Boeing 787 takeoff

Two years after the official rollout of Boeing's 787 Dreamliner--and a seemingly endless series of delays--the plane finally made its first flight Tuesday in Everett, Wash. Before Boeing employees, press, and aviation fans, the plane took to the air at 10:28 a.m., soaring into the sky while thousands cheered.

The plane is vital to Boeing's plans to keep ahead of its archrival, Airbus, which had its first commercial flight in 2008. Boeing must now put the 787 through about nine months of tests--assuming there are no more delays--before delivering the first plane to a customer--expected to be All Nippon Airways--in 2010.