MYRTLE BEACH, SC (WMBF) - On Tuesday, December 6, Boeing will conduct functional test flights of the company's 787 Dreamliner at Myrtle Beach International Airport (MYR). Airport spokesperson Lauren Morris made that announcement Friday morning. She said the exact time of the flights is to be determined, and will be released once it is confirmed.
Morris said Boeing chose MYR and a few other airports because the company needs long runways for the testing. The runway is 9,500 feet long, and because of the old Air Force Base it is built to Department of Defense specifications Morris said.
MYR is also relatively close to one factory that builds the airplanes in North Charleston, and the Dreamliner will also make use of the airport's advanced navigation system that for example, can be used to help pilots land and take off in low visibility conditions.
"[They'll test] how the plane operates in a day to day fashion," explained retired airline pilot Ed Edelen in Myrtle Beach.
He has done airplane test flights in the past. He said Boeing has probably already done about 95 percent of the Dreamliner tests, including those for safety. He said those tests are done on the ground and they can take months because they include multiple simulations for thousands of hours.
An example of a ground test is measuring how much wind a wing can withstand before it breaks off the plane. Other tests measure how much debris or water an engine can take in or how much pressure landing gear can withstand.
Edelen said pilots and engineers will not test the limits of the Dreamliner at the Myrtle Beach airport. Instead they may test things like turning radius on the runway, and they will certainly see if the plane actually performs the way engineers expect. He said tests like rejected or aborted take-offs will show will show them that.
"They'll go to max reverse thrust, max braking, I mean the whole thing will be shaking, and they'll see how quickly it will stop," Edelen explained.
He said the plane will be covered in sensors so the plane's structure can be tested in the real world.
"Whether it's vibration or twisting or heat, all those things it senses," he said.
Morris said it is an honor to have the planes tested at MYR.
"I think this is proof that from an aviation perspective, we have real appeal," she said.
If Boeing is taking notice of Myrtle Beach's airport assets, it could be a positive sign for the technology and aerospace park under construction beside the runway. While Boeing's testing is not creating any jobs in Myrtle Beach, Horry County leaders hope to attract other companies in aviation.
"The fact that Boeing notices us, I think that creates a synergy within the community and the aviation industry," Morris said. "We're on the radar so to speak, and it feels good for us to know we're on the right path."
Edelen and Morris said the Dreamliner is a much larger airplane than what is usually seen in Myrtle Beach. So if the plane spends much time in the air around the airport, it could get some attention from onlookers.
Morris also said the Dreamliner will likely not ever be used for regular flights in Myrtle Beach because the plane has a passenger capacity that is much larger that what MYR needs. So the testing will be a rare opportunity to see the plane around Myrtle Beach. Morris said MYR expects more test flights during the duration of Boeing's aircraft testing program.
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