First 787 Dreamliner built in SC rolls out today...
 

Standing on the flight line waiting for it to roll out...

Still waiting?

That's very cool.

It's over. Had to wait for the exec's and politcos to give their two cents.

Very cool plane!

Pix later, as I'm on my phone.

cough cough, I'd use the term "built" in South Carolina loosely........maybe "assembled", but certainly not built.

Debacle of international outsourcing of major components like complete wings and body sections = years of delays and stuff that just didn't fit nor work.

sources:

Business & Technology | Boeing 787: Parts from around world will be swiftly integrated | Seattle Times Newspaper

Cool.

So how much less does this one weigh than the first one that was just retired?

Yeah but at least they were able to 'break' those pesky unions! Good job furthering the downward spiral of skilled labor in this country and at the same time turning out a more expensive, lower quality product! Lets see you blame 'big labor' for this one. SmileWavy

Take your political views to PARF. This is not the place for it.

I work on my own Porsche, I like looking at the "made in X" when I replace a part, what was on the car, and what I'm putting in to replace it. Off the top of my head, this is where my "German" car is made.


Czechoslovakia, China, UK, France, Korea, Mexico, Brazil, Japan, USA, Italy, and a few parts are made in Germany to.

I have a feeling, that whether under unions or not, the quality of stuff in the USA is down, because a lot of workers don't care to do a good job, and if they don't care, then why pay them? Its a loop, and there is no motivation for a company to pay someone who is slacking more, so quality declines, and customer, worker, and employer satisfaction declines.

Did you read the Seattle Times article that Thom linked above? Marco and Willie... and let's not forget out old buddy Carl, who is not mentioned (for good reason)...

Both Dave and I have worked with/for/against the two men named in that article - Marco and Willie - and much of the engineering and management staff down there. It's simply amazing how many of my our buddies wound up in Charleston. Most of the engineering and management staff are transfers from up here. None the less, it is truly impressive how quickly they pulled it together.

I know Marco, as our sons swim on the same team. Never met Willie (although I work in mid-body).

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Since I know nothing about planes, what is the particulate in the air in the photo? Is it dust blown around by the turbines?

It's just fog from a fog machine. The plane was pulled out with a tug.

It's truly great to see Boeing do well. Seattle's loss is Charleston's gain. Kudos to Boeing.

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I've seen this type of beveled jet intake step before, can anyone please explain to me why it is there?

Pictures I took in 2007 at the Williow Run air show.
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I was there... the sunburn will probably hang around for days. My pics are all from the other side - I was on the front row near the camera on a boom.

I'm hoping the heat yesterday isn't a sign of things to come anytime soon. :(

It's not beveled. The "ring" around the blades is rub-area which is made to be as near blades as possible. Blades actually rub/abrade this area during first start in order to make as small tolerance/distance as possible. The more air escapes between the case and the fan, the less efficient the fan gets. Thus they go great lengths to achieve small tolerances.

Darker area in front is, as far as I remember, perforated sheet metal. It helps dampen the noise. The profile from leading edge to fan should be smooth though...

What's the big deal on the craft ; anyway?

Lots of things. One of the biggest things is an all composite fuselage built has a series tubes, not sectioned/paneled like the aluminum skined fuselage. But to really understand what's going on:
Boeing's New Airplane - Design Highlights

I'm not an engineer nor union/non union guy. I can see both sides. I did spend several years having responsibility for a sub contractor to Boeing's internal "Fabrication Division" and met with several Boeing folks during that time. It was clear they were grieving the loss of their own internal capabilities to manufacture parts. In particular composite materials. Hopefully they'll get something figured out but that balances this 787 outsource everything strategy with internal manufacturing capability. It's also clear that having strikes every 18 months wasn't going to work. It had a huge impact on our business. Every time their lines shut down I layed people off. It seems like the company and the unions have figured some things out. Seems like South Carolina played a part in that. It's a great company, I'll root for them to be strong and hope wherever they build/assemble their planes prospers.

