site.
lbflight
Burke Files 2
Thank you for sharing.
clementchiang
Beautifully done arerecich !
dougraymond
Doug Raymond 1
Specific to the 787, I had North Charleston SC in mind. It looked to me like you intended to point between the two sites that make the 787, Everett and North Charleston. This must have been one of the best test flights - sure beats flying ovals!
arerecich
arerecich 4
http://www.boeing.com/features/2017/08/787-outlines-the-sky-08-17.page
levyharaivan
I commented above a couple of minutes ago, hopefully you can get to my comment because I am extremely interested in your experience
Dubslow
Dubslow 7
That's actually super cool
Dubslow
Dubslow 3
Also what's the purpose of this testing? Some super duper ETOPS or something?
arerecich
arerecich 4
ETOPS max endurance.
GringoZX
18 hrs is definitely beyond my max endurance to be in an aircraft.
sparkie624
sparkie624 2
It just landed about 30 minutes ago... Guess too much didn't go wrong... I think it is safe to say the A/P and FMS worked perfectly or the crew did one hell of a job hand flying...
bettiem
bettiem 7
Oh Heaven! - to be handed a real live grownup 787 and told "Go play!" - - and presumably being paid to do so. OMG.
arerecich
arerecich 5
It's what we do... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UBdajN4tHKs

joelwiley
joel wiley 1
Don't quit your day job.
Bobqat
Were you behind this flight back in April, I'm guessing to test the barf bags? =}

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DGXi2I_UMAEy8Ap.jpg
sparkie624
sparkie624 6
That is the Best.... Only Boeing would think of doing something like that... I bet it took a while to update that FMS, and would have loved to heard the read back of the Flight Plan!
davidrbarnes
David Barnes 7
Cessna did one a while back: http://flightaware.com/live/flight/N750CX/history/20080307/1757Z/KICT/KICT
GringoZX
And typical Cessna style...keep it simple.
bigkahuna400
bigkahuna400 3
I am wondering why all the long flights around the carribean? Multiple times a day? Pilots get tired of flying around Seattle i guess. Prob needed to make sure Navi could find all the good spots!
whip5209
Ken McIntyre 3
I was wondering that myself. 787's need long proving runs before delivery. Perhaps Willemsted has a favorable situation for Boeing. Landing fees, ATC, Low traffic, etc.
Doobs
Dee Lowry 2
All I can say...is " Brilliant"! IMHO, only Boeing could make that happen! Amazing! Way to go Flight Crew! Precision at its best!
bobhirst
Robert Hirst 2
Just cool.
SmokedChops
SmokedChops 2
Brilliant! Please tell me you routed this covertly so the final pattern was a surprise to the Ex.O. Very well done - perhaps a Salvador Dali line study next?
Gentilo
This is really awesome !!
I'm amazed at the talent of American people in doing things so nice and inspiring. This is what makes your nation so great !!
All my respect and congratulations to the people that planned this flight and the pilots that made it possible.
ToddBaldwin3
ToddBaldwin3 2
Thanks. I needed a good laugh this morning.
kjwilliams96
And only an aviation site like this would be able to display the flight path. Pretty nifty, though.
davehaughey
Dave Haughey 2
That made my day, yesterday, and I was lucky enough to track the last few minutes of the flight. Thank you!
1639847
Cool. Wondering about "Actual: 9,896 mi (Planned: 15,813 mi)"...
joneswf
William Jones 1
That is really nice! Thanks.
redcataviation
Sidney Smith 1
edsullivan29
Ed SULLIVAN 1
So clever! Well done!
rafael63
rafael63 1
Must be nice flying at 43,000 feet
peruzzi
peruzzi 1
This is AWESOME!
maillardet
Wow!

I am so jealous that not only do you get to fly this thing but you get to be creative with it at the same time!

I wonder if someone can calculate the number of flights (could be the same plane more than once) that actually flew anywhere under or over that outline (not counting the outline approach and departure tracks) at some time during the period when it was actually being 'drawn'. Might be a good way to illustrate the intensity of air traffic now in the US!

