B787 Finally Takes off!

At 10:28 a.m. on December 15, 2009, Boeing's 787 Dreamliner finally took air. It was the plane's first flight, more than two years after it was officially rolled out on July 8, 2007--07/08/07.

(Credit: Daniel Terdiman/CNET)

EVERETT, Washington--At long, long last, Boeing's 787 Dreamliner is aloft.

On July 8, 2007--07/08/07--in front of thousands of enthusiastic onlookers, Boeing rolled out the 787 at its mammoth assembly plant here. The aerospace giant promised to change the nature of long-haul flight, making it significantly more efficient than ever before, and promised to showcase the new plane with its first flight just a few months later.

But one delay after another has substantially slowed the 787 program, and even though the plane was brought to the flight line last May, and it was expected that the first flight would take place sometime in the second quarter, that didn't happen. Until Tuesday, when at 10:28 a.m., the maiden voyage of the first Dreamliner finally lifted off from Boeing's Paine Field here, quickly disappearing into a thick cloud cover. The plane is scheduled to land in a few hours at Boeing Field, near Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, about 29 miles south.
For Boeing, Tuesday's development is one of its most significant in years. The 787 Dreamliner, which is built from carbon fiber composite materials, and which has new-style curved wings, allowing it to fly 20 percent more efficiently per passenger than other planes of its size, was meant to be the company's best chance to dominate the next generation of super planes. Originally, said Boeing spokesperson Russ Young, the idea was to build a plane that was 20 percent faster, but eventually, the company decided--after discussions with potential customers--to go for more fuel efficiency.
But the delays--a machinists strike, a problem with the joint between the wing and the fuselage, shortages of parts and supplies ad more--cost Boeing that advantage, and in the interim, arch-rival Airbus got its much-heralded A380 plane off the ground, and into the hands of several carriers. Today, the A380 is flying regularly scheduled service on airlines like Qantas, Emirates, Singapore Airlines and others.

Just seconds after the plane took air, a trail plane flew by, much to the delight of the thousands of people on hand.

Just seconds after the plane took air, a trail plane flew by, much to the delight of the thousands of people on hand.

(Credit: Daniel Terdiman/CNET)

Still, with the kind of time and money Boeing has invested in the 787, it was hardly going to drop the program because of some delays. Instead, it fought through the problems and continued forward. Last week, the company completed the last tests necessary to get the green-light for the first flight, and today, the plane took to the skies in front of a large audience, some of whom were said to have paid $250 for the privilege of watching. Also on hand were thousands of Boeing employees who had front-row seats alongside the runway.

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