The Boeing 787 Dreamliner landed in Britain after its first flight outside of the US on Sunday. The aircraft will be participating in the Farnborough Airshow next Monday.
Upon landing in Farnborough at 9 a.m. which ended its nine-hour non-stop flight from Seattle, the plane and its pilots, Mike Bryan and Ted Grady, were greeted by a crowd of VIPs, company officials and media members.
“It’s an honor to showcase the 787 here at the Farnborough Airshow,” stated Scott Fancher, vice president and general manager of the 787 program, Boeing Commercial Airplanes. “I can’t think of a finer stage on which to present this highly anticipated airplane.”
Mike Bryan, one of the test pilots, had high opinions of the 787 Dreamliner, which is the third of six planes in the Boeing test program.
“One thing I can say right now is we could literally put fuel in it and passengers could go flying in it,” he told Reuters.
Although suited for carrying passengers, the plane will not be used for that purpose since it is designed to be a test plane with only one partial passenger cabin that is used for display.
The Boeing 787’s completed flight is a milestone for the Boeing Company as it took years of collaboration with airline customers and partners to set the configuration of the plan, the company said in a statement.
The plane made its first flight on Dec. 15 but was three years behind schedule. The continued delays for the aircraft’s debut flight brought the Boeing Company financial troubles as customers had began to lose faith in the development of the aircraft, reported Wall Street Journal.
The new airplane is expected to bring improved levels of comfort to passengers due to larger windows, bigger baggage bins and overall better air quality, according to the statement. In addition, it is also designed to be more efficient than similarly-size aircraft because it uses 20 percent less fuel.
The Dreamliner was originally planned to be delivered to Japan’s All Nippon Airways by sometime in the fourth quarter of 2010, but Boeing officials have said that it is possible that delivery will be delayed until early 2011.
Upon landing in Farnborough at 9 a.m. which ended its nine-hour non-stop flight from Seattle, the plane and its pilots, Mike Bryan and Ted Grady, were greeted by a crowd of VIPs, company officials and media members.
“It’s an honor to showcase the 787 here at the Farnborough Airshow,” stated Scott Fancher, vice president and general manager of the 787 program, Boeing Commercial Airplanes. “I can’t think of a finer stage on which to present this highly anticipated airplane.”
Mike Bryan, one of the test pilots, had high opinions of the 787 Dreamliner, which is the third of six planes in the Boeing test program.
“One thing I can say right now is we could literally put fuel in it and passengers could go flying in it,” he told Reuters.
Although suited for carrying passengers, the plane will not be used for that purpose since it is designed to be a test plane with only one partial passenger cabin that is used for display.
The Boeing 787’s completed flight is a milestone for the Boeing Company as it took years of collaboration with airline customers and partners to set the configuration of the plan, the company said in a statement.
The plane made its first flight on Dec. 15 but was three years behind schedule. The continued delays for the aircraft’s debut flight brought the Boeing Company financial troubles as customers had began to lose faith in the development of the aircraft, reported Wall Street Journal.
The new airplane is expected to bring improved levels of comfort to passengers due to larger windows, bigger baggage bins and overall better air quality, according to the statement. In addition, it is also designed to be more efficient than similarly-size aircraft because it uses 20 percent less fuel.
The Dreamliner was originally planned to be delivered to Japan’s All Nippon Airways by sometime in the fourth quarter of 2010, but Boeing officials have said that it is possible that delivery will be delayed until early 2011.
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