Boeing Dreamliner draws a gigantic outline of a Dreamliner
18-hour test flight over 22 states gets 'creative'
On Wednesday afternoon,a Boeing 787-800 Dreamliner took off from Seattle on a test flight. Flight tracking apps show the Dreamliner followeda flight path over the United States that draws an outline of the Dreamliner.
It set the internet abuzz, likely one of the goals. But the Dreamliner was actually conducting a flight test of its new Rolls Royce engine "to prove to regulators that the airplane can safely operate on one engine for an extended period of time," according to Flightradar24, a flight-tracking app.
Flightradar24 saidthe Dreamliner flewan 18-hour flight of 16,000 km at 12,000 metres.
On itswebsite, Boeing said, "With time to spare in the air, a Boeing test team got creative, flying a route that outlined a 787-8 in the skies over 22 states," with the nose pointing at Boeing's home, the Puget Sound region of Washington state.
See how and *why* @BoeingAirplanes decided to draw a giant 787 in the sky. https://t.co/9zGZc72Prf #dataviz by @itoworld #avgeek pic.twitter.com/VCvUasoFfz
—@flightradar24
Flightradar24 says, "This isn't the first time Boeing has made sky art during endurance testing." Pilots testing a 737-MAX-8 drew the letters 'MAX' over the northern U.S. in February.
Previously, pilots drew "a '787' with the Boeing logo and a large '12' in support of the Seattle Seahawks," Flightradar24 says.