After years of delays, hacker vulnerabilities, and technical hiccups, Boeing is finally reaching the finish line — the 787 Dreamliner is ready. The first of the firm’s fantasy flyers was presented to executives of All Nippon Airways this week, scoring ANA a dreamy new jet that promises to increase fuel efficiency by 20 percent when compared to similarly sized birds. The 787 owes its fuel savings (and selling point) to a primary structure comprised of 50 percent composite materials by weight; the much larger A380 sits pretty at 25 percent composite, for comparison’s sake. Despite the official presentation, the inaugural Dreamliner is still just shy of actual delivery, requiring a few more test flights before beginning domestic service (in Japan) this September.
Boeing presents first Dreamliner 787 to ANA, flights start in September originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 08 Aug 2011 07:29:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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