[taco]

Boeing delays launch of 787 by six months
Embarrassing setback for jet maker; first flight postponed to early '08

Slide show
Boeing rolls out 787
Thousands of Boeing workers and airline executives mark the introduction of the firm’s innovative Dreamliner passenger jet.

MSNBC News Services
Updated: 29 minutes ago

Boeing Co. Wednesday delayed first deliveries of its 787 Dreamliner by at least six months Wednesday as it struggles to assemble the new lightweight, carbon-composite plane.

The delay is an embarrassing setback for Boeing, which for months has insisted it would meet its delivery timetable.

The company said deliveries that had been scheduled to begin next May will be pushed back to late November or December 2008. The first flight, already pushed back once from the initial target of earlier this fall, now is anticipated around the end of the first quarter of 2008.
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Boeing, which has orders for more than 700 of the new planes from 48 airlines and leasing companies, said the delay would not affect earnings, and it kept its financial forecast for this year and next unchanged. But Boeing shares dropped about 3 percent, leading the Dow Jones industrial average lower.

"We are disappointed over the schedule changes that we are announcing today," said Chairman and CEO Jim McNerney. "Notwithstanding the challenges that we are experiencing in bringing forward this game-changing product, we remain confident in the design of the 787, and in the fundamental innovation and technologies that underpin it."

McNerney had publicly voiced confidence as recently as four weeks ago that the jet maker would be able to deliver the first 787 on time next May to Japan's All Nippon Airways Co., despite skepticism among industry observers following the first postponement. As recently as this week a Boeing executive said the manufacturer still thought it could meet the May 2008 delivery date.

On Sept. 5, Boeing formally pushed back the first test flight to mid-November or mid-December due to complications with final assembly and finalizing flight-control software. That would have left the company just five to six months before the first delivery, or about half the time it took to test the 777 a decade ago.

The company first acknowledged problems meeting the original test-flight schedule in August when it cited ongoing challenges with out-of-sequence production work, including parts shortages, and remaining software and systems integration activities.

Airbus still hasn't recovered from its own problems introducing a new aircraft: the super-jumbo A380. Two years of delays, due largely to wiring problems, wiped billions of dollars off its parent company's profit forecasts for the coming years and sent many orders to Boeing.

The announcement Wednesday isn't likely to cause such turmoil for a highly anticipated plane that already has 710 orders and is sold out through late 2013. Airbus' planned competing A350 midsized widebody aircraft isn't due to hit the market before 2013.

But analysts cautioned that another Boeing delay would be more troubling.

"Just because the delivery date has been changed, customers are not going to be canceling," said Morningstar analyst Brian Nelson. "It's not as difficult to build as the A380. ... If things extend beyond the six-month delay and we start getting closer to a year, then I start getting worried."

The delay won't affect the aerospace company's ratings, said Craig Fraser of Fitch Ratings.

"If we see further delays or there are some problems with the first flight, or the ramp-up in production after the initial deliveries, that could affect the positive outlook that we have on the company," he said.

All Nippon Airways did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
© 2007 MSNBC Interactiv

[taco]

This jet is going to be amazing, I cant wait for the opportunity to ride in one.

Boeing 787 Dreamliner Will Provide New Solutions for Airlines, Passengers

Responding to the overwhelming preference of airlines around the world, Boeing Commercial Airplanes' new airplane is the Boeing 787 Dreamliner, a super-efficient airplane. An international team of top aerospace companies is developing the airplane, led by Boeing at its Everett facility near Seattle, Wash.
Unparalleled Performance

The 787-8 Dreamliner will carry 210 - 250 passengers on routes of 7,650 to 8,200 nautical miles (14,200 to 15,200 kilometers), while the 787-9 Dreamliner will carry 250 - 290 passengers on routes of 8,000 to 8,500 nautical miles (14,800 to 15,750 kilometers). A third 787 family member, the 787-3 Dreamliner, will accommodate 290 - 330 passengers and be optimized for routes of 2,500 to 3,050 nautical miles (4,600 to 5,650 kilometers).

In addition to bringing big-jet ranges to mid-size airplanes, the 787 will provide airlines with unmatched fuel efficiency, resulting in exceptional environmental performance. The airplane will use 20 percent less fuel for comparable missions than today's similarly sized airplane. It will also travel at speeds similar to today's fastest wide bodies, Mach 0.85. Airlines will enjoy more cargo revenue capacity.

