OT - Pics from 787 Rollout

[JonM]

I am not much of a photographer, but here are some of the pics I took today at the rollout. There are very few fasteners visible on the fuselage. Really smooth finish on this plane, especially for the first of a kind.

[Mr. Deltoid]

Should be a sweet ride, can't wait to try!!

[branners]

No saddlebags...

[Hong Kong Nick]

A very nice-looking and large model airplane!

Be interesting to see how the carbon-fibre (and other exotic stuff!) does when it's ready to actually fly and gets off the ground!

Next month, I think?

Nick

[markjenn]

First flight should be anti-climatic - most of them are these days, what with the degree of numerical modeling they've done beforehand and the computers flying the plane. Scheduled for Sept, I think.

And the composiite construction, while being used to a degree not seen before, it not new to airliners. So again, unlikely to be surprises. If there are suprises, it will be once they enter service and are wheels up 16 hours out of 24.

- Mark

[JonM]

Originally posted by markjenn
So again, unlikely to be surprises. If there are suprises, it will be once they enter service and are wheels up 16 hours out of 24.

- Mark

I agree. Boeing built more than 50% of the B2 by weight. And McDonnell Douglas built the first-ever composite wings on the F15 in something like 1972. Theoretically, we aren't supposed to share military technologies on commercial planes, but I will let you draw your own conclusions. There are still a lot of leaps forward in material and processing technology on this plane, but I expect the early tails to be overweight (still under sales contract weight though) and overdesigned for extra margins.

[Steve Carlton]

Looks like a beauty. Has Boeing been using a lot of Rolls Royce engines lately? Those cracked-eggshell cowlings are interesting; must be a function to that?

[JonM]

Originally posted by Steve Carlton
Looks like a beauty. Has Boeing been using a lot of Rolls Royce engines lately? Those cracked-eggshell cowlings are interesting; must be a function to that?

The "chevrons" are for noise reduction supposedly. They certainly make the plane look different. Other than those and the shape of the nose, the 787 looks like another tube with wings from the outside.

I'm not sure how RR got onto the first aircraft and not GE. They must have been a little further along in their test program. [the engines shown are not flight-ready... little inside secret there. They'll get pulled off and switched out before first flight.] This plane is unique in that you can change the engines from GE to RR or viceversa at the wing, then reconfigure software, and fly. On other models, it's difficult and/or impossible to switch makers. Leasing companies love this feature and they buy most of the planes.

[Rapid Dog]

...and to think, I could be in lovely Everett right now, making triple my pay...

Do you work for Mother B Jon?

I spent two stints with the Automated Wire Testing crew...then 9/11 cut that short.

[markjenn]

Because I have a hangar rental at Everett, I can get on the west ramp which has a fairly close-in (300' or so from runway) view of takeoff - I watched the 777 first flight from there and while it was just another airliner taking off, it was exciting anyway. I'll probably do this one too.

Boeing commercial is on a roll right now, although in the airliner business you're seldom doing as good as your highs and you're seldom as doing as bad as your lows. Eventually the new A380 is going to really start hurting 747 sales and this has been the staple of Boeing's bottom line for a long time. So this new plane needs to do well and so far it has.

- Mark

[JonyRR]

Guess we'll find out if The Plastic Fantastic is all it's cracked up (a lousy pun when you're dealing with aviation) to be. Sure looks pretty.
I got some prepreg out of the back door of Toray Composites a while back, so my new one-off tankbag is made out of the same stuff the 787 is. that must add at least 10HP!

[throttlemeister]

I seriously doubt the A380 will hurt 747 sales too much. They will need to fill them up with passengers to be economical, and at least European travellers are not that willing to have to fly halfway across Europe to get to their intercontinental flight. They'd rather have a direct flight from their own country.

I think the 787 is going to hurt A380 sales for just that very reason. It is more economical for airlines to fly passengers from different airports with the 787 full than it is to fly the A380 half empty from a few airports.

[Sideshow_S]

Since we're on the topic of flight, and not to totally jack this thread, but have any of you seen the new personal jet from Cirrus? The company I work for has helped in some development. I kind of like the '50s dream-feel of the homepage image. Sort of reminds me of old Oldsmobile promo shots.

www.cirrusdesign.com

[markjenn]

Originally posted by throttlemeister
I seriously doubt the A380 will hurt 747 sales too much. They will need to fill them up with passengers to be economical, and at least European travellers are not that willing to have to fly halfway across Europe to get to their intercontinental flight. They'd rather have a direct flight from their own country.

I think the 787 is going to hurt A380 sales for just that very reason. It is more economical for airlines to fly passengers from different airports with the 787 full than it is to fly the A380 half empty from a few airports.

This is the Boeing kool-aid. I'm sure somewhat true, but whenever you're drinking kool-aid, know your lmiit.

- Mark

[throttlemeister]

I don't work in aerospace, but it seems logical to me. I hate layovers. I also don't like they idea of 800 in one plane.

[on2wheels52]

Should be good for my kid's BA stock, bought at $47.
Jim

[Hong Kong Nick]

I think the RR engines might be on the 'showroom' model because RR have the most engine sales to date ... maybe? Possibly?

Japanese airline ANA get the first 787, even before any US airlines, as a 'reward' for ordering 50 planes.

BUT, I remember Airbus going on about how they'd change commercial flying when they announced the A380 ... and where is it? Only the test plane has been doing the rounds of the big international airports, getting certified (I saw it at Hong Kong International Airport) ... but not one customer has received a single plane!

These things have to fly and then have to be delivered before they become a success! DOH!

Nick

[HugoVW]

The biggest problem with the development of the 380 was??? the CAD! Because it was a multi-national project people were working with CATIA V4 and V5 (in all it's different versions) and they found out that V4 and V5 are not 100% compatible (as everybody who works with it knows). So some guys worked on V4, some on V5 and when the parts (especially the electric wiring) arrived it didn't fit. All these problems were communicated early to the upper management but they replied "there is NO problem" (where have I heard that before) Typical of the "higher atmosphere" the Airbus chiefes were flying in so it was good it happened to get the feet back on the ground.
It is exciting to see Boeing designed the 787 and thinks about fuel consumption and emission in such an advanced airplane

Hugo

[captainasty]

Originally posted by branners
No saddlebags...

And smaller fuel tank. Nobody will use it, except the die hards.

[captainasty]

What's really amazing is how they fit all those folks in that plane. They must be using space dim. tech from Dr. Who.