Boeing Company says that the first test flight of its 787 Dreamliner aircraft will take place by the end of the year, and that first delivery of the plane will occur sometime in the fourth quarter of 2010. The Illinois-headquartered aerospace company says in a statement that it projects achieving a production rate of 10 airplanes per month by late 2013. "This new schedule provides us the time needed to complete the remaining work necessary to put the 787's game-changing capability in the hands of our customers," says Jim McNerney, Boeing's president and CEO. "The design details and implementation plan are nearly complete, and the team is preparing airplanes for modification and testing." The Associated Press (AP) reports that the inaugural flight was originally planned for fall 2007, but production problems have caused numerous delays and cost the company billions of dollars. The 787 Dreamliner is being billed by Boeing as a next-generation aircraft built for fuel efficiency with lightweight materials.
