Airline Reporter » Dreamliner

Boeing 787 Dreamliner Update: Delivery Schedule and Service Readiness with ANA

David Parker Brown — Fri, 03 Jun 2011 19:00:12 +0000

Boeing 787 Dreamliners for ANA, JAL and China Southern sit waiting for parts at Paine Field.

The Boeing 787 Dreamliner is about to start a new round of testing to prepare for its first customer, All Nippon Airways (ANA), during the third quarter of 2011. During the week of July 4th, the second Dreamliner, ZA002 is expected to start service readiness testing in Japan.

Both companies will help to simulate in-service operations at several airports throughout Japan. ANA’s maintenance crews will also have the ability to service the 787 during the testing, including fit checks for airplane jacks, towing and refueling the aircraft. The testing is expected to take place during the week of July 4th. This will also mark the first time that the 787 has flown to and with-in Japan.

At this point, ANA is expecting their first 787 Dreamliner sometime between August and September. Boeing is not officially talking about who will receive the next few 787s. However, Boeing President Jim McNerney announced that China Southern should receive their first Dreamliner during the fourth quarter this year.

Japan Airlines (JAL) has recently announced they will operate the Boeing 787 Dreamliner on a route from Narita Japan to Boston, starting in April 2012, but a JAL spokes person confirmed to me via email that this will not be the first 787 they will receive. “The first 787 will not be on the [Tokyo to Boston] route, but this route is the first one named by JAL to use the 787.” The spokesperson explained. “We haven’t announced where the first 787 will be deployed to.” JAL hopes to receive their first 787 by the end of 2011 and receive five Dreamliners by the end of the 2011 fiscal year.

It is not exactly clear if China Southern or JAL will receive the second 787, but this timeline suggests that ANA will not be flying the 787 exclusively for very long. With ANA’s pride in being the first customer for the 787 and all their advertising featuring the aircraft and even operating a site dedicated to the aircraft called “ANA We Fly 1st,” I can only imagine that the airline was hoping to be the only airline flying the Dreamliner for a bit longer than a few months at most.

Rad Photo: The Boeing 787 Dreamliner and Boeing 747-8 Intercontinental Flying Side-by-Side

David Parker Brown — Tue, 26 Apr 2011 16:53:14 +0000

The Boeing 787 Dreamliner (ZA001) and Boeing 747-8 Intercontinental (RC020) flying side-by-side. Photo by Boeing. Click for much larger.

If a picture is worth a 1000 words, this is worth probably around a million. This is the eye candy of eye candy for airline nerds, so please enjoy the 747-8 Intercontinental (RC001) and the 787 Dreamliner (ZA001) flying next to each other during flight tests. The photo was taken April 16 by flight test photographer Leo Dejillas over Washington state. Yea, he has a rough job huh? Click the photo for a larger version.

UPDATE: Boeing has a great link to make this image your desktop background. It is now mine!

Photos of Boeing 787 Dreamliner with China Southern Livery

David Parker Brown — Sat, 23 Apr 2011 20:29:11 +0000

Click any photo for larger version.

What a nice sunny day in Seattle today. Perfect to venture over to Paine Field to check out the newest livery on a Boeing 787 Dreamliner: China Southern. B-2725 is currently parked next to the Future of Flight with Dreamliners for JAL, Air India and ANA.

One Photo to Define Why Seattle Rocks for Aviation

David Parker Brown — Mon, 04 Apr 2011 14:30:29 +0000

Check out all the Boeing airplanes behind the Boeing 747-8I at Boeing Field. Click for larger.

I love living in Seattle and covering the airline business. There is so many aviation related things to do in the Seattle area and there always seems to be something going on. Sometimes I will get a photo that really encapsulates that feeling of Seattle being someplace special and I think this one does just that.

The photo was taken after the Boeing 747-8 Intercontinental landed for the first time at Boeing Field. Although the Boeing 787, 747-8I and 747-8F are built up north in Everett, WA, most are being stored at Boeing Field during flight testing (there is one in San Antonio, TX as well).

During this event, there was sure a lot of eye candy to be seen. Of course, there is the first Boeing 747-8I (hard to miss in her orange livery) and a 747-8F. There are also five Boeing 787 Dreamliners and I see 12 brand spanking new 737s, which will be delivered all around the world.

I know I wouldn’t want to live in any other city.

