The Dreamliner Boeing 787 Leave a comment

Boeing launched the new Boeing 787 Dreamliner passenger aircraft in 2003. The 787 family of aircraft, in the 200 to 300-seat class, will carry passengers non-stop on routes between 6,500km and 16,000km at speeds up to Mach 0.85. The aircraft is highly fuel-efficient and offers a lower cost of travel in terms of seat cost per mile as well, with the ability to fly directly to smaller regional airports instead of larger airports where passengers proceed to transfer flights to regional destinations. The Boeing 787 “Dreamliner” introduced multiple technical innovations to the world of commercial air travel. Through its widespread use of composite materials in primary structure, more electric (less pneumatic) systems architecture, and advanced aerodynamic and engine technology, the 787 achieved a 20% reduction in fuel burn compared to previous airplanes in its class. It also maintains a lower maximum cabin altitude for improved passenger comfort and offers larger windows for viewing the scenery outside. The 787 is roughly the size of the 767 but with the longer range of the 777.

First Dreamliner production aircraft

Aircraft assembly began in June 2006 and final assembly in May 2007. The first aircraft was rolled out in July 2007 and the first flight of the Boeing 787 Dreamliner took off from Paine Field in Everett, Washington, on 15 December 2009. The 787 test program consisted of six aircraft, titled ZA001 to ZA006. ZA001 was Boeing’s first test Dreamliner aircraft and was used for the maiden flight. It was decommissioned as a test aircraft in December 2011. ZA002 joined the Dreamliner test program in December 2009. ZA004 beat ZA003 to action by a month, they joined the test program in February and March 2010 respectively. ZA005, the first Dreamliner to have General Electric GEnx engines rather than the Rolls Royce Trent 1000 engines, made it’s first flight and entered the test program in June 2010. On 18 July 2010, the Dreamliner was showcased at the UK’s Farnborough International Airshow 2010. The 787-9 stretched variant is due to enter service in late 2013. On 24 February 2011 the Dreamliner completed 1,000 hours of flight testing.