I actually thought Boeing would get the December date, as I expected them to be conservative. Now, I think they really are conservative. So, I believe the date for first flight, well, it is put with some flexibility. I know another aircraft that was scheduled to fly in first quarter 200x
On the contrary, I think they are being far from conservative. How is rolling out an aircraft held together with sellotape and bluetack being conservative? They have been far too bold in their claims and no doubt engineering is being given an impossible task by marketing and management. The first aircraft will be delivered late with a multitude of problems as boeing attempts to stay on time with the models release.