Boeing’s last Boeing 787-8 flight test airplane, designated ZA004 (originally registered N7874), completed its final mission Wednesday, marking the end of nearly 16 years in service supporting the Dreamliner program.
ZA004 departed Boeing Field (KBFI) in Seattle on its final test flight before being flown to Pinal Airpark (KMZJ) in Marana, Arizona, where it will enter long-term storage and support training, research, parts reclamation, and other development activities.
The aircraft entered Boeing’s flight test fleet on February 24, 2010, and accumulated more than 2,250 flight hours over more than 670 test sorties, visiting more than 30 airports worldwide. Its test work spanned certification and performance evaluation of multiple 787 engine variants and flight systems, including Rolls-Royce propulsion configurations.
ZA004 also served as Boeing’s second ecoDemonstrator in 2014, validating more than two dozen technologies aimed at improving fuel efficiency and reducing emissions. The airplane later contributed to validation of software upgrades to the 787 power distribution system following an in-flight electrical incident involving another test airframe.
Captain Heather Ross, the airplane’s first chief project pilot, commanded the final departure from Boeing Field.
“To the casual observer it looks like an old airplane, but it’s always been the future,” Ross said in an in-house article by the manufacturer.
Boeing marked the aircraft’s retirement with an internal event at Boeing Field. Company engineers and support staff signed a guest log carried aboard ZA004’s final flight.
