The Boeing 787 Dreamliner has made its maiden flight, circling around the Washington area for more than two hours before landing. Here is a guide to the who, what and why of the latest airliner to take to the skies.
What’s the big deal, it’s just a plane taking off?
It wasn’t just any plane, it was the Boeing 787 Dreamliner. The first all new aircraft from Boeing to leave the ground in more than 15 years.
It’s important for a couple of other reasons. It’s the fastest selling airliner ever (more than 800 orders to date), and it’s more than two years late so far.
The Dreamliner has had a nightmare to be honest. Quite a few hiccups on the way. Strikes, use of the wrong parts and most importantly "a need to reinforce an area within the side-of-body section of the aircraft".
Yikes. The wings won't fall off will they? They looked pretty bent on the maiden flight.
The Boeing 787 is revolutionary because it is the first commercial jet to be made of composite materials. That is, the body isn't entirely made of metal but a mixture of carbon fibre and other metals.
And that's it in a nutshell. The wings are mostly composites, so they they are just as strong, they are much lighter and more flexible than other aircraft wings. In theory, they could even bend upwards until they touch each other without snapping.
The extra bend will be noticeable whenever the 787 is in flight, but it’s nothing to worry about. In fact, wings are meant to bend on a plane. If the old metal wings were stiff enough to remain rigid under the buffeting they get in the skies, the plane would probably be too heavy to take off. So bend is good.
OK, so the wings are safe. What else is special about the 787?
Well. It’s about the composites. The 787 is a lot lighter than comparable planes and will apparently be 20 per cent more fuel efficient than the outgoing Boeing 767. Tech stuff aside, the fact it isn’t metal means cabin humidity can be higher (meaning the air will be less dry) and cabin pressure can be increased.
Cabin pressure, you mean we’ll all be floating around?
No – it's about the passenger comfort experience. Cabin pressure in normal airliners is regulated to about 8,000ft (that is the air is the same as it would be if you were outside at that height). The Dreamliner will apparently have internal pressure equivalent to 6,000ft, making it much more comfortable and easier to breathe.
Cool. So they’ll be coming into land in the UAE pretty soon then?
Not quite. The maiden flight is just the first step on a long road (or flight). The plane needs to go through rigorous extreme weather testing (taking off and landing in very hot and cold weather) amongst other things. It could take up to a year for the plane to be certified and then they need to get the 787s off the production lines and delivered. The first Dreamliner is currently scheduled to go into service with Japans’ All Nippon Airways at the end of 2010.
Japan? But what about the Gulf?
Actually, with more than 130 firm orders, Gulf airlines and leasing companies are some of the biggest customers for the plane.
Sitting at the top of the pile is Etihad, which has ordered 35 787s. Qatar Airways has 30 of them booked, Gulf Air is buying 24 and Oman Air have six on order. Kuwait Airways completes the airline list with 22 planes coming. But Saudi Arabian Airlines should also be flying the Dreamliner through leasing company ALAFCO.
