Coming in to land

Boeing's first 787 Dreamliner on final approach for its inaugural landing, at Boeing Field, in Seattle. The plane had lifted off for its first-ever flight hours earlier from Paine Field in Everett, Wash.

The successful first flight was a milestone for Boeing, as the 787 is about two years behind schedule, delayed by a wide range of problems and issues and cost overruns.

Now, the $10 billion plane--of which there are currently six--must go through about nine months of further tests before the first plane can be delivered to a customer.

All told, 55 airline customers have pre-ordered 840 787s. That number has gone up since the roll-out of the plane two years ago, and that may be mainly because it is made from composite materials, a factor that is supposed to make the plane 20 percent more efficient than other planes of its size.

December 15, 2009 6:36 PM PST

Photo by: Daniel Terdiman/CNET