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BREAKING: IAM/Boeing talks collapse, strike begins at 12:01

2008-09-05T23:01:25Z

EVERETT -- Jetliner production is set to halt at 12:01 AM in Puget Sound, costing The Boeing Company as much as $100 million per day and further stymieing its struggling 787 Dreamliner program with the walkout of 27,000 machinists.

Negotiations between Boeing and the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers Union (IAM) collapsed after a 48-hour contract extension yielded no new breakthrough.

Boeing says that for the, "787 in particular, a protracted strike could risk the ability to fly in the fourth quarter," adding "mitigation plans are in place to minimize impact of work stoppage."

The 787 programme is already fifteen months behind schedule.

All aircraft completed prior to the strike will be delivered on schedule, and Boeing pledges continuing support for all aircraft in service.

Boeing has estimated that it will deliver between 475 and 480 aircraft in 2008, a number that is likely to be impacted with the strike.

For the Next Generation 737, Boeing's highest production rate aircraft, each day that the strike rolls on means one less 737 delivered to airlines, many in desperate need of fuel efficient aircraft to replace aging fleets.

In the first half of 2008 Boeing delivered 187 737s.

For the widebody twin-engine 777 programme, every five days means one less aircraft delivered. During the first half of 2008 Boeing averaged a production rate of just under seven per month to deliver 39 777s to its customers.

Currently, Boeing has eleven 777 aircraft at various states of completion on the flight line at its Everett, Washington facility, including four for Emirates, two for Brazil's TAM, and one each for Cathay Pacific, Air Canada, Qatar Airways, Asiana Airlines and fledgling trans-pacific Australian carrier V Australia, which is set to begin service from Sydney to Los Angeles on 15 December.

In addition, the 777 freighter program is undergoing a certification campaign with two aircraft based at Boeing Field in Seattle. The first 777F is set to be delivered later this year.

For Boeing's lowest rate production aircraft, the widebody 767 and 747 lines, the first half of 2008 saw an output of roughly one per month, delivering six and nine aircraft respectively.

An IAM strike also halts production for the 747-8F, which is scheduled for roll-out in February of next year.

On 3 September, 87% of the IAM membership--Boeing's largest union--voted to strike, with 80% rejecting the company's best and final offer. Later that evening, Boeing and the IAM leadership agreed to a 48-hour extension in the contract to negotiate with the assistance of a federally appointed mediator.

"Despite meeting late into the night and throughout the day, continued contract talks with the Boeing Company did not address our issues," said Tom Wroblewski, IAM district president, in an open letter to the union membership.

Boeing also expressed its disappointment in the outcome of the negotiations.

"Over the past two days, Boeing, the union and the federal mediator worked hard in pursuing good-faith explorations of options that could lead to an agreement. Unfortunately the differences were too great to close," said Scott Carson, president and CEO of Boeing Commercial Airplanes who was present at the negotiations.

This will be the first time the IAM has voted in favor of a strike in back-to-back contract negotiations. The union's 2005 strike lasted for 28 days.

As IAM prepares to strike, both sides indicated it was the responsibility of the other to step up and return to the negotiating table.

"We are interested in speaking to the IAM," said a Boeing spokesman. "And when we hear from [the IAM] we'll be able to [continue negotiations]."

"If this Company wants to talk," said Wroblewski. "They have my number, they can reach me on the picket line.

Photo Credit: FlightBlogger

September 5 - Open Thread

2008-09-05T16:36:43Z

I missed a bit this week covering the labor negotiations, so here's a quick rundown. Discuss.

CRJ1000 First Flight
Mary Kirby broke the story of the first flight of the CRJ1000 earlier this week. C-FRJX took off from Montreal's Mirabel airport of Wednesday at 10:02 for its maiden three-hour and 25 minute flight. Congratulations Bombardier!

900 for 787 (really this time)
On the 787 front, Gulf Air signed a letter of intent for 8 more Dreamliners, boosting the total over 900. This is not official yet because the orders are not yet firm, but once they are the 900 mark is officially broken.

Governor Palin's Plane
Senator McCain's Vice-Presidential running mate got a new plane this week. A jetBlue Embraer E190 registered N239JB. The aircraft was delivered as 'Blissfully Blue' in August 2006 to jetBlue, ironic really, because Governor Palin hails from America's largest Red State.