You must not be from around here. :D
More heat, and lots more humidity to come.
And skeeters that are only slightly smaller than the 787, and as aggressive as a pissed-off pit bull.

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Yeah... last summer here was my first. Sometime around August I started giving serious thought to putting a/c in the garage. I'm sure I'll start thinking about that again sooner rather than later.

Now come the hard parts of the job.

With regards to post #6, I believe it was the Airbus A380 that had it's wings fail during testing. And if I recall correctly, Airbus said that was "good enough." I avoid anything Airbus. Fly Boeing.

A930ROCKET- Thanks for taking pictures.....cant wait to be a passenger on that bad boy:)

Without A/C no one from the North would be moving to the South.

Change in Population from 1970 to 2008
Change in Population from 1970 to 2008 | Global Climate Change Impacts in the United States 2009 Report
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I thought it was a nice day, with the breeze and all.

Now if it was July or August with the no-see-ums and mosquitoes flying about, it would have been miserable.

And now... number 100 !

NORTH CHARLESTON, S.C., Feb. 16, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Boeing [NYSE:BA] South Carolina marked a milestone today, with the delivery of the 100th airplane built at the North Charleston site. The airplane, a 787-8, was delivered to American Airlines in front of hundreds of Boeing South Carolina teammates.

"Reaching this milestone is a testament to the hard work and dedication of our entire team," said Beverly Wyse, vice president and general manager of Boeing South Carolina. "As we continue to prepare for the new 787-10 and production rate increases, we're excited about what the future holds here in North Charleston."

Today's delivery marked American's first 787 from Boeing South Carolina and 14th overall. The airline has 28 more Dreamliners on order.

"The 787 has quickly become an important part of our fleet, allowing us to fly profitably to new places like Auckland, New Zealand," said Chuck Schubert, Vice President of Network Planning at American Airlines. "When we're trying to match the right plane to each route, the 787 is a great aircraft to have."

Cheryl Harden
Boeing South Carolina Communications

My motto had always been "if it ain't Boeing I'm not Going". It's getting harder to find Boeing equipment on the routes I want to fly.

Good to see you Mr Cash!

Looks like a lot of people left Fargo for some reason. I wonder why, I mean with the movie/TV show and all..??

We had champagne and cake at my location on the 16th. A cake shaped like a 787, and champagne bottles with special Boeing labels. Only weird thing was that it was in the morning.

Not to be a wet blanket, but:

787 assembly problems in Charleston drag on Everett | The Seattle Times

That was two years ago.. Things have changed drastically. And we're moving a lot more out of Washington and California in 16-17.

Yes, that was two years ago. And yes, things have changed - it has continued to worsen. The EMC (Everett Modification Center)in Everett continues to rework and repair every SCAB built airplane prior to delivery, with mechanics pounding out 84 hour weeks to do so. They call it the "Everett Money Center". We call it the "Everett Mistake Center"...

Please don't "shoot the messenger". I just call 'em like I see 'em. I've now worked on more than my fair share of both Everett and SCAB built 787's in the field (just got back from Amman, Jordan on one as a matter of fact). From a field maintenance point of view, the SCAB airplanes are a relative nightmare - lots or "creativity" and less than thoroughly documented "surprises" as we work our way through.

I'll leave it at that. Hopefully, I haven't crossed "that" line...

I can respect that, and of course I cannot comment further either.

Good article. I've been gone from Boeing for 19 months now and don't miss it one bit. Saw lots of things that scared me. There were good workers and not so good workers just like any where. But we're taking about a plane that can't pull over for a problem.

Wow, 4 years from finished product to take off. Good job there guys. If YOU were in charge of WW 2, we might be on Omaha Beach by now. Yep, I'm really interested in flying in a plastic plane. Sign me up.

Yes, well SPEEA organized in 1946.