Road & Track Looks at Carbon Fiber on the Boeing 787 Dreamliner and the McLaren MP4-12C

David Parker Brown — Wed, 09 Mar 2011 14:00:02 +0000

Boeing 787 Dreamliner ZA003 and a 2012 McLaren MP4-12C at Paine Field. Yea, I will take two of each, thanks.

As a fan of airplanes and cars, I got very excited seeing a 2012 McLaren MP4-12C with a Boeing 787 Dreamliner in my most recent Road and Track magazine. Looks like the magazine had the car at Paine Field and over to the Future of Flight for some photos.

They also had a great interview with Mike Sinnett who is the Vice President, 787 Chief Project Engineer at Boeing. The magazine asks Sinnett about the carbon fiber used in the Dreamlinrer. Head on over the RoadandTrack.com for the full interview.

Boeing Updates: 747-8I Roll Out – 787 Delivery – 737 Fuel Efficient Engines – 777-300ER Order – China’s Big “Purchase”

David Parker Brown — Wed, 19 Jan 2011 16:45:29 +0000

Mock up of the Boeing 747-8I in full Boeing livery. Photo by Boeing.

A quick little update on the Boeing 747-8 Intercontinental, the Boeing 787 Dreamliner and the Boeing 737. Too much interesting news coming from Boeing to write individual posts, so here we go:

787 DREAMLINER ZA102 AND OTHERS:
Boeing announced on Monday that they expect the first 787 to be delivered to All Nippon Airways (ANA) during third quarter 2011. Boeing stated, “The new delivery date reflects the impact of an in-flight incident during testing last November and includes the time required to produce, install and test updated software and new electrical power distribution panels in the flight test and production airplanes.” They have also worked additional time into the schedule in-case other issues pop up between now and then. Flight Blogger asks some important questions of these changes. ZA001, ZA002, ZA004 and ZA005 are all back in test flight status.

As of now ZA102, the ninth 787, has still not taken flight. Word was it was supposed to take flight on Monday, but as of now it still has not flown. I asked Lori Gunter, with Boeing 787 Communications, about the delay and she brought up a great point. “It wouldn’t be right to call it a delay. We are working through the disciplined process of getting to first flight. Until all of the work is complete, we won’t fly. Boeing has not committed to a first flight date on ZA102.” All the 787s are still going through the testing phase and I am sure Boeing wants ZA102 to fly more than us outside observers do.

747-8 INTERCONTINENTAL ROLL OUT DATE:
On Tuesday, Boeing announced the roll-out ceremony for the passenger version of the 747-8I (RC001) will be on February 13th — a perfect Valentine’s gift for all those airline geeks out there. The Boeing 747-8 Freighter has been conducting flight tests, but this will be the first Boeing 747-8 that will carry passengers. I have been told the first aircraft will be delivered to a private buyer. As of December 2010, the Boeing 747-8 has eight private buyers, which were all governments. I haven’t been able to track down who will take delivery of the first Boeing 747-8I. However, I have confirmed the aircraft will be in Boeing livery, but unsure if it will be the full livery or light (I am hoping for the full). At this time, Boeing does not know the exact time and of course the date could move depending on the circumstances. I will keep you updated on any changes for the roll out and first flight of the 747-8I. If you can’t make it to see in person, Boeing will be providing a live webcast of the event.

737 FUEL EFFICIENT ENGINES:
Although the Boeing 747-8 and 787 have been getting a lot of attention recently, the Boeing 737 is making a bit of news as well. United/Continental has been working with Boeing to test out a new, more fuel efficient engine on the 737. It might only be a 2% savings, but with the average flying of a Boeing 737, that can add up to about $125,000.00 in savings per airplane, per year — not to mention the environment impact. Learn more about this and watch a video on Boeing’s website.

UPDATES: Man, Boeing is just on a roll this week with exciting information. I normally do one blog per day, but have been doing two per day because of Boeing’s good stuff. Here are two more additions announced today:

777-300ER FOR AMERICAN AIRLINES
American Airlines and Boeing announced today that the airline has ordered two Boeing 777-300ER. This is the first US airline that has ordered this type of aircraft. The two -300ERs will join American’s fleet of 47 Boeing 777-200ERs. American hopes to take delivery of the new aircraft in late 2012.

CHINA ORDERS 200 BOEING AIRPLANES
Again today, Boeing announced that China will order 200 aircraft worth a reported $19billion. Boeing spokesman Miles Kotay told KOMO news that the deal is for 185 Boeing 737 jets and 15 Boeing 777s. Although exciting, this does not change the current 737 backlog numbers, but confirms the finalization of orders already announced.

