B787 New Zealand/Australia Tour

[schmusimausi73]

I'm jealous. Great pics

[Sir Gallivant]

I like how Boeing have made it much easier to control the aircraft for the uninitiated, one simple lever to make the plane go up, and I guess it is in the down position because it is already on the ground.

[Gabriel]

The horizontal stabilizer looks misplaced, smaller and farther aft than some.

With stabilizers (both horizontal and vertical), smaller and farther aft go hand in hand. With a longer arm you need a smaller surface.

[Gabriel]

By trailing cone, do you mean the cone shaped assembly at the very end of the fuselage, or that weird plumb line hanging down from the rudder?

The last. It's a precision static pressure probe used for instrument calibration. I didn't expect seing it in this late stage of the developement and certification. The "for RVSM certification" theory is a good one, if the plane is not already certified for it (case in which it must be a pain in the ass for ANA to operate it in non-RVSM conditions)

[GlennAB1]

I like how Boeing have made it much easier to control the aircraft for the uninitiated, one simple lever to make the plane go up, and I guess it is in the down position because it is already on the ground.

LOL.... that really increases the "what's it doing?' factor!!!

[GlennAB1]

By trailing cone, do you mean the cone shaped assembly at the very end of the fuselage, or that weird plumb line hanging down from the rudder?

The last. It's a precision static pressure probe used for instrument calibration. I didn't expect seing it in this late stage of the developement and certification. The "for RVSM certification" theory is a good one, if the plane is not already certified for it (case in which it must be a pain in the ass for ANA to operate it in non-RVSM conditions)

Yeah, it's interesting. When ATA was getting the L1011 certified RVSM the equipment was only on the aircraft for a few weeks. I'm guessing they are just leaving the equipment on the test aircraft.... why spend the time (time is money) to remove it?

[PurduePilot]

The horizontal stabilizer looks misplaced, smaller and farther aft than some.

With stabilizers (both horizontal and vertical), smaller and farther aft go hand in hand. With a longer arm you need a smaller surface.

Indeed. It's all about the volume coefficient. I actually did an quick trade study a while back between tail arm length and stabilizer surface sizes to find the configuration with minimum weight. The paper was mostly crap that I banged out in about 20 minutes but the concepts were there. http://dl.dropbox.com/u/5850295/trade-study.pdf

By trailing cone, do you mean the cone shaped assembly at the very end of the fuselage, or that weird plumb line hanging down from the rudder?

The last. It's a precision static pressure probe used for instrument calibration. I didn't expect seing it in this late stage of the developement and certification. The "for RVSM certification" theory is a good one, if the plane is not already certified for it (case in which it must be a pain in the ass for ANA to operate it in non-RVSM conditions)

I don't think ZA001 is ever going into service, so why remove it? That would cost money, and who knows if you might want to use it again someday?

[reubee]

The "Integrated Electronic Standby Instrument" is a "three-in-one" instrument combining attitude, airspeed and altitude indications on a single LCD display.

otherwise known as the iPhone dock

[reubee]

The horizontal stabilizer looks misplaced, smaller and farther aft than some.

With stabilizers (both horizontal and vertical), smaller and farther aft go hand in hand. With a longer arm you need a smaller surface.

Indeed. It's all about the volume coefficient. I actually did an quick trade study a while back between tail arm length and stabilizer surface sizes to find the configuration with minimum weight. The paper was mostly crap that I banged out in about 20 minutes but the concepts were there. http://dl.dropbox.com/u/5850295/trade-study.pdf

Exhibit A: being the extra size of the stabilisers on the B-747SP

PS: the comments in your code are missing a few XXXXXX

[Verbal]

Maybe the wing box engineer can give us some insight into why that thing is still hanging out.... could be for RVSM cert?

All the certification testing was completed as far as I know, including Reduced Vertical Separation Minimum. But I'm not on the Flight Test tip.

The flight test airplanes are still conducting non-certification testing for Boeing.

[Verbal]

I don't think ZA001 is ever going into service, so why remove it? That would cost money, and who knows if you might want to use it again someday?

ZA001, ZA002 and ZA003 will not be placed into service. Boeing will retain ownership.

[B77W-QOTS]

http://www.wired.com/autopia/2011/12/bo ... etirement/

Now feel very privileged to not only see but go aboard this aircraft as it has now been retired.