14 DAY TRIAL // Yesterday, the Boeing Commercial Airplanes company could finally sigh in relief. Its new airplane, the Boeing 787 Dreamliner, took its maiden flight. Originally scheduled to take place in September 2007, the flight was canceled multiple times, due to various technical reasons. But now, more than two years later, the result is breathtaking. The aircraft is not the largest in the world, nor does it carry the most passengers, but it's truly a sight to behold, the BBC News reports.
The aircraft is mid-sized, which means that it can accommodate as many as 290 to 330 passengers, depending on the final configuration of its available internal space. It features a wide-body construction type, which appears to be very popular with manufacturing companies at this time. It is powered by two General Electric GEnx or Rolls-Royce Trent 1000 engines, which are able to deliver between 53,000 and 70,000 pounds of thrust (lbf), depending on the 787 variant they are outfitted on.
One of the most remarkable things about the new airplane is its composite material fuselage, which features a peculiar mix of components. Approximately half of the hull is made from composite materials, such as carbon fiber-reinforced plastic, whereas 20 percent is made from aluminum.
About 15 percent of the total surface features titanium, ten percent steel, and the remaining five percent is given by other types of materials. This makes the Boeing 787 Dreamliner the first composite airliner in production. It is also the most demanded and well-sold plane, with more than 600 orders by 2007, and 850 orders by 2009. Some 56 customers paid between $150 million and $200 million for the aircraft.
The maiden flight began at the company's Everett facility, and ended in Boeing Field, in southern Seattle, for a three-hour test drive. “The airplane responded just as we expected. It was a joy to fly,” Randy Neville, who is one of the two pilots that took the Dreamliner out for a spin, says. “There were cheers as the sleek jet, painted in blue and white, lifted off from a cold, damp airfield. Afterwards some of the Boeing employees said they felt a sense of excitement and relief,” BBC correspondent Rajesh Mirchandani, who was on site for the launch, adds.
“This is an aircraft that changes the whole basis of flying, because of the equipment onboard. In terms of the cost of operation this is an 80% composite material aircraft, with 35 tonnes of carbon-fiber reinforced plastic, so it is a light aircraft – which means it burns less fuel,” BGC Partners transport analyst Howard Wheeldon explains. He adds that Airbus is also developing a composite aircraft of its own, the A350. According to Boeing officials, plans are to deliver the first finished airplanes to its customers by Q4, 2010.