Podcasting
Sat down with Addison Schonland for a podcast to discuss the goings on this week with the IAM and Boeing and what things are looking like heading into the weekend.

MRJ & Boeing
Boeing will serve as consultant to Mitsubishi for the "marketing, development and post-sales activities" of the MRJ. I'm still pondering this move - what do you think?

Also, this was the scene on Wednesday from the Seattle Times. I was in the back of the room.

September 4 - Notes On The Day

2008-09-05T04:13:03Z

Saying Hello to the Dreamliners
The Boeing Factory Tour is a tradition of mine every time I come to Seattle.

Naturally, I checked in on the 787. Dreamliner One is surrounded by a gated red fence requires anyone working with the airplane to check in and state your purpose for working with the aircraft.

The aircraft was on its own wheels and its flaps (all installed) and spoilers were extended. Yellow testing lights were on signifying the on-going functional testing of all the aircraft's systems. Another thing I noticed was that ZA001 had its nose cone attached and it appeared to be new! It was painted fresh white, not the shades of blue we saw at the roll-out.

I could also see some flight test equipment installed in the cabin. The engine inlets were shielded with red covers and the chevron-edged cowlings were installed.

Down the line, ZA002-ZA004 all had their nose cones tipped up, revealing the honeycomb radar underneath. Also, ZA003 was sporting a bright red rudder for Northwest. ZA004 was surrounded by tooling and the MOATT (mother of all tooling towers) which had been installing the vertical and horizontal stabilizers. I could also see the wings for ZA005 laying beside ZA004, as well as the tail cone and horizontal stabilizer in the aft soak area.

I'm going to Disneyworld!
Okay, I'm not going to Disneyworld, but Boeing and the IAM certainly are.

According to one veteran machinist deeply familiar with Boeing/IAM labor policy, had the IAM refused to accept the help of a federally appointed mediator and the 48-hour extension, immediate beginning a strike, the IAM would have been deemed negotiating in bad faith, opening themselves up to legal action.

Article 24 of the existing contract allows for a potential extension of up to 1 year if the union agrees to it. It has never been done for this long, though it was done for 5 days in 1986 to give additional time to the Union membership to see the changes to the contract and vote. The same could be done this time around to call for a vote later this weekend without going on strike. A simple majority (50%+1) is required to approve the new contract.

Right now, Boeing and the IAM are in a media blackout while the extended negotiations are underway.

777F's Busy Summer
Flight Testing at Boeing is going as strong as ever. I spotted the second 777F for Air France weaving in tight turns in the skies above Boeing Field today while driving north on I-5 to Everett. Both aircraft are based at BFI.

One thing you didn't know about the IAM contract
Reading the contract today I thought it was interesting was that Boeing has now added "or same-gender domestic partner" after group benefits were previously allocated only for spouses.

Twenty-three hours forty-seven minutes to go.

With 48 more hours to negotiate, machinists vent frustration over strike vote

2008-09-04T16:51:27Z

SEATTLE -- At Flights Pub in Everett, a local bar in the parking lot of a shopping center not far from the Boeing's widebody final assembly line, Machinists could be heard spontaneously chanting "Strike!" venting their frustration over the events of the evening.

It had been just over three hours since the IAM leadership and Boeing agreed to a 48-hour extension in negotiations to identify and resolve what vice president for Human Resources and chief Boeing negotiator Doug Kight the "critical few details" remaining in the contract.

Though as one veteran business reporter asked of Kight at Boeing's 10:45 PM press conference that, "it sound to me like there are probably as many issue as there are union members. What if they come to you with a list a mile long with issues?"

Kight responded:

"At this stage in the process, we've been talking for months and month, hour and hours and hours on all aspects of the contract, all subjects. When you get to this stage in the process you have to narrow the issues. It'll be very, very challenging to make progress if this doesn't occur."

Though, the frustration by union members was not limited to management. The reaction at the IAM lodge meeting halls near Boeing Field captured the sentiment of the membership.

The announcement of Boeing's desire to return immediately to the table was met with jubilant cheers, but moments later, the mood turned sour when IAM chief negotiator Mark Blondin informed his membership of the 48-hour extension in negotiations, even with 87% supporting a strike.

"They have 48 hours to bring a deal that's acceptable to you, or it's on," said Blondin.

