Boeing 787 Dreamliner makes first commercial flight
The first commercial flight of Boeing’s 787 Dreamliner passenger jet has touched down safely and on time at Hong Kong, a little over three years after it was due to arrive. The flight from Narita Airport, Tokyo only took the passengers four and a half hours, but Boeing had originally planned to supply All Nippon Airways (ANA) …
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Flappy? You ain't seen nuffink!
You should search for the tests on these things! I've seen (in stress-testing videos ) that they can make the thing (even a 747 'Jumbo') flap like a seagull. Wouldn't like to be the poor sod at the front...
REALLY flappy
One of the normal tests a new aircraft undergoes is that they take a wing and bend it til it breaks. With the 787 they took it to the full capacity of their hydraulic jacks and it still didn't break - so they asked special permission to skip the test, because they said if it takes that much force to break it the broken piece is going to fly around and puncture something.
16.5 inches?
I've got a few extra kilos but I'm definitely not what you'd call fat. Chubby at most.
I just measured my seated backside at 18 inches.
Never mind my arse, my chest is a good 22 inches wide. How's that for elbow room?
16.5 inches
Japan does not seem to have as many "wide" people as some countries (*cough* USA *cough*) and ANA may be expecting most of their passengers to be domestic. I think a more typical coach seat width is 17" That half inch might be just the difference...
"...That half inch might be just the difference..."
Yeah. Hear that on birthdays and at Christmas from Girlie.
I was on an AA flight -JFK-DFW once. I had to ask the flight attendant - she was very impolite - if she could help me with my seatbelt. (Think she thought I was gettting 'fresh') She directed me to my seat, then saw the problem. Some extremely obese woman was occupying her seat with one 'cheek' of her ass, my seat with the other. Because there were a load of fatties on board, they had to shuffle them like a pack of cards so I could get a seat (full flight, no spare seats)
Give me rivets and 4 engines every time
As a frequent long hail flyer I prefer rivets and metal until a few more millions of miles have been clocked up on these 'plastic' planes.
When flying the polar route between the Far East and North America, and looking out of the window at bare ice for thousands of miles or even more kilometres, it gives me a sense of comfort to have four, rather than two, engines.
Yeah it's a real devil all that carbon fibre fatigue! And the stuff hasn't even been tested yet. And what with a bunch of amateur shed fiddlers like Boeing nailing it together.... We're all doomed!
At least the silver lining is that commercial aircraft can fly on a single engine.
Actually...
...commercial aircraft can glide pretty well on no engines.
http://www.salon.com/2008/12/12/askthepilot302/
:roll:
Yes, it's an old pilots' dream:
The flight engineer reports to the captain - "Sir, engine number 6 is overheating, I'm shutting it down".
Captiain - "Thank you, George. That would be engine #6 on which wing?"
But seriously, 4 engines is just a higher probability of an in-flight engine failure and all new twin engine long range aircraft are certified for ETOPS of over 120 minutes.
Gets better...
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-431802/The-story-BA-flight-009-words-passenger-dreads-.html
I read this book on a flight to cyprus. Woman next to me, when she read the cover was naturally apprehensive.
Didn't the RAF describe a Lancaster Bomber..
..as "10,000 rivets flying in loose formation?"
on time?
" The first commercial flight of Boeing’s 787 Dreamliner passenger jet has touched down safely and on time at Hong Kong, a little over three years after it was due to arrive."
So, err, not on time then?
3 Years Late
Those passengers are going to smell bad after 3 years.
It was only a trivial issue :
They were waiting for the restocking of lemon-soaked paper napkins.
No 787 freighter yet
There's no immediate plan to deliver a 787F and Cargolux does not appear to have any on order. Cargolux just took delivery of a 747-8F which is not the same thing at all.
Not such a great idea on the luggage
The last thing we need is people with more carry-on luggage. On flights I've been on recently you'd think people we're moving across the globe and they are carrying every frigging thing they own in 27 carry-on bags. Maybe they should ride in the cargo hold for a flight or two so they get the idea?
The budget airlines would beg to differ.
They don't have to pay the pax to load their own bags.
