Boeing's 787 on schedule, demand strong

Seattle Post-Intelligencer ^ | Wednesday, December 6, 2006 | DAVE CARPENTER

[skeptoid]

Boeing Co.'s 787 Dreamliner remains on schedule for its first test flight next summer and for delivery to airlines in 2008 despite the ongoing challenge to make it lighter, the new head of the company's commercial airplanes unit said Wednesday.

Scott Carson told an investment conference in New York that Boeing has 435 firm orders for the new jet from 35 customers along with another 21 nonbinding commitments. The continuing demand makes it "the very strongest product launch in the history of this industry," he maintained.

[skeptoid]

"Carson .... said the first six 787s, all test aircraft, will be above weight specifications. All the company's energies are focused on the seventh and a plan is in place to get the weight off, he said."

Six 'test' aircraft. I wonder if they will be eventually sold?

[Asclepius]

Boeing Co.'s 787 Dreamliner remains on schedule for its first test flight next summer and for delivery to airlines in 2008 despite the ongoing challenge to make it lighter, the new head of the company's commercial airplanes unit said Wednesday.

Do away with the flight crew and the passengers. Make it a drone. There. Problem solved.

[Moose4]

Aviation ping.

}:-)4

[milwguy]

Buy shares of titanium producers, demand is going off the charts. Profit from Boeing via their suppliers.

[paul51]

Scott Carson told an investment conference in New York that Boeing has 435 firm orders for the new jet from 35 customers along with another 21 nonbinding commitments.

That's pretty impressive

[bondjamesbond]

I can hardly wait to fly in one of these aircraft. The higher pressurization is going to be great! Not to mention the neato-coolo factor. I hearby tell all US airlines, I am willing to pay a premium on coast-to-coast nonstops if you fly 787s.

[July 4th]

Six 'test' aircraft. I wonder if they will be eventually sold?

I kind of want them to crash one, just to see how the carbon fiber handles an impact test. NASA did that with a 707 once: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TAXdVZ3HnDM

[TChris]

Buy shares of titanium producers, demand is going off the charts. Profit from Boeing via their suppliers.

...except we don't have significant domestic sources of Ti. This happens to be a huge hole in our country's defensive position, IMO.

[milwguy]

very true but companies such as TIE are good stock plays right now

[July 4th]

...except we don't have significant domestic sources of Ti.

We are a significant titanium producer - it's just that we use more than we can mine. But hey, if we need more that badly, we can just get some from Canada. We'll ask nicely first, of course.

[agincourt1415]

What do you think of symbol (GY)? Plus, the 747-800 is going to rip the rug out from the A-380.

[TChris]

From Wikipedia:Titanium

Producer	Thousands of tons	% of total
Australia	1291.0	30.6
South Africa	850.0	20.1
Canada	767.0	18.2
Norway	382.9	9.1
Ukraine	357.0	8.5
Other countries	573.1	13.5
Total world	4221.0	100.0

It appears that the US is at least not in the top five.

[ArrogantBustard]

I hearby tell all US airlines, I am willing to pay a premium on coast-to-coast nonstops if you fly 787s.

Concur ... I'll be looking for the 787s the way I currently look for 777s.

[COEXERJ145]

Yes, most of the test aircraft will be sold. The first prototype will be used for all the risky flight tests such as the VMU test and rejected takeoff. It will likely remain with Boeing. The second aircraft will likely be tested to destruction such as the 777 in the video below was. Sorry the quality kind of sucks.

[PAR35]

NASA did that with a 707 once

I think it was actually a 720, not a 707.

[r9etb]

I kind of want them to crash one, just to see how the carbon fiber handles an impact test.

They might well do that. I'd also expect them to do a bunch of pressurize/depressurize tests to simulate a lifetime's worth of takeoffs and landings ... and they'd probably do that until failure.

Not sure I'd want to buy that one.

[Cobra64]

"Carson .... said the first six 787s, all test aircraft, will be above weight specifications. All the company's energies are focused on the seventh and a plan is in place to get the weight off, he said."

Well, maybe the passenger weight surcharge would solve this dilemma.

[July 4th]

That video is definitely a 707.

[PAR35]

That video is definitely a 707.

You better call NASA. They thought it was a 720, too. "Dryden teamed with the Jet Propulsion Laboratory and Langley Research Center to intentionally crash an old Boeing 720 airliner, flown remotely, onto Rogers Dry Lake. To everyone's surprise, the airplane exploded in a ball of fire. The additive was never used again."

Have you ever ridden on a 720? I have. I suspect neither of us could tell them apart unless they were parked side by side.

Here's a link (cut-and-paste) to pictures of a 720. http://www1.airliners.net/info/stats.main?id=88 .

The 720 was basically a 707 with a fuselage shortened and modified wings. It was originally going to be the 707-20, but got its own designation.

[Moonman62]

Most aircraft survive crashes fairly intact. It's the fire that's a problem.