Passengers will also see improvements with the new airplane, from an interior environment with higher humidity to increased comfort and convenience.
Advanced Technology

The key to this exceptional performance is a suite of new technologies being developed by Boeing and its international technology development team.

Boeing has announced that as much as 50 percent of the primary structure - including the fuselage and wing - on the 787 will be made of composite materials.

An open architecture will be at the heart of the 787's systems, which will be more simplified than today's airplanes and offer increased functionality. For example, the team is looking at incorporating health-monitoring systems that will allow the airplane to self-monitor and report maintenance requirements to ground-based computer systems.

Boeing has selected General Electric and Rolls-Royce to develop engines for the new airplane. It is expected that advances in engine technology will contribute as much as 8 percent of the increased efficiency of the new airplane, representing a nearly two-generation jump in technology for the middle of the market.

Another improvement in efficiency will come in the way the airplane is designed and built. New technologies and processes are in development to help Boeing and its supplier partners achieve unprecedented levels of performance at every phase of the program. For example, by manufacturing a one-piece fuselage section, we are eliminating 1,500 aluminum sheets and 40,000 - 50,000 fasteners.
Continuing Progress

The Boeing board of directors granted authority to offer the airplane for sale in late 2003. Program launch occurred in April 2004 with a record order from All-Nippon Airways. Since that time, 47 customers have placed orders for 684 airplanes from six continents of the world, making this the most successful launch of a new commercial airplane in Boeing's history.

The program has signed on 43 of the world's most capable top-tier supplier partners and together finalized the airplane's configuration in September 2005. These partners have started detailed design and, with Boeing, are connected virtually at 135 sites around the world to work toward major assembly in 2006. Eleven partners from around the world started facility construction for a total of 3 million additional square feet to create their major structures and bring the next new airplane to market.

The 787 program will open its final assembly plant in Everett in 2007. First flight is expected in 2007 with certification, delivery and entry into service occurring in 2008.

[TheDriver]

I don't want to ride in any fucking planes. I don't care how nice it is.

Anyway, maybe bagman's dad will get to fly one.

[The_Egg]

Passengers will also see improvements with the new airplane, from an interior environment with higher humidity to increased comfort and convenience.
Advanced Technology

You know every plane I have ever been on I had a huge problem with the humidity. Glad they got that fixed.

[TheDriver]

Now I can bring my cigars in my carry on.

[taco]

Do not mock the super plane.

[TacoSusio]

so, they will be able to pack more cargo and more people into the newer planes....yay?

[AnnonUSA]

I would not fly on any new Airliner for at least 2 years. I don't want to be a beta test victim.

While in Seattle this summer we took the Boeing Assembly plant tour and saw this plane on the assembly line. Very cool plane, and if the innovations hold true, it will be a cool plane to travel in.

Note: Some suggestions to Boeing for future aircraft. Something to prevent being stuffed into a seat next to a 500 pound person that does not fit in the seat. And a sleeping gas mask for Whining crying babies.....

[FatBluntz]

that is a nice fucking plane

http://www.articlesextra.com/main-fo...sagierraum.jpg
look at the fucking seats. holy fuck

[AnnonUSA]

Originally Posted by FatBluntz

that is a nice fucking plane

http://www.articlesextra.com/main-fo...sagierraum.jpg
look at the fucking seats. holy fuck

That pic is a rendering of a possible interior of the 787. The Airlines that actually purchase the planes spec the types and sizes of the seats and interior decor. The chances of you ever riding in a plane that looks like that (or affording a ride in one that looks like that) is slim to none.

[TheBagman]

Originally Posted by AnnonUSA

That pic is a rendering of a possible interior of the 787. The Airlines that actually purchase the planes spec the types and sizes of the seats and interior decor. The chances of you ever riding in a plane that looks like that (or affording a ride in one that looks like that) is slim to none.

Yep, gotta stuff as many people in there as possible...

[The_Egg]

In this day and age with all the terror and all, we need to get back to the basics.

[TheDriver]

Originally Posted by The_Egg

In this day and age with all the terror and all, we need to get back to the basics.

I call dibs of the fifty calibers.