Is the Dreamliner Just a Dream?

I haven't looked forward to going to the airport, or getting into a plane in years.

Why in this day and age and the era I'd want to get on a plane with anybody I don't know, is a puzzle for me.

What about ships, trains and automobiles?

Boeing has done US proud by taking calculated risk in developing a dream of a civil aircraft. The company has integrated many proven technology, taking maximum technical and commercial advantage by out sourcing to the globally available core engineering competency. Boeing which dared to break many myths creating Boeing 747 Jumbo an out standing design is now out with 787, 840 planes sold to 55 customers round the world making it fastest selling commercial air craft in history. Undoubtedly this design will be as revolutionary and commercial success as Dakota DC 3 and Boeing 747. "Are you looking forward to trying out the new Dreamliner? Or, does it still need a battery of tests to convince you to get onboard?" Superfluous question! Any way, no fare paying passenger will allowed to fly any aircraft unless the design go through the baptism under fire of "battery of tests" by concerned certifying agencies.

You forgot to mention the ground breaking 707. After the Comet disaster it ruled the sky for many years.

The biggest problem that I have with flying today is not the aircraft, but the airport.

I agree 707 brought flying to common folks. But it was Comet that broke new design ground for civil aircraft design. 707 unlike 747 or 787 did not really signify any major change over Comet in the design philosophy . Boeing were fortuitous to learn from unprecedented Comet fatigue based disastrous failure to build a remarkably safe air craft.

In this day and age I do wonder if bigger is really better.

Sure enough Boeing knows what they are doing, and can make some marvel appropriate for trips from LA to Sidney, EWR to Heathrow, but most of the time I just want to get from where I am to NYC, or Chicago, or LA without a bunch of hassles.

Now of course this new plane will be a great plane, but if I was running Boeing, I'd not bet the farm on it.

Day in and day out I'd be making sure the stable had something like the venerable 737 300 series for sale.

Who knows, maybe the Dreamliner could simply come out in 3 sizes, small, medium, and large?

For long distance passenger routes I sort of wish for rocket planes myself, and am of some wonder why Rutan, the genus that he is, hasn't made a practical one.

I do suspect that Boeing and the others are limited to the hedge bet on freighter sales, which does inhibit really long range fast rockets, which are more appropriate to passengers only.

Bigger is better. The more people you can put on a plane that is more fuel efficient with less engines and crew, the lower the operational cost. Boeing and Airbus are filling are market niche for long distance trans continental and trans oceanic flights. The 737, even though it has been upgraded is out of date.

The cost of designing, building and certifying a new aircraft is massive. It is best to stick with what you are good at.

The short haul market has been by default left the smaller firms that specialize in those types of aircraft. Such as Bombardier (Canada) and Embra (Brazil).

Only high value or time sensitive goods go by air. The balance goes by container. When rocket planes can compete with the new long range air liners coming on line now and in the near future, than you see a market for them and they will be built.

The Concorde (a technological marvel at the time) cut travel times in half. Yet there was no real market for it, do to the cost of a ticket. It is now a museum display.

I am aware of what you speak of.

I am aware that if it takes you three hours to get on a plane for a 3,000 mile to 2,000 mile trip, the time at the airport certainly offsets the hassles.

I am aware that it cost massive amounts of money to make an airplane.

Still I have loaded groceries onto freighter aircraft running out to the islands from FLL, and know it is not just high value or time sensitive goods go all the time by air. Depends some on the situation.

If all Boeing is good at is making large planes, well then, so it is.

If I was running Boeing I'd still want a complete line from large to small to offer.

It is very interesting to me that there have been planes built and that have served admirably our needs, and when you really look them up, there may have only been 5 built. How many DC 3s were ever made?

What is the most common plane?

Where is my Skycar?

Aint seen a Cadillac in the parking lot of the grocery store now in years.

There were over 10,600 DC3/ Dakota/ C-47 built in the US and over 5,400 built under licence elsewhere. Some of these are still flying as they were built. Several companies have scoured the world for old ones. These are then rebuilt with new avionics and turboprop engines. No other aircraft to date has matched it's longevity.

The most common plane question is to open ended, as you do not give parameters.

Your Sky car like mine is in the mail.

Where do you shop?

Wonder how many Cessna 172s there are.

Cut back on shopping.

I attribute the long life of the DC3 to the wing design.

Beech 18s are still some around.

Of the really Heavies I am a bit out of touch.

The L 1011 was really a beautiful plane, but it does seem to turn out that while sticking the engines inside the thing is beautiful, it doesn't work out.

What the hell did they call the DC 3 with turbo props on it? A Volpar?

Probably of the Heavies there were more 727s with the Kruger flaps in service across the range of passenger and freight, than anything else ever made.

I suspect that of light aircraft the 172 is most common.

I myself thought well of Convair 240s and 340s, and even 440s.

Hi,

seems to be a beautiful bird!

Does anybody know how they did solve the lightning risk?

This seems to be very different with mostly nonconducting or not well (electrically) conducting materials.

Best wishes for peace, health and happiness to everybody for the next year 2010!

RHABE

Far as I know they embedded the epoxy with carobn nano tubes or tiny metalic(nano sized) particles to allow the lighting to pass with only minor damage.