Boeing will unveil the 787 Dreamliner on Sunday…July 8th, 2007(7/8/7)…in a bit of marketing whimsy. Things have been good for Boeing this year, with 544 orders for the year so far…which puts it on track to be the industry leader…a title it stole back from Airbus last year…
For a historical perspective, Reuters has a brief chronology of Boeing innovations thus far….here.
The Dreamliner contains many innovations…
- About 50 percent of the structure by weight will be lightweight composites
- Its lighter weight and new engines will make the plane 20 percent fuel efficient
- Instead of panels bolted together, the fuselage is woven out of composite, saving tens of thousands of parts.
- Since composites do not rust, moisture in the cabin air can be increased, creating a more pleasant experience
The initial model will seat between 210 and 250 people, flying at about 570mph, similar to the 747 jumbo. There will be four variants of the 787: The 787-8 will enter service in May 2008; the shorter-range 787-3 and the stretched 787-9 are scheduled to enter service in 2010. An even larger 787-10 is expected later.