Boeing has been doing things like this for a while. I like it. If you have to be up for 16 or 18 hours why not do something cool instead of just boring holes in the sky?

We've done this in the Coast Guard for years, just make sure you clear out the chart plotter before command sees it, or don't sign it, even if it looks life like....

Slow news day, ehh?

What a waste of fuel

That's kind of my thought. While very cool seems like a HUGE waste of fuel. Also was this a flight with folks on board or just a joyride / training thing. I haven't had time to read the whole article so that question may be answered later when I can read it.

quote:

Originally posted by parabellum:
What a waste of fuel

I agree, although boeing claims it was an "endurance test"

I used to do these flight plans, they're tests that they have to do over land so might as well have some fun with it.

quote:

Originally posted by matai:
I used to do these flight plans, they're tests that they have to do over land so might as well have some fun with it.

That's it. They didn't burn any more fuel than they would have had to otherwise. Might as well have some fun with it. At least they traced a flight path that I can show the kids, unlike some others I have seen!

Endurance testing. Boeing is not so frivolous as to burn 18 hours of Jet A just for grins. They needed to do the test, and figured they might as well do something other than fly in a giant circle.

Jet A costs an average of $5.71 a gallon. A 787 burns about 5600 kilos of fuel an hour. Jet A weighs about 6.79 pounds per gallon. It is an 18 hour flight. After the arithmetic, that is something like $180,000 in fuel. They wouldn't burn that just for a corporate joke. This is a public company.

It's the kind of thing I would expect from kids in high school. Do your endurance testing, but don't come across to the public like frivolous children in charge of daddy's company for the day.

Maybe the first snow day they get this winter, they can all go outside and piss their names into the snow. Wouldn't that be so cool? Yeah, that would be SO cool, and then and then oohh I know! And then, we could put it on facebook! That would be SO COOL!!!!

Lucky for Boeing that you're not buying jets.

I'm in love with the Dreamliner. If you ever have to fly LAX-Dublin-Addis Ababa and back in economy, may you ride in a Dreamliner.

quote:

Originally posted by jhe888:
Endurance testing. Boeing is not so frivolous as to burn 18 hours of Jet A just for grins. They needed to do the test, and figured they might as well do something other than fly in a giant circle....

"The flight was part of the last phases of certification tests of the upgraded Rolls-Royce Trent 1000 TEN engine for the 787 family...."

Complete article:

http://aviationweek.com/awinco...light-path-across-us

quote:

Originally posted by jhe888:
Lucky for Boeing that you're not buying jets.

Actually, if I were, this kind of juvenile nonsense would make me take a look at AirBus.

quote:

Originally posted by sjtill:
I'm in love with the Dreamliner. If you ever have to fly LAX-Dublin-Addis Ababa and back in economy, may you ride in a Dreamliner.

I flew on a new 787 Oakland to Oslo with Norwegian Air. Very smooth and quite. I didn't use earplugs. Nice ride.

At this scale, it looks like there are right angles. What is the actual radius at the "right angles"?

quote:

I didn't use earplugs. Nice ride.

Right? Had my noise-cancelling Bose plugs and never felt the need. I also like the overhead baggage compartments: carry-ons go on their side, you can get 2-3 times as many bags. On our full flight, everyone had plenty of overhead space.

This past week I flew on a 787 from SFO to London Heathrow. What a great ride. I have worked on numerous projects related to manufacturing of various bits and parts for this plane and it was nice to get to try her out.

quote:

Originally posted by parabellum:
It's the kind of thing I would expect from kids in high school. Do your endurance testing, but don't come across to the public like frivolous children in charge of daddy's company for the day.

How many professional pilots do you know? Things of this nature is is normal behavior for many!

When someone asks if she has any children, Mrs. 'Hook always responds "Yes, I have an 11-year-old" and points to me. I've always thought being a rated pilot meant having a license to never grow up.