Pilots share footage showing how they push Boeing planes to their limits in prep for flying
- Pilot POV shows how the Boeing 787 Dreamliner is prepped
- A key test involves taking off at the lowest speed possible
- The tail has to be placed on the runway without slowing the plane
Published on Mar 19, 2025 at 7:24 PM (UTC+4)
by Amelia Jean Hershman-Jones
Last updated on Mar 20, 2025 at 9:26 AM (UTC+4)
Edited by
Tom Wood
Chief test pilot Mike Karriker shared his flight-deck POV of how pilots prepped the Boeing 787 Dreamliner planes for flight back in 2011.
A key test, Velocity Minimum Unstick (VMU), determines the lowest speed at which the Boeing can take off and involves carefully keeping the tail on the runway without slowing the plane.
The skilled flight crew tested the Dreamliner’s performance on wet pavement, dumping over 50,000 gallons of water on the runway and performing landings with both manual and automatic braking systems.
Pilots also tested the plane’s ability to handle crosswinds, with winds reaching 30 knots, requiring pilots to maneuver the plane into a crabbed position before aligning with the runway.
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All Supercar Blondie contributors undergo editorial review and fact-checking to ensure accuracy and authority in automotive journalism. After gaining her BA Hons in French and English at the University of Nottingham, Amelia embarked on a vocational diploma from the National Council for the Training of Journalists (NCTJ). This led to numerous opportunities, from interning at Vogue to being on the small team that launched Women’s Health magazine in the UK, which was named the PPA Consumer magazine of the year for three years running. As Health, Beauty and Fitness editor, Amelia personally received a Johnson & Johnson Award and was shortlisted for both PPA and BSME titles. Since then, Amelia has created content for numerous titles and brands, including the Telegraph, 111 Skin, Waitrose, Red magazine, Stylist, and Elle, as well as being Head of Content at Vitality and Editor in Chief at INLondon magazine. “My superpower is translating technical jargon about the mechanical workings of a supercar into a relatable story you’ll want to share with your friends after you’ve read it.” After joining the SB Media family as a senior journalist in September of 2023, Amelia’s role has evolved to see her heading up the SEO output of the editorial team. From researching the most ‘Google-able’ key terms to producing evergreen content - it’s been a time of hard work, growth, and success for the editorial team and the Supercar Blondie website. “I like to think of myself as a ‘method journalist’. In other words: I live and breathe whatever I am writing about. When writing about fitness, I trained as a personal trainer, and as a beauty editor, I completed an ‘expert’ in scent diploma with the Fragrance Foundation. “During my tenure at Supercar Blondie, however, I did something I never thought possible: I passed my driving test at the age of 36. One day I’d love to train as a mechanic to better understand what happens under the hood, too. “My sweet spot is providing readers with a ‘takeaway’ (read: something new they didn’t know before) after reading every one of my stories. While I don’t claim to be an expert in the automotive world, I know the experts and bodies in the field to rely on to provide our readers with an informative and thought-provoking story every time they visit the site.”
