Boeing 787-9 Makes First Flight

The stretched out Dreamliner, the Boeing 787-9, took its first flight on Tuesday, beginning a series of flight tests before the aircraft is available for delivery in 2014.

The longer version of the Dreamliner completed a 5-hour, 16-minute flight, taking off from Paine Field in Everett, Wash., at 11:02 a.m. local time and landing at 4:18 p.m. at Seattle's Boeing Field on Tuesday.

"Today's first flight marks a significant milestone for our team, including our partners," said Boeing Commercial Airplanes President and Chief Executive Officer Ray Conner in a press release. "We are tremendously proud to have our customers fly the 787-9 and look forward to delivery of the first airplane to Air New Zealand next year."

The flight was led by 787-9 Senior Project Pilot Mike Bryan and 787 Chief Pilot Randy Neville. The departed north and reached an altitude of 20,400 feet and an airspeed of 250 knots, or about 288 miles per hour, which is customary for a first flight. Capts. Bryan and Neville tested the airplane's systems and structures while onboard equipment transmitted real-time data to a flight-test team on the ground in Seattle.

"We accomplished a lot in this flight, and it went really well," said Bryan. "The 787-9 is a great jet and we wanted to just keep on flying."

The first 787-9, which is powered by two Rolls-Royce Trent 1000 engines will be joined by two other planes. One will use General Electric GEnx engines. Those plans are in the final stages of assembly. The fleet on Boeing 787-9's will undergo months of various tests under different conditions to demonstrate the safety and reliability of the airplane's design.

The Boeing 787-9's fuselage is 20 feet longer than the 787-8 and will be able to carry 40 more passengers an additional 300 miles. It will use 20 percent less fuel use and 20 percent fewer emissions than similarly sized airplanes. The plane will also offer passengers features like large, dimmable windows, large stow bins, modern LED lighting, higher humidity, a lower cabin altitude, cleaner air and a smoother ride.

The company is expected to deliver the first 787-9's to Air New Zealand in mid-2014. Twenty-five customers from around the world have ordered 388 787-9s.