Boeing 787 – A New Era in Air Travel

Among the potentially "subtle" passenger-experience upgrades that were put before fliers on the 787 inaugural:

•Bigger windows. In what was hands-down the top new feature cited by passengers on the inaugural flight, the Boeing 787's windows are now the biggest of any commercial passenger airliner. Boeing says the 787's windows are 30% bigger than those on a Boeing 767. The windows also are now positioned closer to eye level for most passengers, meaning fewer strained necks from looking out the window.

"The windows," said Flight 7871 passenger Stephanie Wood of Davie, Fla., when asked about her favorite feature on the 787.

"You really notice it and it makes the plane feel so bright and like you're not shut in," added Wood, who also joined the flight via the charity auction after she and her husband, Dean, successfully bid on a pair of business-class tickets. The couple would not divulge the price they paid.

In addition to the well-received larger size, the windows on the 787 do not have manual shades. Instead, they are darkened by a button control that can electronically dim the light partially or entirely.

•Storage bins. Boeing says they were designed to accommodate the wheeled roller bags that have become ubiquitous. The bins on ANA's 787 — which are about 30% bigger than on Boeing 777 aircraft — easily accommodated even large roller bags, though irregularly sized luggage could mean a less-than-optimal fit.

In addition to making it easier for customers to fit their bags into the bins, Boeing thinks that will help more flights take off on time, because — in theory — passengers won't need as long to hoist their bags into the overhead bins.

•Cabin environment. Thanks to new technology on the Dreamliner, flights are pressured to the equivalent of 6,000 feet in elevation, lower than the 8,000-foot mark that's typical for commercial passenger aircraft. Boeing says that — coupled with the higher humidity levels possible on the 787 — should alleviate headaches, fatigue and reduce the general wear and tear travelers often feel from flying.

•Protected lap space. Patrick Smith, an airline pilot and Salon.com columnist, wasn't on the inaugural flight but says he's intrigued by "ANA's shell-style economy-class seats. They have double-wide armrests and recline by sliding forward, not by hinging backward, meaning you never impinge on the legroom of the person behind you, even in the full recline position."

•Cabin aesthetics. Vaulted ceilings between luggage bins and over galley areas help play off the larger windows to make the cabin feel more spacious. Despite that, the aisles on the 787's inaugural flight still felt clogged when passengers got up in bunches.

•Gadget friendliness. ANA's configuration offered USB ports and electric outlets at every seat, allowing customers to charge a cellphone or access music or movie files via the in-flight entertainment console. Power outlets mean laptops now can stay charged for an entire flight.

•Quieter cabin. Boeing has said cabin noise on the Dreamliner will be lower than on other jets that typically fly on long-haul routes. While that was hard to quantify on the inaugural 787 flight to Hong Kong, most passenger conversations seemed to flow easily.

Another advantage for airlines (and environmentally concerned passengers): The Dreamliner's reduced weight and aerodynamic profile will increase fuel efficiency up to 20%.

http://www.ana.co.jp/promotion/b787/en/

http://travel.usatoday.com/flights/s...ses/50963896/1

http://travel.usatoday.com/flights/p...light/558048/1

http://www.aspireaviation.com/2011/1...-at-hong-kong/

JAL 787

http://www.jal.co.jp/en/787/

JAL 787

http://www.ar.jal.com/arl/region/en/...ton/index.html

JAL 787

http://www.airlinereporter.com/tag/jal/

JAL 787

JAL 787

This plane has certainly had its share of troubles in its short life. Sounds like poor project management during its development.

http://news.yahoo.com/boeing-dreamli...--finance.html

http://www.nbcnews.com/business/faa-...iner-1B7931428

Issues with new designs are common place. The press likes to sensationalize them.

For instance the A380 has had issues with cracks inside the wings (discovered during inspections last year) Rolls Royce engine blow-outs, wiring issues (330 miles of wiring used inside each aircraft), etc.

Considering I've been with this company since 1979, I have seen this very same thing with the 757, 767, 777 and now the 787. *yawn*

One thing different in this case is that most of the plane is outsourced and Boeing did not have good contingency plans in place to recover should a vendor over-promise, which many of them did in order to land contracts.

Wow! That's a lot of parts coming from a lot of different places...

