Boeing Dreamliner B787 Wings Arrive

Some more info thanks to flightblogger –

Aft Fuselage (Section 47/48) now moved into position for attachment to the center fuselage on the morning of June 1.
– Wiring and hydraulics are being installed in earnest.
– Interesting nomenclature changes for the line. (see site for details)
– Northwest and ANA will get the refurbished test frames.
– Tail cone is being moved shortly into position for attachment behind the horizontal stabilizer.
– Wings are completing pre-integration and are being moved into final assembly position 1 for attachment to the wing box and fuselage as early as June 3.
– System software v. 6.5 currently being tested. 6.7 to follow shortly.

Why are they not building it all in one place. It’s not like Airbus which has multipal countries to keep happy is it?

Last week Emirates president Tim Clark waxed lyrical about the finish on the first Boeing 787, which has now entered final assembly in Everett, Washington, comparing it to a highly polished silver tea service.
And this week, Melbourne-based Hawker de Havilland unveiled the first set of components for the 787 wing.

General manager Tony Carolan described the components, made out of composite material, as the finest aerospace structures ever produced in Australia. “They are radically better than any metal structure,” he said.

The Boeing 787, ordered by Qantas, JetStar, Air New Zealand Air Pacific, is the first commercial airliner to be built with a composite wing and fuselage, saving weight and helping the aircraft to burn 20 per cent less fuel than the one it replaces.

The contract for Hawker, a division of Boeing Australia, is worth $4 billion over 20 years at current production rates, which are set to increase by up to 50 per cent, say analysts.

Hawker is producing ailerons, flaps, spoilers and fairings, which comprise the trailing edge control surfaces for the 787 Dreamliner in the most modern aerospace factory in Australia.

According to Boeing Australia president Craig Saddler, the “787 contract will eventually employ 450 workers at the Fishermans Bend factory and was won against intense global competition with innovative local expertise. The technology is world class. Our team at Hawker has teamed with various parts of the Boeing organisation to reach this point”.

Not only had Hawker designed new ways to manufacture composite structures, the company had also demonstrated its capability to develop unique technologies that made the most of these new composite materials, and produced components in more cost-effective ways than traditional composite methods, Mr Carolan said.

“We estimate that our new production techniques will produce substantial energy savings. For starters, the storage of raw material requires less refrigeration and improved composite cure methods require less heat energy,” he said.

Mr Carolan said the investment in the Fishermans Bend composite facility placed Australia at the cutting edge for design and production of composite structures.

“Sure, we have had challenges, but that is because we have pushed the boundaries and that will absolutely pay off in the long term,” he said. Hawker had already spent about $120 million with 80 local companies.

The 787 program is the largest aerospace manufacturing project ever undertaken in Australia. The first set of components will be flown to the US this week to be fitted to the first 787, which is now on the production line.

Boeing Australia has nearly 4000 employees and has invested $800 million in plant and infrastructure.
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Best Regards Steve

I thought the 7/8/7 date was the full assembly date i.e. complete, ready for first flight. Although now the date makes sense as it is being assembled with components missing which will be added later.

Rollouts have been historically seperated and have predated the first flight . Even the A380 was similar . The first flight would depend on a lot of things , going right , as after that they would enter the testing phase so everything would need to be perfect . My sources say that there is about 70% probability that the first flight would be in sometime august and every1 is pretty confident that even if it is delayed it wouldnt be for more then say 10-12 days.

Final assembly of the first 787 began yesterday in Everett, with rollout scheduled for July 8. Eventually, the company intends to assemble one aircraft every three days.

Reading the other thread recently posted regarding assembly cleared things up. For some reason I thought the 7/8/7 date was the full assembly date i.e. complete, ready for first flight. Although now the date makes sense as it is being assembled with components missing which will be added later.

I don’t know what the average assembly time for an entire aircraft is, but I’m going to be impressed to see this roll out in little over a months time! I do have every faith it is going to Boeing’s schedule, I just thought it would take longer than that.

Final assembly of the first 787 began yesterday in Everett, with rollout scheduled for July 8. Eventually, the company intends to assemble one aircraft every three days.

And also remember this is the first commercial airliner with a carbon composite fuselage, one bang with a truck and it wont dent but could crack internally.
Remember the Comet! I just hope they get it right!

