EVERETT, Wash. (AP) -- A Boeing Co. spokesman says the aerospace manufacturer's new 787 jetliner taxied under its own power Tuesday for the first time in its development.
Boeing spokesman Jim Proulx says the low-speed taxi test at Paine Field near Everett, Wash., was the first time the plane has moved under its own engine power. Previously, tow trucks had moved the aircraft.
The plane performed tests that checked its steering and braking systems.
Initial deliveries of the 787 have been postponed by nearly two years, partly because of problems with components made by suppliers and work that suppliers didn't complete. Those hang-ups are expected to cost the airplane maker billions of dollars in added expenses and penalties.
It's unclear when Boeing will conduct the first test flight of the 787, previously scheduled for the second quarter of this year.