Originally Posted by a572mike

Wow! That's a lot of parts coming from a lot of different places...

And that's just the Lego medium box version.

Japanese airlines ground Boeing 787s after emergency landing

http://news.yahoo.com/ana-operated-b...--finance.html

If I were you guys, I would sell ALL your Boeing stock in your portfolio. By the COB today.

Originally Posted by Sportsdad

If I were you guys, I would sell ALL your Boeing stock in your portfolio. By the COB today.

An near miss in flight fire, with a discolored, leaking lithium ion battery....and emergency landing with chutes deployed and smoke in the cabin...

As Sportsdad might say, this is nothing new, I've seen this many times before, "yawn".

Just another week at Boeing, typical new airplane teething problems....

Originally Posted by pilotman

An near miss in flight fire, with a discolored, leaking lithium ion battery....and emergency landing with chutes deployed and smoke in the cabin...

As Sportsdad might say, this is nothing new, I've seen this many times before, "yawn".

Just another week at Boeing, typical new airplane teething problems....

Again, sounds like really bad project management to me.

Originally Posted by bmwfan1964

Again, sounds like really bad project management to me.

Speaking about "bad project management" - have you herd about his - Air Force scraps massive ERP project after racking up $1B in costs

...

Boeing's 787 Issues: Big Problem, Or Just Growing Pains?
By Jennifer Booton
Published January 14, 2013
FOXBusiness
Boeing With the constant media swirl around Boeing’s (BA) new 787 Dreamliner, it’s no wonder a series of recent hiccups including a fire and fuel leak prompted an uproar and garnered worldwide attention -- but perhaps it’s all been a bit overblown.

In just five days, there was a fire in a grounded Dreamliner’s auxiliary battery pack, several fuel leaks and a crack in a cockpit window, all mounting on a two-year production delay following lofty delivery promises by Boeing and a series of setbacks that have plagued the 787 since its commercial introduction in 2011.

Yet, it appears more a PR black-eye than anything. While critics say the issues are serious and must be immediately addressed, supporters are trying to suffocate what they believe is a massive overreaction.

“What we’re seeing are issues of bringing any new technologically-advanced product into service," said FAA Administrator Michael Huerta.

The Dreamliner undergoes some 150 flights daily and has flown more than one million passengers since 2011. During the FAA approval process, it logged more than 200,000 flight hours. At the same time, last Monday’s fire has been traced to lithium-ion batteries that only operate when the jet is shut down.

The flying public nevertheless has become stuck in the middle of what seems like a nasty divorce between the media and Dreamliner. The media, at times idolizing the jumbo jet’s fuel efficiency and modern design, has fueled a firestorm against Boeing in the wake of the fire.

The Federal Aviation Administration launched a “comprehensive” probe on Friday into the 787’s critical systems, but still seemed broadly supportive of the world’s first carbon-composite aircraft.

Stifel Nicolaus analysts said they believed the FAA decision was “driven by the media focus,” to reassure fliers, and Oppenheimer earlier in the week said it was “growing convinced” that the issues were just teething problems, possibly even “pedestrian operational hitches,” that were “merely being magnified by the 787’s media glow.”

The A380's "Scary" First Few Months

All new jets suffer early in-service issues and the 787 is no different. Just take a look at the Airbus A380, the world’s largest passenger jet.

The super jumbo jet, which made its first flight in 2005 and began commercial service to much fanfare in October 2007 with Singapore Airlines, faced a slew of serious, at times scary, hiccups in its first few years.

The jet, designed to challenge Boeing’s hold on the market, quickly became one of the most impressive commercial aircraft of all time after its first few test runs ran perfectly. However, problems began shortly after with production delays.

In 2010, an A380 operated by Qantas experienced an uncontained engine failure when its Rolls-Royce engine exploded, forcing the Australian carrier to make an emergency landing in Singapore.

On inspection, cracks were discovered in fittings within the wings, which led the European Aviation Safety Agency in January 2012 to issue an airworthiness directive affecting 20 A380s that together accumulated more than 1,300 flights.

In November 2012, another A380, this one operated by Emirates Airline, made an emergency landing in Sydney after suffering an engine fault shortly after takeoff.