The announcement was met with very visible displeasure, including comments not suitable for print.

Many machinists were frustrated by what they felt was the IAM not supporting their overwhelming vote to reject Boeing's best and final offer and go on strike.

"We stood in solidarity with them, they didn't stand with us," remarked one Everett-based machinist at Flights Pub.

Amid the frustrations of assembled machinists, Bondin attempted to get a word in edgewise over the loud protests of the machinists:

"We have told you all along that it is our job as negotiators to go to the table and negotiate you a contract that is acceptable to you, not to negotiate a strike."

The following morning, there are indications across many Boeing factories that even without the formal commencement of a strike, jetliner assembly has ground almost to a complete halt. One machinist tells FlightBlogger that "droves" of staff at Renton, site of 737 final assembly, were sent home for inactivity and, "a lot of people didn't go in at all."

Even with the 48-hour extension, many machinists were defiant in the face of both the IAM membership and Boeing.

"I'm on strike," remarked another machinist. "My contract expired yesterday at midnight."

Photo credits: FlightBlogger

BREAKING: IAM votes to strike: Leadership, Boeing to negotiate for 48 more hours (Update5)

2008-09-04T01:01:32Z

This is a breaking story and will be updated as more details become available.

SEATTLE -- The International Association of Machinists, Boeing's largest union, has voted to strike, rejecting Boeing's "best and final" offer for a new three-year contract.

UPDATE 9:51 PM: IAM leadership has agreed to return to the bargaining table with Boeing to continue to negotiate a contract with a ~~NRLB~~ Federal Mediation & Conciliation Service appointed mediator in exchange for a 48-hour hold in the commencement of any strike. IAM members present angrily reacted and indicated that the 87% vote in favor of a strike and 80% rejection of the contract should stand initiating a strike at 12:01 AM. Currently, no strike is authorized.

UPDATE 9:45 PM: IAM leadership indicates Boeing is ready to return to the table, in exchange for 48 hour delay in strike. Union members present react with expletives, mostly of the four-letter variant.

UPDATE 9:41 PM: IAM votes 87% in favor of a strike. 80% reject contract. Jetliner production halts at 12:01 AM.

UPDATE 9:39 PM: "The Final Countdown" blares as Union Leadership enters the press conference hall.

IAM: "You don't tell us what our members want, we tell you what our members want."

UPDATE 9:27 PM: Official confirmation of a tally is not yet available.

This will be the first time the IAM has voted in favor of a strike in back-to-back contract negotiations. The union's 2005 strike lasted for 28 days.

IAM Ballot Counting Underway

2008-09-03T23:14:15Z

SEATTLE -- The early ballots have arrived at the IAM 751 meeting halls near Boeing Field. Roughly fifty ballot counters are separating and counting ballots. Blue ballots represent votes supporting or rejecting the contract, red ballots represent strike votes. Counting of the approximately 25,000 ballots is expected to take several hours.

Cheers were heard earlier coming from another counting room; observers speculated that these signified early returns from IAM sites in Oregon and Kansas.

On The Ground in Washington - 4:37 PM

2008-09-03T20:37:15Z

EVERETT, WA -- I write from the just across the flightline at Paine Field at the Boeing Factory. The sound of airhorns can be heard blaring from the march of machinists taking place at the other side of the field at the world's largest building right now.

Driving from Seattle to Everett, one quickly realizes just how intertwined The Boeing Company is in the fabric of the Pacific Northwest. A forty minute trip on Interstate 5 takes you past Boeing Field to the Everett Factory.

As I drove up the freeway and overlooked BFI, a brightly blue and white painted 777F sat on the ramp; it's large cargo door open busily being worked on.

Approaching Everett, the doors to Building 40-23 were just slightly ajar revealing the static test airframe in its massive blue metal test rig.

Though on this day, where my eyes would usually be drawn to the new aircraft on the ramp, a large gathering of sign-carrying blue-shirted machinists is today's purpose for being here.

Looking out at Boeing right now reveals just how much is at stake. The result of the vote should be known by 6:30 PM PT.

Seven hours, twenty-three minutes to go.

Next Stop: Seattle

2008-09-03T09:33:12Z

The headline says it all really. I'm heading to Seattle this morning to cover the IAM vote tonight in person.

