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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Thilina Sandaruwan" data-source="post: 11017262" data-attributes="member: 131814">Aluminium has been the standard  material used in aircraft for more than a century - even the Wright  brothers' famous first flight in 1903 used an aircraft made partially  from the metal. But the 'aluminium age' could be about to end - with the  delivery of the first large-scale commercial aircraft made using 50 per  cent 'composite materials' including plastics and carbon fibre. The  much-delayed Boeing Dreamliner 787 has a range of 10,000 miles, is far  quieter than ordinary jets, and is constructed using a 'moulding'  process that has eliminated 1,500 aluminum sheets and 50,000 fasteners.  It's also three years late - and has cost a reported $32billion. Scott Fancher, vice president and general manager of the 787 programme, said: 'It took a lot of hard work to get to this day.'    <img src="http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2011/09/26/article-2041863-0E17338300000578-612_964x607.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="" /> The first Boeing 787s - delivered to All Nippon  Airways - are 20 per cent more fuel-efficient than rivals, but also  offer in-flight luxuries such as electrically dimmed windows      <img src="http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2011/09/26/article-2041863-0E1605AA00000578-128_964x790.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="" /> All Nippon Airways is the first airline to take  delivery of the hi-tech new plane - the first large-scale commercial  jetliner to be built from composite materials, not aluminium     <img src="http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2011/09/26/article-2041863-0E1605A600000578-258_964x596.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="" /> The hi-tech new aircraft seats 250-290 and  offers increased comfort - the air inside is less dry than comparable  jets, and First Class passengers will enjoy entertainment on 17-inch  touchscreens    The aircraft has been much delayed -  its maiden flight was delayed for more than two years - and will cost  up to $200 million. The delays are reported to have cost maker Boeing  more than $32 billion. It  offers hi-tech entertainment with Android touchscreens built into every  seat - even in Economy. The 'composite' design - using mixed materials  such as titanium and carbon fibre - is believed to have been a spur for  rival Airbus to incorporate carbon fibre in future aircraft.      <img src="http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2011/09/26/article-2041863-0E16062200000578-986_964x710.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="" /> Workers inspect the first production models of  the 787 Dreamliner - with fuselage assembled from composite sections  rather than huge numbers of aluminium sheets    The blue and white-painted  long-range aircraft, which boasts a graceful new design with raked  wingtips, will leave for Japan on Tuesday and enter service domestically  on Oct 26.     Boeing has taken orders for 821 Dreamliners, which will compete with the future Airbus A350, due in 2013.     <img src="http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2011/09/26/article-2041863-0E1693D200000578-882_964x1218.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="" /> One of the components that gives the 787  Dreamliner its extraordinary range and fuel economy - 20 per cent less  than other equivalent aircraft - are its engines, hi-tech new models  made by Rolls Royce.    'It is simpler than today's  aeroplanes and offers increased functionality and efficiency,' says  Boeing's official description of the plane. 'The team has incorporated  airplane health-monitoring systems that allow the airplane to  self-monitor and report systems maintenance requirements to ground-based  computer systems by itself.' 'You  can tell the Dreamliner is special the moment you see it coming in to  land,' says Jonathan Margolis, a technology specialist who saw one of  its first test flights, 'The near silence is almost spooky.  But the  thing which struck me most when I saw it at the Farnborough Air Show was  the obvious suppleness of the composite structure. You can clearly see  the wings flexing. It almost looks like an Airfix kit.' 'Speaking  to the pilot later, he confirmed that as a result of its ultra-light  airframe, the 787 is exceptionally manoeuvrable and easy to fly  precisely.'     <img src="http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2011/09/26/article-2041863-0E16188C00000578-478_964x657.