BTW I am a non-pilot but avid reader of FlightAware and really enjoy the site...
PlainSpeaking
Brent Bahler 1
With a reported range of 8,200 nautical miles, was this 9,896 mile flight refueled or did it barely complete its mission on fumes?
sledogpilot
Duane Mader 1
Amazing no ATC or weather diversions. How did they pull that off? Great job!
pjnetnz
pjnetnz 1
Awesome, that’s a lot of waypoints.
sparkie624
sparkie624 2
I would not have wanted to be the one to file that Flight Plan... A lot of that is GPS coordinates, not way points...
julianjim
jim garrity 1
BEAUTIFUL!
96flstc
96flstc 1
do I hear new app ? Think of what we will see. Maybe an Insitu drone can draw a Dennis Muilenberg portrait over Kansas.
mdislandhopper
Amazing
slim4
slim manai 1
pbraren
Paul Braren 1
Fun responses out there!
https://www.cnet.com/news/boeing-dreamliner-jet-draws-usa-sized-self-portrait-in-the-sky/#ftag=CAD590a51e
boeing 787-10 path
pbraren
Paul Braren 1
https://www.google.com/search?q=boeing+787-10+path&rlz=1CDGOYI_enUS590US591&hl=en-US&prmd=niv&source=lnt&tbs=qdr:w&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwijhNOm2r3VAhVpwYMKHU8vBRkQpwUIHg&biw=414&bih=660&dpr=3
Doobs
Dee Lowry 1
This isn't the first time the Boeing engineers have done this creative move.They outlined the 787-8. The test team got creative flying a route that outlined the 787-8 over 22 states. And her nose was pointing home to Seattle.
The test team has done this before with the 737- MAX. They took her 8 hour test flight and spelled out "MAX" across Washinton and Montana!
carlsonj
James Carlson 1
Welp. Now I know what I need to do for my ADS-B test flight.
mrusa4440
d. thomas 1
That trace on Flightaware is one of the coolest things I have ever seen! Who ever came up with that flight is a genius. Well done Boeing and crew, WELL DONE! I wonder how long it took to load that into the FMC? lol..
JSilva35
JSilva35 1
Excellent idea and taxpayer savings.
jasonfindlay
Jason Findlay 1
This just makes me smile.
pattydma
The questions burning on my mind: was any luggage lost and did they run out of ginger ale?
lbflight
Burke Files 1
I know this is a bit katty - but Airbus can't do that, unless, of course a poly-national committee authorized the event after it was sent to the EU competition counsel and judged productive and non-threatening, however the flight path would have to be so designed such that it covered all EU countries in proportion to their contribution with none in the tail section, unless of course, it was over London as a backhand comment on BreExit, otherwise that might be viewed as derogatory but also possibly oriented to look toward Brussels but not be threatening to Russia la la la la
Ruger9X19
Ruger9X19 1
Looks pretty good. Except the turn on the Tennessee border that messes up the tail cone.
buzburbank
buzburbank 5
You serious, Clark?
joelwiley
joel wiley 1
And a challenge to get the wingtips just right.
levyharaivan
@arerecich this is extremely impressive! Can we get a more detailed blog about the day's event?? How was the experience? How many people were on the plane? How were ATC communications? As a pilot, this is extremely interesting to me, I would love to chat about this if you have some time.
baqwas
Matha Goram 1
Any challenges in getting ATC to cooperate?
alan75035
alan75035 0
Response from Airbus:
http://www.luchtzak.be/manufacturers/airbus/immediately-responded-to-the-boeing-787-dreamliner-sky-art-drawing/
baqwas
Matha Goram -1
Typical Airbus response?
LoralThomas
Loral Thomas 0
Wonder how many times the bus pilots asked "What's it doing now?"
lbbramel
leo bramel 0
Who cares about ETOPS that's super super cool. Boeing is wonderful
axdare
hanks. I needed a good laugh this morning.
lelandscats
Very COOL! Thanks for sharing.
liko2k
Jakub Bialek -5
What a waste of perfectly good fuel...
joelwiley
joel wiley 3
Speaking of wastes....
liko2k
Jakub Bialek -2
wasted resources
joelwiley
joel wiley 4
To my understanding, the flight was a scheduled test to demonstrate the aircraft capabilities. That the flight path was selected as a work of art does not make the effort a 'waste'. My earlier comment was in regard to what I saw as a waste of perfectly good electrons in your first post.
G' day

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