Boeing 787 Dreamliner ZA102 Did Not Fly Today — Paine Field Still Provides Eye Candy

David Parker Brown — Mon, 17 Jan 2011 21:53:52 +0000

Ethiopian Airlines Boeing 777-200LR (ET-ANP) at Paine Field. Click for more photos.

Ah, the life of waiting for a first flight in Seattle: cold, rain, wind, but no Boeing 787 Dreamliner. ZA102, the ninth Dreamliner, was set to take off for the first time today, but it has been pushed until at least tomorrow, Tuesday. The engines started up for a while, but then shut down and the left cowl was opened up. This didn’t mean Paine Field was short of any action this morning. There were two Boeing 777′s that took off, one Boeing 747-8 (BOE503) and a few Ryanair Boeing 737′s that did touch and goes.

CHECK OUT THE EYE CANDY FROM PAINE FIELD

Ninth Boeing 787 Dreamliner ZA102 to Fly Monday the 17th

David Parker Brown — Mon, 17 Jan 2011 04:39:50 +0000

ZA102 sitting on the factory floor in June 2010. Photo by Jon Ostrower.

Jon Ostrower (via Flight Blogger) and Matt Cawby (via KPAE blog) have both confirmed that the 9th Boeing 787 Dreamliner (ZA102 – N1006F), will be taking flight from Paine Field tomorrow. Although Boeing doesn’t confirm the time of lift off, I assume it should be around 10am.

ZA102 will be the first Dreamliner to actually be delivered to an airline and fly passengers. It is painted in the All Nippon Airways (ANA) tail, but has a white body. It is expected that ANA will have a special livery for this Dreamliner.

If you are in the Seattle area and have Monday off, head on over to Paine Field and experience a Dreamliner taking off for the first time. The weather says it will most likely rain, but that shouldn’t stop you. I am hoping to try and do a live video feed via my iPhone, but we shall see how it goes. Follow Twitter for the updates on the first flight of ZA102.

We are all still waiting on Boeing’s updated delivery schedule for the Boeing 787 Dreamliner after ZA002′s fire. For more information on the rest of the 787 test fleet, check out Ostrower’s most recent blog.

UPDATE HERE

Image: Jon Ostrower

Open Letter to Private, VIP Boeing 787 Buyers

David Parker Brown — Wed, 29 Dec 2010 12:00:38 +0000

Could you imagine having your very own Boeing 787 Boeing Business Jet to fly around the world in? Photo: Liz Matzelle

If you have your own plane I am jealous. Even if it is just an older Cessna 172, having your own plane to fly around in (or be flown around in) makes you rock. Even though any plane is a good thing, some personal planes are better than others. Sure, there are many different aircraft manufacturers that build multi-million dollar private jets for private citizens of the world to be flown around in style, but if you are going to do it, why not go all out? When conducting research, I realized there are currently 12 Boeing 787 Dreamliners and 8 Boeing 747-8 Intercontinentals that are on order by private parties. Say what? Who needs such planes? Well normally either charter companies, governments or super dooper VIP’s will purchase these aircraft.

I contacted Boeing and turns out that all 8 of the 747-8I’s are for government purchasers. Even though not a bad ride at all, having a government purchase an aircraft is not as impressive as an individual. Out of the 12 VIP Boeing 787 Dreamliners currently on order, 2 are for charters, 4 are for governments and 6 are for private owners. Whoa! Of course Boeing can’t talk about who the owners are, but maybe I can try to talk to them myself. Here is an open letter to the six fine people who have enough taste (and money) to purchase one of these airplanes:

Dear Boeing Business Jet 787 Dreamliner Purchaser:

First of all I want to say congratulations for being at a point in life where you can afford your very own Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner. I know myself and many others around the world envy your ability to buy such a machine and I salute your great taste in aircraft. As I am sure you know the Dreamliner is the next generation of airliner and one beautiful machine. I know it probably has been hard waiting to take your first flight with all the delays, but let me assure you, it will be worth it. I am sure you are use to the finest things in life and the VIP 787 Dreamliner will be no different.