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="" /> All passengers will enjoy hi-tech entertainment courtesy of an iPad-like Android tablet built into the back of every seat    Boeing abandoned plans for a sound  barrier-chasing 'Sonic Cruiser' a decade ago and worked on lighter  long-range jets as cash-starved airlines valued efficiency over speed. Boeing expects this to become the standard for future passenger planes. BOEING 787 DREAMLINER SPEC Seats: 210 to 250 passengers Range: 7,650 to 8,200 nautical miles Wing span: 197 ft (60m) Length: 186 ft (57m) Height: 56 ft (17m) Cruise speed: (Mach 0.85) Total cargo volume: 4,400 cubic feet   Mike Sinnett, the 787 program's chief project engineer, said: 'Technology will only get more efficient and lighter. The plane's lighter weight allows airlines to operate routes even when the  demand is insufficient for larger aircraft like the Boeing 777 or 747,  or the Airbus 380 superjumbo. Fancher added: 'For aviation we believe this is as important as the 707 was with the introduction of the jet age. He  moved to head off any fears over the new materials, stressing the tough  moulded composites used to create the aircraft were nothing like  ordinary plastic. 'Plastic is what you have on the dashboard of your car. This is not plastic,' he told reporters. The  787 development program has been delayed seven times due to challenges  with engineering, supply chain glitches and a 58-day labor strike in  2008. 'We have been  waiting for the 787 for over 3 years as we expected it in the summer of  2008,' said senior vice president Satoru Fujiki who took part in  negotiations to buy the 787.      <img src="http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2011/09/26/article-2041863-0E16145D00000578-362_964x603.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="" /> The techniques used to create the 787 Dreamliner  have eliminated the need for multiple aluminium sheets and up to 50,000  fasteners    'I can't say the delayed delivery  didn't have any impact but ANA and Boeing worked closely to mitigate  it,' he said, adding Boeing had provided alternative jets to meet the  shortfall. ANA has  ordered a total of 55 Dreamliners worth $11billion at current list  prices, including 40 of the 260-passenger 787-8 variant being delivered  this week.      <img src="http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2011/09/26/article-2041863-0E160FFD00000578-176_964x549.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="" /> Some of the aircraft's 20 per cent fuel  efficiency gains are thanks to extensive wind-tunnel testing at  facilities including Britain's Farnborough air base    ANA plans to take delivery of four planes in 2011 and an additional eight next year. The Seattle Times reported on Sunday that 787 program costs had topped $32 billion due to delays. That  estimate raised questions, the newspaper said, over whether the new jet  would make money for Boeing before 'well into the 2020s, if ever.' Boeing declined comment on the claims. Analysts say new jets typically cost closer to $15billion.      <img src="http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2011/09/26/article-2041863-0E16127900000578-237_964x685.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="" /> Analysts have speculated that the huge delays in  delivering the hi-tech new jet could mean Boeing will not turn a profit  until 2020    Boeing also faces Wall Street concerns over its ability to reach its target of lifting output to 10 planes a month by 2013.   Aerospace  analyst Scott Hamilton said: 'Boeing still has to achieve a smooth  production ramp-up and still has to do rework on some 40 airplanes that  it says will take years to complete.'      <img src="http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2011/09/26/article-2041863-0E1615F800000578-944_964x727.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="" /> A makeshift sign shows a ramp leading to the  first 787 has been hastily converted from '777' - an earlier, less  efficient Boeing model    Asked how confident he was that  Boeing would stick to its latest output goals, ANA's Fujiki said: 'We  are quite confident in Boeing's ability to deliver on schedule this  time.' Also uncertain is how many planes Boeing must sell to break even, something the company is not yet saying. 'If it is 1,200, they should make money; if it is larger than that it could be challenging,' Hamilton said. The  delivery comes as Boeing remains locked in a dispute with one of its  top labor unions in Washington state, where it has traditionally built  its aircraft. The  International Association of Machinists and the National Labor Relations  Board accuse Boeing of building a non-union 787 plant in South Carolina  to punish the IAM for past strikes. Boeing denies that claim, saying the jobs in South Carolina represent new employment, not the relocation of existing work. [CODE]http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2041863/Boeing-787-Dreamliner-reality-carbon-fibre-plane-delivered-Japan.html[/CODE]</blockquote>

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