The 2nd Boeing 787 Dreamliner, ZA002, completed its 1st flight yesterday. The all-new airplane, which features the livery of the Dreamliner's launch customer, ANA of Japan, took off from Paine Field in Everett, completed a 2 hour flight and landed at Boeing Field in Seattle. The Pilots took the 787 to an altitude of 13000 feet and an airspeed of 200 knots, or about 230mph. The Seattle Times reports that a ham radio operator monitoring the frequency used for the flight overheard that the T-33 chase planes noticed the nose gear "was tilted to the aft by 15 degrees." The Captain broke off the 1st approach, and the problem was dealt with before landing. The aircraft landed with the gear door hanging down, which could be an indication that the landing gear was manually extended. A Boeing spokeswoman said the problem was analyzed by ground-based flight test engineers and it was resolved while the plane was in the air. "We fixed it and it landed safely," said the spokeswoman. "At no time during this flight was the aircraft or the pilots in danger." This is the 2nd of 6 787s being used in the airplane's flight-test program. Each of the aircraft will be used for a specific set of tests, with this 787 focusing on systems performance. Like its predecessor, ZA001, the aircraft is powered by 2 Rolls-Royce Trent 1000 engines.
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