Third Boeing 717-200 joins flight test program

Third Boeing 717-200 joins flight test program

Keywords Boeing, Flight safety

The third Boeing 717-200 entered the company's flight test and certification program recently, after taking off for the first time from Long Beach Municipal Airport. At the controls were pilots Capts Fred Hamilton and Mike Stevens, along with test engineers Madelene Vega and Gerald Prendergast. The 717-200, filled with flight test equipment, lifted off the runway at 8.36 a.m. and landed two hours and 30 minutes later at the Boeing facility in Yuma, Arizona.

Boeing will use this airplane to test how well the 717-200 performs while taking off, and during cruising and landing. It will be used also to certify the airplane's performance and systems, and evaluate pilot workload and type rating.