I'll be twittering (tweeting), updates all day (and likely all night) as they become available. News of the vote will be instantaneously sent out via twitter the moment the result is known.

With that being said, I want to hear from you, Boeing employees, to get your viewpoint. To strike or not to strike? What do you think

Ahead of a potential strike, Boeing 787 schedule tightens with assembly completion slip

2008-09-02T21:21:05Z

With just over twenty-four hours to go before the contracts of 26,800 machinists expire, Boeing's beleaguered 787 is quickly running out of margin to achieve its first flight in the fourth quarter with a fresh slip in assembly completion.

According to several sources inside the 787 program and others familiar with the schedule, assembly completion of Dreamliner One is now tentatively targeted for early October, a slip of about five weeks.

Assembly completion was initially set for August 31, just four days prior to the expiration of the IAM's three-year contract.

The change in the internal schedule is separate from the looming spectre of a potential strike.

Boeing spokesperson Yvonne Leach reaffirmed that 787 is "on track for first flight for the fourth quarter of this year."

According to another source familiar with the schedule change, the remaining work centers largely on the installation of flight test instrumentation and cabin equipment.

The slip was necessitated by the production of long lead-time parts resulting from design changes, as well as small, but time-consuming, issues arising from systems integration.

When Boeing announced its recovery plan for the 787 program in April, the first flight of ZA001 was slated for late October. A five-week schedule slip would push first flight to early-to-mid December.

Yet anecdotally from suppliers, indications exist that first flight could slip to the early part of 2009, though these are currently unconfirmed.

787 Program Vice President and General Manager, Pat Shanahan, said in July at the Farnborough air show that he was "eating margin" built into the schedule to provide a buffer between first flight and the close of the year.

Shanahan also said at the time first flight was set for November.

A December first flight would still meet Boeing's projected fourth quarter target for ZA001. Though the change in the schedule underscores just how tight the 787 schedule currently is, even before any impact of a potential IAM strike.

Yet with the slip, the 787 program is not without progress. Dreamliner One recently had all its movable control surfaces reinstalled and landing gear swing tests were successfully initiated.

In addition, section 43, the Kawasaki-built forward barrel of the center fuselage, was declared shop complete.

Even with the remaining work left to complete assembly of Dreamliner One, aircraft is set to move out of the factory to a slant position in Building 40-24 later this month, once the fatigue airframe is moved to the test rig.

The vacancy created by ZA001 leaving Building 40-26 allows Dreamliners Two, Three and Four to advance on the line, making way for assembly of Dreamliner Five, the first GEnx powered 787. The first four 787s are powered by Rolls-Royce Trent 1000 engines.

September 1 - The Week Ahead Open Thread

2008-09-01T11:00:00Z

Labor Day @ Boeing
The IAM leadership unanimously decided to recommend a strike vote by its 28,000 strong membership. A two-thirds majority vote is required to strike. If a two-thirds majority is not reached the contract would be approved and a strike avoided. IAM's video response to the "best and final" offer. Boeing expressed its "extreme disappointment" in the IAM's recommendation of a strike.

The most visible sticking point centers on job security in the face of growing outsourcing. A concern left unaddressed in Boeing's "best and final" contract presented to the Union last Thursday.

This is an unstoppable force and an immovable object on a collision course for one another.

2 days to go.

Hurricane Gustav
About five hours from the time this is posted, Hurricane Gustav will make landfall on the Gulf Coast of the United States, once again slamming New Orleans with brutal weather. We pray that the New Orleans and the Gulf Coast escape the wrath of this storm.

The storm track has it plowing a course between New Orleans and Houston, undoubtedly wreaking havoc on America's air traffic system. As of 6:30 PM local time on August 31, "The Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport has ceased commercial flight operations."

The active TAF at 3:36 PM (8/31) for MSY has winds gusting at 5:00 AM local to 60 kts and 70 kts by 9:00 AM this morning. Not pretty.

The course also has the storm on track to hit America's oil infrastructure. Refineries along the coast and off shore drilling platforms will undoubtedly be impacted by Gustav. The already astronomical price of oil, which had been coming down in recent weeks, could shoot back up hitting cash strapped airlines just as the summer travel season ends and fares have historically begun to come down.

