August 27, 2009

THE SPRUCE GOOSE REDUX?



Boeing recently announced that it's LONG-overdue 787 Dreamliner will begin test flights at the end of this year, with deliveries to anxious carriers to begin sometime in the fourth quarter of next year. It's first flight (under the Singapore Airlines banner) was originally to have taken place in the fall of 2007.

There was a lot of excitement surrounding this new airliner. Made of lightweight carbon composite, it was also going to fly further than other airliners on less fuel, making it much more environmentally friendly than previous airliners. Another innovation was the assembly, as that process was done overseas, with those parts then sent over to Seattle for attachment. Unfortunately, parts did not fit correctly, causing long and costly delays.

As a connoisseur of fine first class service, the Dreamliner excites me, even if I have to work through the  whole "this plane was snapped together, so of course it's going to fall apart when I'm on it" issue.

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