“Scary things happened in first seven months,” Bob Herbst of AirlineFinancials.com said of the A380.

In fact, major adverse events occur every day in the airline industry, most people are just usually unaware due in part to today's highly-trained pilots and meticulous back-up systems.

The Dreamliner just so happens to be the aviation sector’s version of a celebrity, which makes its every move – good or bad – newsworthy.

The Media Glow's Impact

That’s not to say wide reporting of the 787’s missteps is not warranted. When a jet catches fire the way it did last Monday, passengers want and should know about it, hiccup or not.

A report by BB&T Capital markets on Tuesday raised some of the flying public's obvious concerns: If a fire can spark on the ground, what’s stopping the same thing from happening in the air? If an engine can leak 40 gallons of fuel on its away to take off, how is one to know that won’t occur mid-flight?

"Anything that causes a fire, no matter how small, is an issue,” Stifel Nicolaus analysts said in a note.

However, the aerospace sector seems to think the recent mishaps wouldn't have served as a major danger to passengers. They also believe there is a potentially easy, near-term fix.

“In our opinion, the [FAA's] focus is appropriate as other issues reported in the news are minor and occur regularly on many aircraft types in the global fleet,” said Stifel Nicolaus, which reiterated its “buy” rating on Boeing on Friday.

Boeing’s shares, which have only fallen about 3% over the last five trading days despite all the negative publicity, closed up 1.85% to $76.55 on Monday.

Herbst said the negative publicity was “over blown” but blamed much of the bad press on Boeing for making false promises about the Dreamliner’s delivery timetable. He expressed optimism that the jet's many amenities will “far outweigh any of the negative.”

“The 787 is a fantastic airliner and will create a measurable positive to the airline industry,” Herbst said. "I’d hate to see too much [negative] media destroy that anticipation and excitement people should have.”

It's worth mentioning that while the 787 problems have raised broader flight safety concerns, aircraft safety continues to improve and there hasn’t been a commercial airline fatality in the U.S. since 2009.

It's unclear whether the recent problems will give pause to carriers. United Airlines (UAL) said it's "continuing to work closely with Boeing."

Sportsdad,

I read somewhere that the FAA's comprehensive review of the Dreamliner is very atypical, is this true?

Then i suppose the FAA is the one over reacting here, not the media, correct?

Also, are the Japanese airlines who grounded their fleets over reacting?

Originally Posted by pilotman

Sportsdad,

I read somewhere that the FAA's comprehensive review of the Dreamliner is very atypical, is this true?

Then i suppose the FAA is the one over reacting here, not the media, correct?

Also, are the Japanese airlines who grounded their fleets over reacting?

I'm not that close to the manufacturing side so I have no clue (I'm in IT which supports the applications used to design and delivery the airplane)

Oops!


FAA grounds Boeing 787s to address risk of battery fires


Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/us/2013/01/16...#ixzz2IBywxtX4

Originally Posted by bmwfan1964

Again, sounds like really bad project management to me.

Originally Posted by bmwfan1964

Oops!


FAA grounds Boeing 787s to address risk of battery fires


Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/us/2013/01/16...#ixzz2IBywxtX4

What are you so cheerful about???

+1

WTF is so GD funny??!!

Oops.

It's going to be "a big mess, cost Boeing a lot of money" and embarrass carriers that fly the 787, said aviation historian David T. Courtwright, a professor at the University of North Florida

http://www.cnn.com/2013/01/17/travel...html?hpt=hp_c3

So far I really love the new Emirates A380 Double Decker. That plane really is some fine engineering. Was back on it again today from Hong Kong to Bangkok. A very smooth and quiet flight.

Once they fix the bugs and glitches on that new Boeing I will try that one as well.

Originally Posted by bmwfan1964

Oops.

It's going to be "a big mess, cost Boeing a lot of money" and embarrass carriers that fly the 787, said aviation historian David T. Courtwright, a professor at the University of North Florida

http://www.cnn.com/2013/01/17/travel...html?hpt=hp_c3

Bah!!

Where the F is Univ of "NORTH" Florida??!!

Originally Posted by beewang

Bah!!

Where the F is Univ of "NORTH" Florida??!!

In Florida, obviously.

http://www.unf.edu/