A Flightglobal Film
With last week's news of the "shower related delay" for the second Emirate's A380, the first A380 had quite an inaugural flight. Flight's Lori Ranson was invited to cover the first flight from Dubai to JFK on August 1. The first revenue flight of A6-EDA was masterfully captured on film by Lori and edited by yours truly. We couldn't get permission to use Jet Airliner, an aviation rock classic by Steve Miller, so our European team opted for a "moody European Cinema vibe to the piece." Not my first choice.

Lori's account is packed with fantastic tail cam footage of both take off and landing, a full on-board tour, Emirates chief Tim Clark comparing the 777-300 (classic) to the 747-400, and even a great shot of the superjumbo's safety card. I edited in the seat map of the A380, so you always know where you are on board.

Total running time for the video is 30-plus minutes, in three parts. Enjoy.

Avidyne introduces text messaging for general aviation

2008-08-29T23:59:49Z

Have you ever seen "that guy" on the road? Have you even been "that guy?" You know, the one who feels compelled to text message while driving. What about while flying?

Well, starting in the fourth quarter of this year, Avidyne will begin delivering its MLX770 two-way Datalink Transceiver. For the first time, general aviation pilots will be able to send and receive SMS text messages directly through the multifunction display to mobile phones on the ground.

Avidyne says the response from customers has been "overwhelming." The practicality - and novelty - of such a system is immediately apparent, adding a useful communication tool with people on the ground if you're arrival is delayed.

Don't expect long conversations though, Avidyne has limited the length of outgoing messages to 32 characters and they are entered by control knob, not keyboard.

"You wouldn't be sitting up there chatting like you're on a cell phone or computer," says Tom Harper, director of marketing at Avidyne.

This feature, unlike a mobile plan, does not come with unlimited text messaging, rather each text message is expected to cost between $1 and $2 to send and receive because of the bandwidth usage on the Iridium satellites that enable the datalink. For every ten hours of flying, Avidyne expects the service to run between $70-120.

As for distracting the pilot, one would hope that we'll see aviate, navigate, communicate (then text message) hold true. A passenger sitting in the right seat can just as easily use the system as well.

The text messaging features are not disabled during climb or descent. Avidyne emphasizes that, "the pilot will use discretion and good judgment to acknowledge the message at the appropriate time. These messages are considered low priority (cyan) so if a higher priority Traffic Alert (yellow) or Terrain Alert (red) message comes up, it will appear on top of any incoming email message."

Text messaging for commercial pilots has been around for years in the form of Controller-Pilot Datalink Communications (CPLDC). The system is widely used to communicate pilot reports to dispatchers and controllers, send and receive air traffic routing requests and oceanic crossing clearance replacing HF communications.

Beyond text message, The MLX770 adds additional functionality to the Avidyne MFD.

The system provides the pilot datalink weather information where it wouldn't otherwise be available outside the US.

Using the two-way datalink to the Iridum satellites, the aircraft is also able to receive weather data without relying on both XM and Sirius networks that are limited to the United States.

In the event that data is unavailable from XM or Sirius, the MLX770 will provide redundancy inside the US as well.

Each Avidyne MLX770 will uplink through the Iridium satellite constellation to the Avidyne Network Operations Center (NOC) in Lincoln, Massachusetts. When a flightplan is loaded, the (NOC) will be pinged and live weather data will be downlinked for a 200 mile radius along the route, minimizing the required bandwidth of large weather data information.

When the system is launched in the fourth quarter coverage will include the continental US, southern Canada, Western and Central Europe. Latin, South American, African, South Asian and Australian service expected by the end of the year.

Breaking: IAM Leadership Recommending Rejecting Contract

2008-08-29T19:57:05Z

A email from IAM leaders:

The Union leadership unanimously recommends rejection of the Company's offer and ask members to reaffirm the strike sanction vote.

Dominic Gates of the Seattle Times has an expanded report.

Supplier woes delay second Emirates A380; daily JFK superjumbo service to be impacted

2008-08-27T21:54:51Z

Delivery of the second Emirates Airbus A380 has been delayed at least several weeks due to supplier issues with interior outfitting, delaying introduction of the first daily A380 service to New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport.

According to sources in both Dubai and Hamburg, delivery has been delayed until October 20 "at the earliest."

The second 489-seat A380, MSN013, was intended for delivery in September for introduction on the airline's direct Dubai-New York (JFK) service on October 1. The aircraft was to replace a Boeing 777-300ER on the route to establish the first daily A380 service to the United States.

