Post by corsair67 on Sept 19, 2006 11:19:27 GMT 12
From today's The Australian.
I bet Boeing are hoping for a smoother ride with the 787 program than Airbus are having with their A380 program.
Boeing wings in Dreamliner assembly parts, on the fly
September 19, 2006.
BOEING, the world's second-biggest plane maker, will begin delivering wings and fuselage parts for its 787 Dreamliner by air cargo in January.
The first 787 body parts will be flown from Nagoya, Japan, to Charleston, South Carolina, in Boeing's so-called large cargo freighter, a modified 747-400 enlarged to carry three times more cargo volume.
The freighter made its first long-haul flight from Taipei on the weekend, where it was constructed, to Seattle, where the Dreamliner will be assembled.
Qantas has selected the Boeing 787 as the cornerstone of its domestic and international fleet renewal program.
Under the fleet plan, the Qantas Group will acquire up to 115 Boeing 787 aircraft.
The weekend flight is the 787 program's "most significant milestone this year" as wing and fuselage production is under way and on schedule for delivery next year, 787 production manager Scott Strode told reporters in Seattle.
Chief executive James McNerney is counting on the 787 to win back dominance of the $60 billion-a-year jetliner market from top rival Airbus.
Production of the Dreamliner is dependent on suppliers that will ship pre-assembled fuselage parts and wings, made of lightweight carbon fibre and plastic resin, from across the globe to Boeing's wide-body factory 50km north of Seattle for assembly.
Boeing has 377 firm orders for the 787 through August.
Airbus, still officially without a plane to compete with the 787, has won orders for 222 airliners in the same period, less than half of the total of Boeing's total orders for 561 airliners, according to its website. A fleet of three large cargo freighters will ferry the parts 24 hours a day between Nagoya, Charleston, Grottaglie in Italy and Wichita in Kansas, before flying them to the Seattle area.
A record 70 per cent of the 787's parts come from outside suppliers.
Boeing expected the large cargo freighter to be certified by the Federal Aviation Administration on December 7, said Joe MacDonald -- the 747 chief pilot who flew the freighter 13 hours from Taipei.
The cargo plane had completed nine of 250 test-flight hours, he said.
Construction of the freighter began more than a year ago. The freighter, which can carry more than 61 tonnes of 787 parts, has been modified to increase the floor-to-ceiling area and width behind the jet's cockpit, giving it a bulging appearance.
It was also equipped with a hinged tail, allowing the large parts to be quickly loaded into the plane, saving time and costs, Mr Strode said.
"It's not the prettiest plane in the world, but it is such an important part of the company's plan, I can get past its looks," Mr MacDonald said.
Bloomberg
I bet Boeing are hoping for a smoother ride with the 787 program than Airbus are having with their A380 program.
Boeing wings in Dreamliner assembly parts, on the fly
September 19, 2006.
BOEING, the world's second-biggest plane maker, will begin delivering wings and fuselage parts for its 787 Dreamliner by air cargo in January.
The first 787 body parts will be flown from Nagoya, Japan, to Charleston, South Carolina, in Boeing's so-called large cargo freighter, a modified 747-400 enlarged to carry three times more cargo volume.
The freighter made its first long-haul flight from Taipei on the weekend, where it was constructed, to Seattle, where the Dreamliner will be assembled.
Qantas has selected the Boeing 787 as the cornerstone of its domestic and international fleet renewal program.
Under the fleet plan, the Qantas Group will acquire up to 115 Boeing 787 aircraft.
The weekend flight is the 787 program's "most significant milestone this year" as wing and fuselage production is under way and on schedule for delivery next year, 787 production manager Scott Strode told reporters in Seattle.
Chief executive James McNerney is counting on the 787 to win back dominance of the $60 billion-a-year jetliner market from top rival Airbus.
Production of the Dreamliner is dependent on suppliers that will ship pre-assembled fuselage parts and wings, made of lightweight carbon fibre and plastic resin, from across the globe to Boeing's wide-body factory 50km north of Seattle for assembly.
Boeing has 377 firm orders for the 787 through August.
Airbus, still officially without a plane to compete with the 787, has won orders for 222 airliners in the same period, less than half of the total of Boeing's total orders for 561 airliners, according to its website. A fleet of three large cargo freighters will ferry the parts 24 hours a day between Nagoya, Charleston, Grottaglie in Italy and Wichita in Kansas, before flying them to the Seattle area.
A record 70 per cent of the 787's parts come from outside suppliers.
Boeing expected the large cargo freighter to be certified by the Federal Aviation Administration on December 7, said Joe MacDonald -- the 747 chief pilot who flew the freighter 13 hours from Taipei.
The cargo plane had completed nine of 250 test-flight hours, he said.
Construction of the freighter began more than a year ago. The freighter, which can carry more than 61 tonnes of 787 parts, has been modified to increase the floor-to-ceiling area and width behind the jet's cockpit, giving it a bulging appearance.
It was also equipped with a hinged tail, allowing the large parts to be quickly loaded into the plane, saving time and costs, Mr Strode said.
"It's not the prettiest plane in the world, but it is such an important part of the company's plan, I can get past its looks," Mr MacDonald said.
Bloomberg