If you are a person who loves to share unique experiences with others I would be honored to get a tour, maybe even a ride in your soon-to-be-delivered VIP Boeing aircraft. Sure you might have people from large-named TV shows who want to check out your plane for a show like “Check Out My Expensive Ride,” but they are looking for ratings. I would love to share your passion for beautiful planes with the world in a unique way.

You join only five others around the world to have such an amazing aircraft and I only hope you might want to share a bit of that with others. Thank you for your time and I hope you have an amazing year.

Sincerely,

David Parker Brown
Owner/Founder, AirlineReporter.com
david@airlinereporter.com

Image: Liz Matzelle

One Year Since Boeing 787 Dreamliner ZA001′s First Flight

David Parker Brown — Wed, 15 Dec 2010 17:15:16 +0000

One year ago today many waited at Paine Field for the first flight of the Boeing 787 Dreamliner ZA001. The aircraft’s first flight had already been delayed and the weather wasn’t looking so great, but hopes were still high. After the clouds cleared, the Boeing 787 Dreamliner ZA001 made her way to the south end of the runway for take off (photo). Boeing employees had lined up along the runway to watch the airplane they have worked so hard on take off for the first time (photo). The energy was amazing as the first 787 Dreamliner started to move for takeoff. I was standing on the Future of Flight’s strato deck (photo) with folks that yelled in excitement as ZA001 lifted off. It was quite amazing and a memory those of us that were there will always have. You know, one of those stories you will tell your grandkids that they won’t care about.

Yes, the Boeing 787 hasn’t been living the dream. The last year has been riddled with issues and more setbacks. Not to re-create the wheel, Jon Ostrower has an very comprehensive look at the 787′s year in review. I have had the privileged of watching the Boeing 787 take off and land multiple times since the first flight, but I have to say it never gets old. The way she looks, how her engines sound (just listen) and of course how her wings bow up during flight; she is one beautiful airplane. I still hold that now it is easy for us to look at the constant delays, but I am sure a few years after the Dreamliner is in service and successfully flying, people will start to forget all the issues and delays and enjoy the next generation of airliner. So, cheers to Boeing and all those who have worked hard on the 787 on this one year 787 Dreamliner flight anniversary.

MORE BOEING 787 DREAMLINER GOODIES:
* My photos of Boeing 787 ZA001 First Flight
* Liveries of all the 787′s that have been seen at Paine Field
* Video of ZA001′s take off from Liz Matzelle (@imperfectsense)
* Video of ZA001′s landing from Liz Matzelle (@imperfectsense)

Boeing 787 Dreamliner ZA001 Makes 17min Flight to Paine Field

David Parker Brown — Fri, 03 Dec 2010 20:44:30 +0000

Boeing 787 Dreamliner ZA001 (N787BA) lands at Paine Field (KPAE) today.

Today Boeing 787 ZA001, the first Dreamliner to fly, made a very quick flight from Boeing Field (KBFI) to Paine Field (KPAE). Since it has been a while since seeing ZA001 in-flight, I figured it was a good day to head up to Paine Field and catch her land. ZA001 now joins ZA004 which is also at KPAE, while the remainder of the 787 test fleet is still at KBFI.

It is still not known how long the first delivery of the 787, to All Nippon Airways, will be delayed due to ZA002′s fire.

CHECK OUT THE 35 OTHER PHOTOS OF 787 DREAMLINER ZA001 COMING TO PAINE FIELD

Livery Round Up: Air India Boeing Dreamliner 787 is Newest Livery – Let’s Look at All Seven

David Parker Brown — Tue, 16 Nov 2010 03:25:37 +0000

Air India Boeing 787 Dreamliner (VT-ANA) now out of the paint hangar at Paine Field. Photo from MoonM.

The newest livery on a Boeing 787 Dreamliner belongs to Air India and their first Boeing 787 Dreamliner. Found this fine photo (and there are a few others of this 787) on Jon Ostrower’s Flight Blogger website. Heck, this is a good time to take a look at all the current liveries seen on Boeing 787′s to date:

Royal Air Maroc Boeing 787 Dreamliner being stored next to the Future of Flight.

There are currently two JAL Boeing 787's also parked next to the Future of Flight.

This Boeing 787 has the ANA tail, but the rest is all white. People are guessing ANA might have a special livery planned.

This is ZA002 which has been in the news recently. It was the first in ANA livery, but there are quite a few now lined up at Paine Field.

ZA005 was the first to have GE engines, but the third to sport Boeing's livery-lite. Photo from Liz Matzelle

Ah, good 'ol ZA001 in full Boeing livery -- probably my favorite.