Neither Airbus nor Emirates denied the potential delivery delay.

"There may be a delay," says an US based Emirates spokesperson. "We are awaiting further details from Dubai."

Per company policy, Airbus declined to discuss delivery schedules of its aircraft, though the European airframer underscored it was still on track to have 12 A380s delivered before the close of 2008. Five A380s have been delivered this year.

Airbus revised its A380 delivery targets in May from 13 in 2008, citing a slow transition of staff from Wave 1 hand-wired aircraft to Wave 2 aircraft with production wiring.

Emirates' website still shows the A380 operating the 13 hour 45 minute route daily route beginning October 1. The route is currently operated by Emirate's first A380 (A6-EDA) with 491-seats and a Boeing 777-300ER configured with 354 or 358 seats. With the delay of entry into service of the second A380, Emirates will likely be required to boost capacity to compensate for the roughly 135-seat gap between the 777-300ER and the A380.

According to a source at the Dubai based airline, daily service is now potentially slated to commence on October 26, the same day as Qatar Airways, Emirates' regional competitor, is set to begin its daily non-stop JFK service from Doha using a 777-300ER.

Supplier issues of key items like seats, galleys and lavatories have impacted both Airbus and Boeing customers.

Flight reported in June that buyer-furnished-equipment had delayed Boeing 777 aircraft for both Emirates and Qatar Airways.

Airbus has been impacted as well with "roughly 8% of widebody deliveries" facing "some delay because of problems with equipment purchased directly from suppliers," the Wall Street Journal reported earlier this month.

Airbus had anticipated delivering three A380s during the September, though with the delay, it appears that the first for QANTAS' and the sixth for Singapore Airlines will be the only September deliveries.

September will mark the first time Airbus delivers two A380s in the same month.

The aircraft in question first flew April 1 of this year in Toulouse and was transferred to Hamburg-Finkenwerder on April 4 where it has remained for painting, rewiring and outfitting of its custom interior, including two shower spas.

This story is part of a FlightBlogger comprehensive Airbus A380 update covering the remaining deliveries for 2008. Image courtesy of David Barrie.

Cessna's Mustang in Action

2008-08-27T13:50:12Z

On the second day of Oskhosh, I had the opportunity to see the Cessna Mustang in action. The Mustang is Cessna's entry into the very light jet market, competing with aircraft like Embraer's Phenom 100 and the Eclipse 500.

Along with my colleague Phil Nasskau from Flight Daily News (who was flying right seat) and Cessna's Curt Epp (left seat) we took the Mustang out for a quick spin. Here's the video (in four parts) of our hour long hop from Appleton up to Iron Mountain and back at 30,000 feet in N946CM.

A very special thanks to Cessna for inviting us along for the demonstration!

Breaking: CRJ1000 first flight slips to "later this year"

2008-08-26T17:15:33Z

First flight of the CRJ1000, the final member of Bombardier's regional jet family, has slipped to "later this year," the airframer tells Flight.

Bombardier did not specify a cause of the delay or if there was any impact on the late 2009 entry into service for the 100-seat aircraft.

At the Farnborough air show in July, Bombardier was quoted as saying the flight flight of C-FRJX, the first CRJ1000, would occur "very soon."

Bombardier had previously maintained that the first flight would take place by the end of this summer.

The aircraft, the longest member of the CRJ family, is a 128-foot 4.7-inch stretch of the original 50-seat CRJ200 aircraft.

Bombardier currently offers standard, extended range, and EuroLite variants of the CRJ1000 with ranges of 1,488 nm, 1,688 nm, and 1,030 nm respectively.

To date, the CRJ1000 has earned 39 firm orders from four customers - Adria Airways, Air France subsidiary Brit Air, Italian Operator Myair and an undisclosed operator.

Flightglobal.com and Air Transport Intelligence will be reporting on this more as the day progresses.

UPDATE 7:14 PM: Bombardier has backed away from its earlier statement and significantly clarified what was meant when it said first flight is "later this year." The Canadian airframer now says that first flight of the CRJ1000 will take place within weeks.

"We are en route to an entry-into-service date during the fourth quarter of 2009. We have undergone engine and systems tests. Following completion of all systems tests and safety of flight certification, we'll get into taxi tests followed by first flight."

Runway Girl has a full report.