Why would people want to drag everything onboard when...
...hold baggage is guaranteed to be handled with kid gloves from the point it leaves your hands at the checkin desk to the point you pick it up again on the carousel, arriving in exactly the same condition as when you last saw it
...hold baggage is guaranteed not to be opened except in your presence, and absolutely guaranteed not to be opened, have items removed, and then closed up again, except in your presence
...hold baggage is guaranteed to be always ready and waiting for you the moment you step into the terminal building at your destination
...hold baggage is carried for free on every single airline, and every single airline/airport has adopted a globally consistent set of rules regarding how many items each passenger is allowed to check in, how much each of them can weigh individually and how much their combined weight is allowed to be, and what sizes/shapes/styles of casing are able to be handled without the item being classed as oversized/oddly-shaped/special handling etc.
Why indeed... I know some people really do take the regal wee when it comes to cabin baggage, but given the increased amount of stuff carried onboard by average passengers, I feel fairly confident in suggesting there are some genuinely good reasons why people are choosing not to check stuff into the hold whenever possible.
4 engines
Twice the risk of engine failure - there has never been a case of engine failure on a glider!
"a little over three years after it was due to arrive"
I imagine they were awaiting the loading of a compliment of small, lemon-soaked paper napkins.
Interesting but sad
We have the A380 and the 787, nice to see new designs but so sad that Concorde was withdrawn.
Good business for Rolls Royce.
What other British parts are there?
British parts
The landing gear.
http://www.cdio2011.dtu.dk/upload/administrationen%20-%20101/aus/cdio/conference_media/papers/52_paper.pdf
Real figures
The 20% fuel saving figure was banded around early on. Since then the plane has balooned in weight .. any chance of something more recent / accurate?
Target was exceeded
All the targets outlined at launch time were met or exceeded. IIRC the weight problem was offset by aerodynamic improvements.
"...has touched down safely and on time at Hong Kong, a little over three years after it was due to arrive."
That's one hell of a long flight. Guess those new engines really *are* efficient then.
Tupperware Comet
Even with clean air - bendy wings! Urghh.
Pleb not Plebe
One set are Roman commoners. The other are a bunch of uber-keen militaristic teenagers at West Point or Annapolis.
http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/plebe
http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/Plebeian
25% British!
According to the Beeb - good for us! Is that more than the Airbus?
Engines are expensive
And someone else reckons landing gear
25% British
Most of that is the Engines (by cost) assuming the customer ticks the Rolls Royce option
The British bits inside are some of the seats.
American aerospace design, Japanese heavy engineering, British upholstery!
(The wheels are the same as airbus and built by a French company in England.)
Now pay attention
"16.5 inches for we plebes"
*We* plebs are not happy with the mere 16.5 inches for *us* plebs. Have you noticed the difference?
Really
"Why would people want to drag everything onboard when...
...hold baggage is guaranteed to be handled with kid gloves from the point it leaves your hands at the checkin desk to the point you pick it up again on the carousel, arriving in exactly the same condition as when you last saw it
...hold baggage is guaranteed not to be opened except in your presence, and absolutely guaranteed not to be opened, have items removed, and then closed up again, except in your presence
...hold baggage is guaranteed to be always ready and waiting for you the moment you step into the terminal building at your destination
...hold baggage is carried for free on every single airline, and every single airline/airport has adopted a globally consistent set of rules regarding how many items each passenger is allowed to check in, how much each of them can weigh individually and how much their combined weight is allowed to be, and what sizes/shapes/styles of casing are able to be handled without the item being classed as oversized/oddly-shaped/special handling etc.
Why indeed... I know some people really do take the regal wee when it comes to cabin baggage, but given the increased amount of stuff carried onboard by average passengers, I feel fairly confident in suggesting there are some genuinely good reasons why people are choosing not to check stuff into the hold whenever possible".
So after you get off the plane with your 27 bags and go to the terminal and collect your checked baggage, how much time did you save?
Lightning...
I'm still a little curious to see how well one of these handles a lighting storm...
Neat plane
Wouldn't mind a transatlantic flight on a 787. Looks like a neat plane.
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