More should be on their way soon. If you cannot wait until then, check out Boeing’s website where you can preview what different liveries will look like on the Boeing 787 Dreamliner. So looking at the liveries in the real and those on Boeing’s website, which one is our favorite? Which one is your least favorite? Mine? Well I have to say that Boeing’s full liver is my favorite and man, it is not easy to pick a least favorite, hmm…

Official Word from Boeing: ZA002 787 Dreamliner fire and smoke details

David Parker Brown — Wed, 10 Nov 2010 23:46:25 +0000

Boeing 787 Dreamliner ZA002 at Paine Field on January 27, 2010 before its first flight.

For the last day there are been bits and pieces of information coming from Boeing, inside sources and different media outlets on ZA002′s sudden landing due to reported smoke in the cabin. Boeing has just released an official statement putting some of the rumors to rest and explaining what they know of ZA002′s recent emergency landing in Laredo, TX.

Boeing confirms that ZA002 did lose primary electrical power that was related to an on board electrical fire. Due to the loss, the Ram Air Turbine (RAT), which provides back up power (photo of RAT from ZA003) was deployed and allowed the flight crew to land safely. The pilots had complete control of ZA002 during the entire incident.

After their initial inspection, it appears that a power control panel in the rear of the electronics bay will need to be replaced. They are checking the surrounding areas for any additional damages. At this time, the cause of the fire is still being investigated and might take a few days until we have more answers.

At the time of the incident, ZA002 was completing tests of the Nitrogen Generation System, but Boeing does not feel that test was related to the fire. Until Boeing determines the cause, they have postponed all flight tests on the other 787 aircraft. Boeing does not know if this incident will cause the first delivery of the Dreamliner to be pushed back to a later date.

How One Photo Can Show the Difference Between Bloggers and Legacy Media

David Parker Brown — Mon, 18 Oct 2010 11:00:28 +0000

Me touching the Boeing 787 Dreamliner ZA003

In the past year or so, I have been on quite a few adventures where I was covering an event with legacy media there also. These are the fine folks that you see with big cameras and fancy video trucks. Most of them do an outstanding job reporting the news in an interesting and effective way. But what they have in training, experience, talent, a mass audience and equipment, most lack the passion for aviation.

Don’t get me wrong, that is alright. They have a job to do. Many will report on many different types of stories, not just on aviation. They have a story to get, a deadline to meet. They deliver or print their story and move on to the next. They are trained in journalism or communications and love finding the story and sharing it, no matter what the topic might be. There is nothing wrong with how this works, but a blogger looks at a story in a very different way.

Most bloggers don’t have training in journalism. Heck the king of aviation blogging, Jon Ostrower (aka FlightBlogger) and I have degrees in Political Science. We picked a subject because we love the subject, want to learn more and want to share that passion with others. I know in my case, the passion came first, followed by honing my skills in writing, editing, photography, videography and networking.

So what does this photo represent? To me it represents the difference between bloggers and the legacy media. The photo is of me touching the Boeing 787 Dreamliner for the first time, as I was taking my interior tour. I just couldn’t help it. I felt like a sugar-deficient kid in a candy store. I was so excited to not only get inside the Dreamliner, but to touch it for the first time. Yes, I was a nerd touching the side of the plane, but it is something that none of the legacy media folks did and it put a huge smile on my face.

They were more concerned about the proper angles, getting the sound bites, then off to edit to get it on the news. I took my own photos and video, but I made sure to slow down and realize I was frek’n inside a Dreamliner. At that time, very few people had been inside a Dreamliner and I enjoyed every moment, knowing it was something special.

I freely admit that I am not a professional journalist or even an airline expert. However, I have a huge passion for aviation and learning about new things. I think (and really hope) that passion comes through on my blogs and you sometimes get to learn something new.

All my blogs might not resonate with a wider audience, like legacy media has to shoot for, but I am happy most blogs can resonate with an audience that shares my interest in aviation and the airline business.

BOEING VIDEO: 787 Dreamliner ZA006 First Flight

David Parker Brown — Fri, 08 Oct 2010 11:00:50 +0000

What’s better than a Boeing 787 Dreamliner first flight video? One with commentary from Boeing employees, including the lead pilot Christine Walsh. The sixth 787 Dreamliner took to the skies on October 4th and had a successful (yet shortened) first flight.

Source: Boeing