Category: Photos

Today, Boeing officially debuted the technologically advanced and environmentally progressive 787 Dreamliner in a celebration attended by employees, airline customers, supplier partners and government and community officials.
The 787 Dreamliner Premiere was broadcast live in nine different languages via satellite to more than 45 countries and webcast via www.boeing.com and www.newairplane.com. Distinguished journalist and best-selling author Tom Brokaw served as the master of ceremonies for the event.
Approximately 15,000 people attended the Premiere at the Everett, Wash., final assembly factory. More than 30,000 participated via two-way satellite into the event in Everett from Japan, Italy and locations in the United States. As many as 90 other locations around the globe involving 787 customers, partners and many Boeing employees also chose to download the event live or watch it pre-recorded and host their own viewing event.
In all, the 787 Premiere potentially reached 100 million or more viewers, making it one of the largest corporate TV and Internet broadcasts in history.
“This has been a wonderful and exciting day to celebrate this breakthrough airplane with our customers, employees, supplier partners and our communities,” said Scott Carson, Boeing Commercial Airplanes president and CEO. “We are gratified that the 787 has been so strongly validated in the marketplace by our customers. Their response is proof that the Dreamliner will bring real value to our airline customers, passengers and the global air transportation system.”
The Boeing 787 Dreamliner, the world’s first mostly composite commercial airplane, will use 20 percent less fuel per passenger than similarly sized airplanes, produce fewer carbon emissions, and will have quieter takeoffs and landings.
“Our journey began some six years ago when we knew we were on the cusp of delivering valuable technologies that would make an economic difference to our airline customers. In our business, that happens every 15 or so years, so we have to get it right,” said Mike Bair, Boeing Commercial Airplanes vice president/general manager of the 787 program. “I am so proud of the men and women of Boeing and of our partner employees in the 70 companies that have brought this airplane to the passengers of the world.”
Following the premiere, the first 787 Dreamliner will be completed in the Everett factory – including the installation of final systems elements, interiors and flight test equipment. First flight of the airplane is expected in late August or September. A total of six airplanes will be included in the flight test program, which will conclude in May 2008 with the certification of the airplane followed shortly by the first delivery of a 787 to ANA.
To date, 47 customers worldwide have ordered 677 airplanes worth more than $110 billion at current list prices, making the Dreamliner the most successful commercial airplane launch in history. The first 787 is scheduled to enter passenger service in May 2008.

Boeing told that workers have finally joined the nose section of the 787 to the forward fuselage, but a spokeswoman admitted the two composite fuselage barrels were not a seamless fit and the solution proved “challenging.”

A Everett factory source told there were unexpected problems in trying to join fuselage sections and that loads had to be applied by engineers to finally connect the forward and nose sections. This required that some internal structure installed before the sections arrived in Everett be removed to make the massive one-piece composite barrels less rigid, the source said.

This also added to the growing work load that Boeing faces in order to meet the July 8 rollout date.

Boeing engineers calculated the amount of hydraulic load that could be safely applied to the structures to force the sections to fit, the source said.

The problem was on the left side of section 41 – the nose and cockpit – manufactured by Spirit AeroSystems in Wichita. A bulge of more than an inch and a half was discovered when that section was initially lined up in tooling to be connected with the forward fuselage section 43, manufactured by Kawasaki in Japan, the source said.

Section 41 arrives from Wichita as one piece. Section 43 is connected in Charleston, S.C., with mid fuselage sections 46 and 44 that are manufactured by Alenia in Italy. That entire fuselage structure is flown to Everett for final assembly. (Seattle Times)

Photos of the 787 Fuselage Gaps