POT O’ GOLD
Commercial Airplanes' pot o' gold at the end of the rainbow is the first 777-300 Extended Range flight-test airplane, dubbed WD501. Boeing's newest twinjet waits out a rain storm at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif., before resuming flight tests required for the model's certification by the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration. The 777-300ER currently is undergoing a year-long flight- and ground-test program, which will culminate in certification of the airplane by the FAA in early 2004. First delivery is scheduled for April 2004 to International Lease Finance Corp., and its customer Air France.