Boeing's 787 Dreamliner Takes Flight

Bordgious and a number of other readers sent word of the 787 Dreamliner's first flight after two years of delays. The four-hour test kicks off nine months of airborne testing. Aviation Week has video of the test flight and a timeline of the 787's development. Here is the flight path. 840 of the planes are on order now, down from a high of 910, as some customers canceled orders due to the delays.

Re:Yawn.

[Cryacin]

You're not old fashioned at all.

Now excuse me, for I must send this package via gyrocopter to the Prussian Embassy in Siam.

Re:And the wings might not even fall off in flight

[Cryacin]

It's the vibe of the thing.

Re:Yawn.

[MobileTatsu-NJG]

A big, really nice plane. Will wonders never cease? Oh yeah, FP.

Cynical Slashdot nerd is not impressed, set faces on stun.

Indeed, Aluminum sucks

[Richy_T]

Even just crossing the atlantic, it lost an "I"

Re:Yawn.

[dziban303]

Avaition Week? Why, that's my faovrite peroidical!

Re:Yawn.

[Ethanol-fueled]

No way dude. These aircraft are so durable that you could hijack one and fly it right through a skyscraper!

Re:Yawn.

[Anonymous Coward]

The lesson is that it is spelled "L-E-S-S-O-N"

I think I'll pass...

[damn_registrars]

Looking at that flight plan [flightaware.com] makes me a bit nauseous. If all flights on the dreamliner go like that, I think I'll drive instead. That distance appears to be less than 40 miles, yet it took over 3 hours; I can do better on my bicycle. On the plus side the flight arrived over 2 hours early so I guess that wasn't too bad.

Re:And the wings might not even fall off in flight

[Anonymous Coward]

I think you mean "leaves the ground". The FAA don't require any tests before planes leave the air, that happens naturally.

Re:And the wings might not even fall off in flight

[MouseR]

Might as well close Slashdot.

Re:Yawn.

[Gilmoure]

Any barrel rolls?

Re:And the wings might not even fall off in flight

[Gilmoure]

But I have no where else to go.

Re:Yawn.

[PPH]

That's nothing. I'm amazed that we can make these monkeys wait in long lines, take their shoes off and subject themselves to numerous other forms of abuse for the chance to do so.

I'd have expected the feces-flinging to have started long before we reached this point.

Re:Visit the plant in Everett.

[Anonymous Coward]

Bad Asperger's day, huh?

Re:I think I'll pass...

[Man On Pink Corner]

Fowl weather terminated the flight plan early.

Ah, that explains why they landed in Lake Washington.

Re:Visit the plant in Everett.

[lannocc]

I'll come visit once you're done.

Oh yeah? Prove it.

Ahh that's fun.

Re:LOL.

[Alinabi]

Airbus can bet whatever they want, because they won't have to deal with bankruptcy or even losses. The governments of Europe finance them.

Oh, please, let's not pretend the US government does not subsidize Boeing through contracts that only Boeing is allowed to bid for.

Re:I think I'll pass...

[gmhowell]

There's nothing like a good pun. And that, sir, is nothing like one.

Re:I think I'll pass...

[elrous0]

This is McCroskey in the tower, the fowl are going to kill us all! ARGHHHH!! [jumps out window]