Marks Came On Round-Trip Flight From Seattle To
Bangladesh
The 787 Dreamliner 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 1102 PST on Dec. 6 and set
the distance record for its class (440,000-550,000 lbs.) with a
10,710 nm flight to Dhaka, Bangladesh, with credit for 10,337 nm.
This record had previously been held by the Airbus A330 based on a
9,127 nmi flight in 2002.
Following an approximately two-hour stop for refueling in Dhaka,
the airplane returned to Seattle on a 9,734 nmi flight. The
airplane landed at 0529 PST 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.