Dreamliner
“..a peek at the design strategy behind the Dreamliner’s interiors, designed by Seattle’s Teague, a firm with a 60-year relationship with Boeing. The Teague team strove for a design language that would convey a sense of comfort and offer subtle yet memorable cues meant to signal the Boeing brand. The idea is to help passengers recognize a Dreamliner as a Boeing jet, no matter which airline owns the plane (the planes also feature modular elements that can be customized).” – BusinessWeek
June 30 was marked prominently in my Moleskin – it was the anticipated date set for Boeing’s 787 maiden flight. Alas, it’s been delayed.. for the fifth time.. the delay period has now stretched past the two-year mark. I’m a definite Boeing girl, and the whole situation is just a real bummer, because it’s sure to be a phenomenal aircraft when it eventually rolls out.
“We like to say every seat is a window seat,” says Dowd. The windows, which measure 19 in. by 11 in., are more than two times larger than current standard airline windows and offer views of both sky and horizon from each seat. “There’s a size limit on what you can do with metal fuselage [as found in traditional planes], because of the weight and structure of the earlier aircrafts.”
Boeing, the world’s largest maker of commercial jetliners and military aircraft, envisioned the Dreamliner, for long-range flights, as an efficient, fuel-saving alternative to its aging but still hugely profitable 777 jet. The first commercial airplane made chiefly from plastics, which are lighter and stronger than traditional aluminum, the Dreamliner will use 20 percent less fuel than jets of similar size, while reaching the same top speed as a 777, of about 640 miles per hour. Its passengers—250 at full capacity, 50 fewer than the 777—will enjoy the industry’s roomiest seats and largest windows, as well as plasma televisions. For safety, the Dreamliner’s advanced self-monitoring system automatically reports maintenance issues to ground personnel.
[..] if the Dreamliner fails, Boeing could become the General Motors of the skies [..]
Airlines are cancelling or deferring their orders (including Qantas), partly due to the delays, and partly due to the downturn in air traffic. Etihad has an order for 35 of the 787’s, but the delay won’t affect us operationally as the delivery isn’t due until 2014, at the earliest.
Impressive “Bad Dream” slideshow gallery of the 787 in its current factory setting via Conde Nast Portfolio.
