Boeing To Deliver First 787 Today 366
mosb1000 writes "The era of the plastic jumbo jet has finally arrived. Boeing is delivering their first Dreamliner to All Nippon Airways today. From the article: '"Comfort and cost are concerns of the business traveller and the 787 will deliver extreme advancements in fuel efficiency and many traveller features that will improve the journey," said Michael Qualantone, senior vice president & general manager, American Express Global Business Travel. Indeed, this twin-engine, bendy winged, widebody craft has raised the bar for fuel efficiency. Some 50 percent by weight of the 787 airframe is lightweight carbon-fibre composites that could, Boeing says, help reduce fuel costs by 20 percent.' I can't wait for my first chance to fly in one."
Re:It will high tech and modern (Score:3, Interesting)
Borderline psychotic is blowing out stinky carcinogenic gasses and particulates for innocents to breath. Borderline psychotic is endangering other families in a townhouse or apartment building by going to sleep smoking. Borderline psychotic is throwing butts out a window by fields in a drought. And just look at how they act when they can't get their nicotine fix, many go over the borderline at that point. Why accommodate people like that in any way? They should be banned from having health insurance or receiving any public medical benefits.
Re:"bendy winged"? (Score:4, Interesting)
Yes, the 787s wings bend a heck of a lot more than contemporary aircraft, because they are largely composite structures with a lot of bending strength (non-composite wings have to have a lot of rigidity in them because bending too much weakens the structures).
Aircraft wings are bend tested to a minimum of 150% maximum expected bend (so they take it to the maximum amount of bend you will ever see in an aircraft, and go past that point by another 50% - trust me, if you ever get near the 100% mark, you are already going to be unconscious in the cabin...).
The 787 made it to the 150% mark, and well beyond.
Re:I want to fly because of how the pressure is ma (Score:4, Interesting)
Both the 787 and A380 pressurize to 6,000 feet instead of the usual 8,000 feet.
I heard this on the news today and paused to consider how, since my house is at 7,500 feet, the new pressurization is likely to leave me feeling *more* invigorated when I'm in the air than I'll feel when I land.
I see it as "how much do you depend on them?" (Score:4, Interesting)
About the only important place the A380 uses composites is in the wing box, and it's about 20% by weight overall. The rest is just bits here and there to save weight, a chunk of fuselage here, a chunk of wing there.
The 787 uses composites almost everywhere, and depends on them for complete structural integrity. , Composites in a 787 are 50% by weight, 80% by volume, so you look at a 787, only about 1/5 of what you see is metal.
The situation is understandable, since when Boeing started talking about making a mostly composite plane, Airbus was pretty much dismissing the idea. At the time they'd only gone as far with serious use as the vertical stabiliser and rudder and the A330.
This was a huge risk by Boeing that delayed the project several times. I'm glad to see it finally coming through.