There’s only one way to prove that an airplane will fly for a long time but the thought of spending 19 hours flying aimlessly got Boeing engineers channeling their artistic sides through FlightAware. The mission was to test a GE-equipped 787 for extended operations (ETOPS) so those involved decided to make it interesting. In 19 hours from Thursday afternoon to Friday morning, the Dreamliner carved its initials across a swath of the Northwest before flying an intricate rendition of the company logo over the Dakotas, Nebraska and into Iowa.

Boeing has done FlightAware art before, as have other manufacturers, but this week’s effort may be the most complex and longest duration yet. The 787 was in the air for 19 hours and 12 minutes, covering 10,408 miles (642 more than flight planned) and flying over 10 states. It took off from Boeing Field at 1:33 p.m. local time on Thursday and landed at 8:45 a.m. Friday.

By Russ Niles, Editor-in-Chief, AvWeb.com

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