United 787-9 takes test flight from Boeing SC

A United 787-9 Dreamliner took a test flight from Boeing South Carolina Monday. (Photo/Brian Calhoun)

Boeing South Carolina flew a United 787-9 Dreamliner for a flight test earlier this week.

Brian Calhoun, a military photographer with the S.C. Army National Guard, snapped the 787-9 leaving Boeing South Carolina for a test flight as it was taking off from Charleston International Airport in North Charleston.

Boeing confirmed that this was not the first test flight for the United 787-9, though no other details were provided.

According to FlightAware, which tracks flights in real-time, the test flight pilot flew the Dreamliner around the Charleston area for nearly four hours on Monday.

FlightAware shows the 787-9 test flight's route on Monday.

Five other test flights have occurred in the past week, taking off from and returning to Charleston International Airport, according to FlightAware data. Several off these flights have gone out over the Atlantic Ocean, including one that appears to be ongoing Wednesday morning.

On Feb. 20, FlightAware shows the plane flew to Louisiana, where Boeing South Carolina has one of its two painting facilities for its Dreamliners. A local paint facility is under construction on the Boeing campus in North Charleston. Once completed, Dreamliners will no longer be flown out-of-state for painting work.

Boeing South Carolina Vice President Jack Jones said recently the first Boeing South Carolina-assembled 787-9 will be delivered in the first half of 2015. He declined to say what airline it will be for.