The Boeing 787 Dreamliner passed a full load wing stress test on March 28 at the Boeing plant in Everett, WA; a major step in its preparation for anticipated entry into commercial service by the end of 2010.

On March 28, the new Boeing 787 Dreamliner, a twin-engine mid-sized commercial jet which is currently scheduled to enter service in the final quarter of this year, underwent and passed a full load wing stress test at Boeing’s plant in Everett, Washington, the Associated Press Reports.  The full-load wing stress test marks a major step in the Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft’s development in preparation for service.

The full-load wing stress test—a standard test for any aircraft with plans for entrance into commercial service—which the Boeing 787 Dreamliner underwent is easily among the most physically demanding of the structure of an aircraft.  The test included the forced bending of the wings upward by 25 feet each—1.5 times the maximum structural stress which the aircraft is be expected to endure in ordinary operation.  According to an article by Jason Paur of Wired.com, the Boeing 787 Dreamliner underwent a similar test in which the wing was flexed to its breaking point.

Should the Boeing 787 Dreamliner see similar success in the remainder of its preparation towards entering service as it did with the full-load wing stress test, the aircraft would become Boeing’s most fuel efficient, and would be capable of transporting more than 300 passengers per flight.  The Boeing 787 Dreamliner is expected to become a popular and widely used commercial aircraft, as a total of 866 orders have been placed by major airline carriers.