Digital Crosstalk

Boeing’s Dreamliner makes maiden flight

Posted by Brian | Filed under air

After some two years of delays, Boeing’s 787 Dreamliner finally made its maiden flight on Tuesday 15th December, completing a three-hour trip which was hailed by the airline maker as ‘a success’.

More than 12,000 Boeing employees and guests looked on as the plane left the tarmac at around 10.30am from Everett’s Paine Field before the plane touched down three hours later at Seattle’s Boeing Field, around 40 miles from where it started.

Although it might sound something of an anti-climax, taking 180 minutes to cover just 40 miles, the plane actually travelled at around 207 mph at an altitude of 15,000 – a typical height for a maiden flight. During the plane’s airborne time, the chief pilot and captain tested some of the plane’s systems and structures while flight data was streamed to a team of engineers for analysis at Boeing Field.

Although not due to begin commercial flights until 2011, customers have already ordered 840 of the 787 planes at a cost of $150 million each. Boeing promises passengers a ‘better flying experience’ with flyers able to take advantage of cleaner air, bigger windows and interior lighting, and increased luggage space, while the plane is reputed to use as much as 20 percent less fuel than current models of comparative size.

“It’s good is see that plane fly,” said Richard Aboulafia, an analyst with the Teal Group in Washington. “With all the delays, you begin to question when things will get on track.”

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Tags: 787, air travel, Aviation, boeing, dreamliner