The plastic airplane.. Is the world ready for an aircraft baked in an oven?

I don’t know what the average assembly time for an entire aircraft is, but I’m going to be impressed to see this roll out in little over a months time! I do have every faith it is going to Boeing’s schedule, I just thought it would take longer than that.

ofcourse the first few aircrafts will take many many days.weeks to put together but when the production is at its peak probably in 2008 3rd quarter then boeing will asseble 1 787 every 3 days

I don’t know what the average assembly time for an entire aircraft is, but I’m going to be impressed to see this roll out in little over a months time! I do have every faith it is going to Boeing’s schedule, I just thought it would take longer than that.

As did American 587 when the carbon composite vertical stabilizer broke off in wake turbulence recently

Is that the one that broke off at the lugs owing to overuse of the rudder, resulting in Airbus being accused by American Airlines and vice versa ? In the end AA were found to have flaws in their training programme, concerning how to address wake turbulence issues…

As did American 587 when the carbon composite vertical stabilizer broke off in wake turbulence recently

Composite aircraft would not be immune to one off freak accidents just like there metal counterparts.

And also remember this is the first commercial airliner with a carbon composite fuselage, one bang with a truck and it wont dent but could crack internally.
Remember the Comet! I just hope they get it right!

As did American 587 when the carbon composite vertical stabilizer broke off in wake turbulence recently

Next time your flying at thirty eight thousand feet just remember that every single part of that airframe was built by the lowest bidder
The wings are manufactured by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries in Nagoya

Yeah , and most of what has been sourced by airbus and boeing for other aircraft has been sourced out to the highest bidder ? The companies that have gotten the work share on the 787 have been boieng partners for long standing , they have been selected for there ability to handle the task at hand , as boeing has a lot at stake . The 787 has allready (pre EIS) gotten almost as many orders as the A330 from its launch date till now so boeing has a lot to loose . Moreover much of the technology at hand has been conceptualized and to a great extent designed and developed by boeing and then later the partners were able to use there expertiize to optimize it better it and produce it in an economical manner . MHI is a pretty serious company not just any street side vendor welding metal , they have invested into what they planned on offering to the 787 team , assured that they would continue to invest until the goal was met and won over boeing . Doing buisness in japan isnt cheap , if boeing wanted to go to th cheapest place they would have had the entire fues. sections buit in china(or even better assembling the plane in china) because doing buisness (manufactering) in china is widely believed to be the cheapest amongst asian countries.

And also remember this is the first commercial airliner with a carbon composite fuselage, one bang with a truck and it wont dent but could crack internally.

There are many other issues aswell , but those have been adequeatly addressed , you can read up on those through various sources .

http://www.compositesworld.com/

This should get you started , many issues regarding ramp rash etc etc have been explained here as well as aging of composites , there maintence , survivability , aswell as techniques to detect ramp rash and act accordingly , as well as sollutions to do patch work on composites (just like metal).

Moreover the testing by the cert. authorities , is exactly the same for composites as for metals ( in addition to certain testing that will be unique to composites) so the same materials would have to proove the same things that metals have to (and then some) proove inorder to get certification.

B787

Next time your flying at thirty eight thousand feet just remember that every single part of that airframe was built by the lowest bidder
The wings are manufactured by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries in Nagoya

And also remember this is the first commercial airliner with a carbon composite fuselage, one bang with a truck and it wont dent but could crack internally.
Remember the Comet! I just hope they get it right!

The center fuselage (Sections 11, 43, 44, 45, 46) was delivered to Everett

Can’t wait to see the 787 fully built and rolled out, i’ve had enough of all these computer generated artist impressions rubbish!:D

video clip???

http://www.king5.com/video/index.html?nvid=143174&shu=1

Next time your flying at thirty eight thousand feet just remember that every single part of that airframe was built by the lowest bidder

And I’m about to start a ATPL course. Cheers mate!:D

Why are they not building it all in one place. It’s not like Airbus which has multipal countries to keep happy is it?

Next time your flying at thirty eight thousand feet just remember that every single part of that airframe was built by the lowest bidder
The wings are manufactured by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries in Nagoya

Why are they not building it all in one place. It’s not like Airbus which has multipal countries to keep happy is it?

Looks like it’s going ahead with a full head o’ steam it’s only about six or seven weeks to roll out