The first Boeing 787 after roll-out on 07-08-2007. - Photo: Boeing
Boeing 787 Dreamliner
Model 787 is Boeing's newest aircraft type. It is a mid-size widebody aircraft for medium to long ranges and intended as the successor of the Boeing 767. It competes with the Airbus A330 and A350.
In March 2001 Boeing presented the Sonic Cruiser, a futuristic looking widebody airliner with canard-wings, a delta wing, rear-mounted engines and two horizontal fins. The Sonic Cruiser was intended to fly at speeds close to Mach 1, that is 15 to 20 per cent faster than current jetliners do. The Sonic Cruiser offered accommodation to 200 to 250 passengers and could fly 11,100 to 16,650 km (6,000 to 9,000 nm) at an altitude of around 15,000 m (45,000 ft). Boeing had worked on the design since 1999.
After the first sensation the airlines soon became less enthusiastic. There were uncertainties about the cost of the new technologies involved and about the relatively high fuel burn of flying at high speeds compared to what a new conventional airliner would use. After the terrorist assaults of September 11 2001 most airlines were in a bad financial shape and lost interest in the Sonic Cruiser. In December 2002 Boeing shelved the project and focused its attention on a conventional-looking 250-seater, the 7E7. The E stood for 'Efficient' and Boeing's intention was to build a very fuel-efficient, silent and clean aircraft, with maximum use of new technology. The aircraft would become a replacement for the 767. Later the 7E7 was redesignated Boeing 787 and named 'Dreamliner'.
A Boeing 787 on the final assembly line in Everett - Photo: Boeing
50 per cent composites
The Boeing 787 is an all-new airplane and Boeing has incorporated lots of new technology in the design. The Rolls-Royce and General Electric turbofans will burn about 8 per cent less fuel than the engines of earlier widebody aircraft. About 50 per cent of the primary structure, including the fuselage and wing, will be made of composite materials, like carbon fibre reinforced plastics. For comparison: the Boeing 777 incorporates 12 per cent composites in the primary structure. The use of composites makes it possible to manufacture one-piece fuselage sections, which eliminate thousands of aluminum sheets and ten-thousands of fasteners.
Another feature of the 787 are 'health-monitoring systems', which monitor the technical condition of the airplane and report maintenance information to computer systems on the ground. This helps to reduce maintenance costs by 30 per cent compared to current airliners. Passengers will enjoy larger windows in the 787 than usual on today's airliners.
Artist's impression of a LOT 787 - Image: Boeing
Three versions
Boeing initially wants to build three versions of the Dreamliner. The 787-8 will carry 210 to 250 passengers over about 15,200 km (8,200 nm), while the stretched 787-9 will carry 250 to 290 passengers up to 15,750 km (8,500 nm). A third variant, the 787-3 with 290-330 seats, is optimized for shorter flights of 4,650 up to 5,650 (2,500 to 3,050 nm).
Parts of the Boeing 787 are constructed by suppliers at sites far from Seattle. To fly large parts of the aircraft to the final assembly line, including fuselage sections and wings, Boeing developed a special version of the Boeing 747, the 747-400LCF (Large Cargo Freighter), named 'Dreamlifter'.
The first flight of the Boeing 787 was initially scheduled for August 2007, but Boeing had to admit delays due to production problems several times. One problem is a shortage of fasteners in the industry and another complication is that sub-assemblies delivered by partners often are not complete so that a lot of unexpected extra work is necessary on the Everett production line. The first flight is now planned for late 2008. Boeing originally wanted to deliver the first 787-8 to All Nippon Airways in May 2008, but the first production Dreamliners will now go to Japan in early 2009. During the first years the production will be substantially lower than originally planned, so that delivery delays for airlines will become two years and more.
Anyhow, the Boeing 787 has a spectacular sales start. Boeing received more orders for the type than for any of its airliners in such an early state of the program. At the moment of the official roll-out (on 07-08-2007 = 7-8-7) the orderbook comprised orders for more than 600 aircraft. In mid 2008 Boeing had orders for about 900 aircraft. Among the first buyers of the Dreamliner are: All Nippon Airways, Air New Zealand, Blue Panorama (Italy), First Choice Airlines (UK), Japan Airlines (JAL), Northwest Airlines, Air Canada, Korean Air, a combination of Chinese airlines and Continental Airlines.
The futuristic looking Boeing 787 cockpit - Image: Boeing
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