After years of development issues, the Boeing Dreamliner, or the Boeing 787, is starting to get in some severe time in the air. A Dreamliner just made its European debut, by flying within the Farnborough Air Show. The plane has been stuck in what a movie studio would call “development hell” for some time, suffering a number of setbacks. Boeing seems to be gaining ground quickly though. There are already some on order, so if Boeing has hit it out of the park (which it tends to do most of the time), the Seattle based firm will get a veritable Berlin airlift of cash.
Dreamliner flies across the pond
The Farnborough Air Show in southwestern England, in Hampshire, saw the July 18 European debut of the Boeing Dreamliner. It is the premiere air show in Great Britain, held every two years. The Dreamliner, or rather the 787, is likely to be one of the centerpieces for this year. According to The Telegraph, Boeing is expecting some more advance orders of the 787, which has had numerous setbacks due to design issues and a machinists’ strike, among other things.
Green, lean, and mean
The plane’s design centered on greater fuel economy and environmentally friendly construction. Only 50 percent of the plane is really made from metal. Most planes are made of sheets of aluminum riveted together, but the Dreamliner is made of a few pieces of carbon fiber composite material. The engines are intended to cut carbon emissions by 20 percent, and also the lighter frame means greater fuel efficiency. The interior is designed to be far more comfortable for passengers. The 787 is geared to replace older planes of similar size and capacity, especially the Boeing 767.
Finally achieving takeoff
The Boeing Dreamliner came about as aircraft manufacturers sought to design planes with greater fuel efficiency within the late 1990s and early 2000s, or Noughties. The first flight for the plane was intended to be in 2007, but was postponed until 2009. Over 860 Dreamliners are ordered already.
Read more on this topic here
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/newsbysector/transport/farnborough-airshow/7897812/Farnborough-Airshow-2010-Boeing-787-Dreamliner-in-focus.html
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-10676791
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