avi8tir

Noticed that one of the 787's has been moved from the cargo area on the east side to the hangar area just east of terminal D/E.

Preparing for the FAA green light? Hmmmm.....

ben237829624

I think UA might be preparing the bird for the installation of the new battery box once the box is approved by FAA so that they can send those birds back up asap.

IAH-OIL-TRASH

I'm at the airport 2-4 times a month and pass by the maintenance area each time. I've seen a 787 there frequently. Maybe mechanics are just keeping it in tune. Paid $500 Monday to Ford dealer to replace throttle plate and throttle body that had seized after months of inactivity. Plane repair might be more expensive. No point moving it just in anticipation of approval. Just takes up space. A tow only takes 10 minutes.

mduell

Final battery certification flight is in the air now: http://flightaware.com/live/flight/B...800Z/KPAE/KPAE

craz

I dont care what these tests show , the FAA/Govt has to be NUTS (Ok they are) to allow these birds to fly ETOPs any time soon where any landing field is more then say an hour away

So a LHR-NRT over land may be OK if landings can be done always within an hour if that.Or say a YYZ-MEX But DEN-NRT is simply asking for trouble.

There are long enough routes they can fly till its more or less proven the fix is really a fix.After the problem was never suppose to be a problem to begin with.Anything less will be putting both the crews and passengers lifes on teh line IMO

Lets not forget the IAH-LAX that had to land at MSY (I believe) , they still have teething problems to work out besides the batteries. And if they approve it Id say let those who do, fly the bird to show the World its safe, doubt youd see that happening till they are 99.99% sure it is

BlueZebra

You don't need to fly to test. If the problem was something related to overheating when charging, or overcharging and then overheating, that can be testing on land very easily. In fact, it can be tested far easier on land, just put a charge to it for 24 hours. Or 48 hours, or whatever. A plane can't provide that test. It was mentioned elsewhere ANA was going to test with cargo flights for a month or so. Don't know the length of those flights.

flyin´ruddl

Hmmm. I just made a booking for early July on that route. Would UA replace it with another aircraft or just suspend it until the 787 is allowed to fly? Any idea about when the situation should become any clearer?

F.R.

warreng24

I'm booked on DEN-NRT on 04 July. If there are further delays in getting the 787 back in the air, UA will simply suspend the DEN-NRT flight again.

Keep an eye on your flight itinerary. UA has NOT been reaching out to tell people when they are re-booked. If you are re-booked, just call reservations and say that you were originally booked on the 787 flight and they will be VERY flexible/accommodating with re-routings.

The major hurdles for the 787 (in summary) -
1) When will the FAA approve the battery box/compartment fixes
2) How quickly can Boeing get the parts manufactured
3) How quickly can Boeing send their field technicians out to UA (5 of 6 planes in IAH, 1 in NRT) to do the install
4) What will the FAA ruling on the ETOPS for 787 be

I, for one, am FULLY expecting DEN-NRT to be postponed. I anticipate being re-accommodated for my 04 July flight.

mduell

There is no evidence the problem is overcharging.

double_black77

I am currently booked PVG-LAX in early June on a 787. yes, over the big pond. What are my chances of flying in it?

Devyan1

Nobody knows...they may keep testing the 787 domestically to avoid further problems...I personally would say slim but you never know

zoegksf

I totally agree with you. What bothers me the most is they do NOT know what caused the problems in the first place and are basically saying we moved some stuff around and put a box around it. Won't find me or any of my loved ones on a 787 anytime soon.
Glad I was able to cancel my DEN-NRT without penalty.

tods27

If you pull up DEN-NRT on the great circle mapper and have it show ETOPS 60, you actually don't have to go much out of the way from the great circle route. I have no idea what the airports that you could land at are, but they apparently exist.

Bear4Asian

Still skeptical that they'll get their scheduled service in time for June commercial flights.

But see: http://www.engadget.com/2013/04/05/b...ttery-testing/

BlueZebra

Totally missed the point. Many things can be tested quite well on the ground, to greater extents than in flight even. I would assume serious testing was done on the ground before the first new 787 flight.