At 15:38 local time N7874, the fourth 787 built, departed Boeing Field in Seattle for an 18-hour, 22 state test flight. The crew spent the overnight hours above the United States performing ETOPS testing on the new Rolls Royce Trent 1000 TEN engine, which will power the 787-10.

Our friends at Ito World put together this amazing visualization for us of N7874’s flight path.

See Ito World’s visualization of Tour de France television coverage

ETOPS (Extended Operations) testing allows Boeing and Rolls Royce to prove to regulators that the airplane can safely operate on one engine for an extended period of time. ETOPS regulations allow airlines to operate extended flights over remote areas that were not previously possible.

N7874 flew for 18 hours and 9,905 miles at an average of 39,000 feet to create its 787 sky art across the US.

This isn’t the first time Boeing has made sky art during endurance testing. In February, as part of the 737 MAX 8’s testing, pilots drew a 172 mile high MAX over the northern United States. They’ve also drawn a ‘787’ with the Boeing logo and a large ‘12’ in support of the Seattle Seahawks. We’re looking forward to whatever they decide to draw next.

Flightradar24 Data & Downloads

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? High Quality Image of Boeing Test Flight