boeing

I finally got around to watching the recent episode of HDNet's Dan Rather Reports titled "Plastic Planes," about alleged safety problems with Boeing's new 787 "Dreamliner" passenger jet. I was interested in the story for two reasons. As I've said here before, I want to buy one of these planes someday-- and secondly, I've long been fascinated with composite materials.

Vince Weldon, a former Boeing engineer, alleges that the composites used in the 787-- principally forms of carbon-fiber reinforced plastic (CFRP)-- are brittle, insufficiently tested, dangerous in a fire, and vulnerable … Read more

Get out bat signal. The Caped Crusader is going to want one of these.

Boeing calls the design of its new flying-wing lookalike, the X-48B, a "blended wing body." That's for obvious reasons: the aircraft's wings blend smoothly into the fuselage, where older flying wings were really just, well, wings.

The experimental X-48B has made a half-dozen flights so far, all at Edwards Air Force Base in California since the middle of July, and is in the shop for a brief stint as researchers do some scheduled maintenance and start poring through the aeronautical data. It'… Read more

We asked and, with any luck, we shall receive. A few weeks back we were bemoaning the lack of Wi-Fi aboard U.S. airlines after finding that Qantas had plans for on-board wireless Internet access. But American Airlines appears to be on the same flight path, teaming with AirCell to test broadband services next year on the carrier's Boeing 767-200 planes. Now if the airline would just incorporate the kind of gadget-laden chaise lounges that United is planning, we'd be in hog heaven. In Economy Class, thank you very much. Speaking of flying, what are those pigs doing … Read more

Boeing rolls out the 787 Dreamliner (here). Yup, that's the airplane I want.

Often missed in the news coverage is that Boeing has yet to announce exactly how the 787's composite structures-- skin, wings, tail, etc.-- are made. Early in the project there were some very definite rumors that Boeing had decided to go with a new kind of carbon-titanium composite made from layers of carbon fibers alternating with layers of titanium foil. The combination was said to have more fatigue resistance and a longer service life.

But as far as I know, Boeing has never addressed … Read more

EVERETT, Wash.--If you've never partied underneath a jumbo jet, you should.

And that's what thousands of Boeing employees are doing right now, as the launch of the 787 Dreamliner concludes at the company's mammoth facility here--the world's largest building, by volume.

It's a pretty cool thing, I must say. After 45 minutes of obligatory celeb-speak--Tom Brokaw MC'd the launch event--the doors to the facility rolled open and there was the new plane, sparkling in the glorious sunlight.

And it took some time for the thousands of people here to make their way up … Read more

EVERETT, Wash.--How else to say it?

The 787 Dreamliner is here.

At just a couple minutes before 4:30 p.m. Sunday, Boeing cracked the doors open to its mammoth facility here, and up rolled the world's first 787.

Looking resplendent in the afternoon sunshine on a beautiful day, the 787 is a lovely plane.

It is both modern looking and reminiscent of the traditional Boeing style.

How well does it fly? Well, Boeing says it is energy efficient, profitable, and all kinds of other other great things. That will take some time to know for sure, since … Read more

EVERETT, Wash.--"This will make some rock concerts pale by comparison," Boeing spokesman Tim Bader told me with a smile as we rode a company-hired bus to the long-awaited 787 Dreamliner launch event.

I knew this was a big event since, after all, the 787 is Boeing's biggest plane launch in years. But how big? I had no idea.

Well, let's just say that the event looks primed to do justice to the building it's being held in--the company's factory here, which is the world's largest building by volume.

Indeed, thousands and … Read more

SEATTLE--I was driving into Seattle from the airport today, on my way up to Boeing's Everett, Wash., factory--the world's largest building by volume--for the official launch of its brand-new 787 Dreamliner, when I saw something interesting off to the side of the highway.

For anyone who's driven in from Sea-Tac airport, the sight of Boeing Field on the west side of Interstate 5 is very familiar. But today, I noticed that the "Dreamlifter" was parked on the tarmac there. The Dreamlifter is the mammoth plane--it's a modified 747-400 with a huge hump--that flies in … Read more

If you're like me and you're a fan of airplane porn--and who isn't?--then this weekend is a "dream" come true.

On Sunday, which is July 8, or 07/08/07, Boeing will formally unveil its newest uber-plane, the aptly named 787 Dreamliner.

This new plane, which seems to be selling like hotcakes, and which is stealing a lot of thunder from Airbus and its A380, will be able to ferry 210 to 250 passengers as far as 8,200 nautical miles.

The Dreamliner rollout will be a big, fancy shindig at Boeing's Everett, … Read more