As can happen with clean-sheet aircraft designs, Boeing hit some delays as it worked out kinks such as slower-than-expected completion, structural issues with the side-of-body section, and a strike, among others, that finally led to the first flight of the Boeing on December 15th, The first is a short- and medium-haul configuration with seats onboard. This comprises 42 business class seats in a six-abreast configuration and economy class seats in the standard nine-abreast setup.
The other two are lightly-loaded international aircraft. One version with seats offers room for 32 in forward-facing lie-flat business class in a setup, 14 recliner-style premium economy seats in a configuration, and economy class seats in a classic configuration. The final seater international variant is even more premium with 46 business class seats, 21 in premium economy, and economy class seats in the same layout as described above.
JAA, the first ever delivered, is configured for regional flying in East Asia with the seat configuration. This plane is also the oldest in commercial passenger service. On September 17th, Boeing celebrated seven years since the maiden flight of the , the longest-range variant of the Dreamliner program. That work proved substantial because the company had ramped up production ahead of certification being finished, Krutz notes.
The programme also made clear that aircraft with advanced technologies might require eight or nine years to develop and certify, not the seven-year baseline expected for previous conventional aircraft, Krutz adds. In , Boeing delivered 46 s, including the first produced at its new, second production site in North Charleston, South Carolina.
Its prime site was in Everett, Washington. Problems persisted. Regulators grounded s for four months in early following two lithium-ion battery incidents. Safety incidents included a lithium-ion battery fire on Japan Airlines jet in Deliveries jumped to in and continued an upward swing, hitting aircraft in , when Boeing was ramping production to a programme high of 14 jets monthly.
More quality concerns arose that year, including reports of foreign object debris in jets delivered from South Carolina. Along the way, Boeing brought two other variants to market, delivering the first passengers, 7,nm of range in , and the first passengers, 6,nm range in Suddenly, carriers could make money flying from major hubs to distant smaller cities — routes unprofitable with larger widebodies.
The jets likewise proved successful on long-established routes like between New York and London, he adds. Japan Airlines flew s domestically. Discounters built long-haul networks with s. And domestic. Then the pandemic descended, erasing demand for travel on the international routes for which Boeing designed s.
Executives slashed output to six examples monthly, then to five. Boeing also set in motion a major manufacturing overhaul — it would stop making s in Everett and shift all production to the lower-cost South Carolina site, a consolidation completed this year.
Boeing has said the issue does not affect flight safety and that it is performing rework to ensure its products meet quality standards. Boeing resumed deliveries in March , then halted them again in May after the FAA declined to approve a Boeing-proposed algorithm related to fuselage inspections.
Regulations require manufacturers develop fixes before resuming deliveries, the FAA says. In July came another issue. Boeing said gaps in forward-pressure bulkheads of undelivered s did not meet tolerances — a problem also not affecting flight safety.
On October 26, the Dreamliner reaches its year milestone in service. Branding the the Dreamliner wasn't just marketing speak. The , then and now, is one of those game-changing, envelope-pushing aircraft that come along once in a generation.
It takes its place among legendary earth-shrinking conveyances such as the Douglas DC-3, the first modern airliner; the Boeing , the first successful commercial jetliner; The Boeing , the first wide-body jumbo jet that brought long-haul travel to the masses; and the Concorde SST.
This elite group are considered "moonshots," deploying cutting-edge, exotic technology often before it was ready.
Their paradigm-changing design would influence all new airliners that came after them. But it would come at a price. By the time the first of the initial batch of 50 s was delivered to launch customer ANA in September Boeing would break even at over 1, delivered units, but this would take another decade.
It would be another two and a half years before the first took flight on December 15, It was supposed to enter service in just prior to the Beijing Summer Olympics. New airline programs are notoriously behind schedule, but the 's was three and a half years late.
Ten years ago, that troubled gestation was set aside for one historic flight. I was fortunate to be a passenger on board ANA flight , the inaugural flight of the Boeing Dreamliner in passenger service, operating a special charter between Tokyo and Hong Kong.
After nearly eight tortuous years in development, Boeing's technical tour de force was finally ready to the ply the skies for its first customers: airlines and passengers. Our flight's manifest consisted of media, ANA employees, and about aviation enthusiasts who had competed in an auction for a coveted seat to history. I have covered many first flights, but only the first flight of the Airbus A rivaled this for enthusiasm. Packed with new features. Without getting too geeky, it's worth recounting what made aviation's latest arrival such a departure from all aircraft before it.
For starters, it was the world's first all-composite airliner, which resulted in a lighter, stronger, and nearly ageless fuselage. Less weight translates into reduced fuel burn. Major systems such as air conditioning and flight controls once powered exclusively by mechanical hydraulics were now electrically powered. The plane even sounded different, with electric whirrs replacing hydraulic hisses. The manufacturing was highly outsourced and this controversial sharing of financial risk was equally innovative and cost-saving -- but ultimately the Dreamliner's biggest foible.
The delivered gee-whiz passenger experience tech in spades. The passengers on that flight were like real-time beta testers, swarming over all the new features. LED mood lighting programs bathe the cabin in a full spectrum of colors, from calm aquas and radiant reds to full on Studio 54 disco mode. The natural and LED lighting align the passenger's circadian rhythm with the light outside and the ultimate destination, thus combating jet lag on the long-haul flights the aircraft was designed for.
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