Maximilian_Jenius
Super User
...so, why don't they retract the gear on all first flight? 
Live Stream of 1st 787 flight
- Thread starter LoadMasterC141
- Start date
Realms09
Well-Known Member
It's a means of mitigating risk. On the first flight there is a large list of untested things. Raising the gear adds one thing to the list, and it's best to let the list get a bit shorter before you start making additions.
Hypothetical example:
For instance, maybe you can't get the flaps to extend on landing on the first flight. If the gear also didn't lower you would have to do a wheels up landing at a higher speed than with the flaps down. If you had waited until the flaps were tested and working before testing the gear, you could have done that gear up landing at the lower, safer speed.
Hypothetical example:
For instance, maybe you can't get the flaps to extend on landing on the first flight. If the gear also didn't lower you would have to do a wheels up landing at a higher speed than with the flaps down. If you had waited until the flaps were tested and working before testing the gear, you could have done that gear up landing at the lower, safer speed.
Katabat1c_SEA
Well-Known Member
Wish I had been there, if only I got back in Seattle two days earlier!
Tld
Waffles Brah.
I missed the entire thing
I waited and waited, then the feed went down, and unfortunately I had to do some real, actual, work today, and couldn't stall any longer.
787 interior, and story. Mood lighting for the cabin, larger cabin windows without the plastic shade...but are dimmable, 20% larger overhead bins. And Smooth-Ride technology.
http://www.cnn.com/2009/TECH/12/25/wired.boeing.787.inside/index.html
http://www.cnn.com/2009/TECH/12/25/wired.boeing.787.inside/index.html