Earlier today, on a cold and rainy morning,
thousands of Boeing employees lined the runway to watch the first flight of the
Boeing 787 Dreamliner. The takeoff was broadcast via a webcast, but if you
missed it live, you can watch the takeoff here on YouTube. Several minutes into
the video, take a look at the rearview of the airplane and note the upward
curvature of the aircraft's wings.
The Dreamliner program was unique in that it was the first one in
which Boeing subcontracted large portions of the aircraft to other
manufacturers. This had the benefit of reducing the amount of capital which
Boeing had to invest in the project. However, it greatly enhanced the
complexity of the communications and project management required. The program
was also troubled by a major redesign of the aircraft wing.
Scheduled service is presently planned for the fourth quarter of
2010. As of September 2009, a total of 850 aircraft have been ordered. Here's
hoping that with today's first flight of the Boeing 787 it will be smooth
sailing ahead for Boeing and its newest aircraft. You can track the first flight live at http://flightaware.com/live/flight/BOE1
And I was watching live the whole time.
The thing I’m wondering is this. Did they have the airplane heavily loaded, or is that level of wing flex normal for a light takeoff?