Boeing Co's highly anticipated new 787 Dreamliner jet will take off for the first time,barring last minute hiccups,in a critical milestone for the overdue aircraft seen as the future for the aerospace giant. The 787 Dreamliner passed its final functional tests Saturday and has been cleared for takeoff for its maiden flight,depending on weather conditions,Boeing announced. The delay-plagued first flight would come after more than two years of production problems that pushed back delivery of the first plane to Japanese carrier All Nippon Airways to late next year. During the final taxi testing Saturday,the airplane reached a top speed of approximately 130 knots (240 kms per hour),and the pilots lifted the nose gear from the pavement,Boeing said. "Our pilots told me the airplane performed beautifully," said Mike Delaney,vice president and chief project engineer for the 787. "We're going through and analyzing the data to ensure we're ready for first flight. From evaluations we've done so far,everything looks good." Boeing announced last week that the Dreamliner was set to fly in a "window" opening Tuesday at 10:00 am local time (1800 GMT) at Paine Field near its plant in Everett,Washington state.
