Boeing 787 engines fired up for an all-electric first

The Rolls-Royce Trent 1000 engines which are to power the first Boeing 787 were fired up for the first time today at the Boeing Everett plant in Washigton, USA.

This is a test milestone for validating the 'more electric' systems architecture and brings ZA001 another significant step closer to first flight which could happen during or immediately after the Paris Air Show next month.

"We were very pleased with the performance on the engines during this test," said Scott Fancher, vice president and general manager of the 787 programme. "We will now get ready for our intermediate and final gauntlet tests." The first start up came with power drawn from the Hamilton Sundstrand Auxiliary Power System and the engines were spooled up and run to idle

The milestone marks the first all-electric start of a commercial aircraft engine on a commercial jetliner, with previous electric starts undertaken at test facilities.The test was punctuated by basic systems checks while monitoring hardware vibrations, as the shut down logic was closely monitored to ensure proper functionality.

More than a quarter of all airlines ordering the 787 are from the Middle East. The first aircraft is "on track" for entry into service in the first quarter of 2010 with Japan's All Nippon Airways.