787

2011
|
Flightglobal
|
1 fightglobal.com/787
FEATURE STRAP
A FLIGHTGLOBAL SPECIAL REPORT
HOW ONE OF THE MOST RADICAL PROGRAMMES IN AVIATION HISTORY
WAS CONCEIVED, DEVELOPED AND AT LAST DELIVERED INTO SERVICE
OCTOBER 2011
787
BELIEVE THE DREAM
The incredible inside story of Boeings visionary airliner
Irom rst iht
to rst de|ivery.
Conratu|ations, 8oein.
kemarkahle innovaLion in Lhe new 8oeing 787 demands unparalleled inLegriLy, perormance and
capahiliLy in ighL deck avionics and piloL conLrols. Working closely wiLh 8oeing's exLended Leam,
kockwell Collins is supplying highly inLegraLed ighL deck, onhoard neLwork, inormaLion managemenL
and piloL conLrol soluLions. We're proud Lo have played an inLegral parL in seeing Lhis vision Lake ighL.
2011
|
Flightglobal
|
COMMENT

OCTOBER 2011
PUSHING POWER TO LIMIT
20 The 787 gave engine manufacturers a
chance to throw away the rulebook
STARTING A REVOLUTION
22 What will airlines do with a jetliner touted
as delivering a step change in effciency?
SKIN-DEEP
24 Our detailed microcutaway offers a glimpse
inside the structure of the Dreamliner
ROLE REVERSALS
26 Can the 787 switch to being a military
aircraft or freighter?
THROWING THE GAUNTLET
28 Can Boeings arch-rival come up with a
worthy rival with the A350 XWB
NEW MATERIAL WORLD
4 The 50% use of composites is the grandest
innovation of a radical design
THEORY OF EVOLUTION
8 A complex global supply chain proved a
challenge but is crucial to the 787 programme
TURBULENT TIMES
12 From concept to certifcation, we chart the
Dreamliners decade of ups and downs
GETTING CONNECTED
14 Many customers hoped the 787 would
revolutionise IFE. Some may have to wait
KEEPING THE DREAM ALOFT
16 MRO houses are examining how best to look
after the worlds newest airliner

DISPLAY OF INNOVATION
18 The fightdeck of the 787 builds on many of
the developments introduced with the 777
Editor
Niall OKeeffe
Editor at large
Jon Ostrower
Contributors
John Croft
Siva Govindasamy
Michael Gubisch
Max Kingsley-Jones
Mary Kirby
Stephen Trimble
Global art editor
Dominic Ray
Global production editor
Louise Murrell
Designers
Heather Bowen
Lauren Mills
Sub-editors
Martin Cooper
Andrew Hemphill
Production
Rachel Kemp
Graphics
Tim Bicheno-Brown
Editor Flight International
Murdo Morrison
Editor Airline Business
Max Kingsley-Jones
Publisher
Mark Pilling
Flightglobal
Quadrant House
The Quadrant, Sutton, Surrey
SM2 5AS UK
www.ightglobal.com
2011 by Reed Business Information. All rights reserved. No part of this
publication may be reprinted, or reproduced or utilised in any form or by
electronic, mechanical or other means, now known or hereafter invented,
including photocopying and recording or in any information storage and
retrieval system without prior permission in writing from the publisher.
FROM DREAM
TO DELIVERY
JON OSTROWER
ightglobal.com/FlightBlogger
The aircrafts
gestation, an
unprecedented trial
by re, transformed
Boeing and its
suppliers
FLIGHT
INTERNATIONAL
A
fter nearly a decade, from concept to design to production and fight test,
the worlds frst majority composite jetliner is ready for its entry into service
with Japans All Nippon Airways. In this supplement, we take a look back on
the Boeings 787 Dreamliners history and a look ahead on whats next
for the new jetliner.
Whether the 787 is the frst or second all-new widebody jetliner of the 21st century
is a debate best left to the duelling airframers. What is clear is, Boeings 787 pushes
the boundaries of whats possible harder than any commercial aircraft since de
Havillands Comet, bringing widespread innovation nose to tail and wingtip to wingtip.
Boeings own history points to its role as material innovator, having introduced its
model 247 in 1933, the frst all-metal commercial aircraft. Boeing only built 75 247s,
and by stark contrast, the airframer holds more than 820 orders for its Dreamliner.
Nearly eight decades later, the 787, with 220 to 250 seat capacity, is widely
considered a game changer, offering unprecedented economics on long-range
routes up to 8,000nm (14,800km) apart, taking advantage of the growing
fragmentation of route structures and passenger preference for point-to-point travel.
The airframers relationship with its suppliers, customers, labour and fnance is a
refection of business in the 21st century. Rapidly growing economies and new
markets required not only an aircraft that could connect distant points on the globe,
but also created an environment that saw Asian partners play a larger-than-ever role
on designing and building the 787.
The aircrafts gestation, an unprecedented trial by fre, transformed Boeing and its
suppliers, providing it new factories, new technologies, and lessons both expensive
and invaluable.
F
r
o
n
t

c
o
v
e
r
:

J
o
n

O
s
t
r
o
w
e
r
/
F
lig
h
t
g
lo
b
a
l
fightglobal.com/787 4
|
Flightglobal
|
2011
In its quest to deliver game-changing reductions in fuel
consumption and operating costs, Boeing has deployed
carbonbre to an unprecedented extent, and applied
new thinking to many aspect of the Dreamliners design
P
ic

c
r
e
d
it
STRUCTURE & SYSTEMS
LIVING
IN A NEW
MATERIAL
WORLD
T
he 787 is Boeings grand innovation,
nose to tail, wingtip to wingtip. The
aircrafts 50%-by-weight composite
design is at the heart of the airframers
leap in the use of new materials and systems.
With its higher strength-to-weight ratio, car-
bonbre is intended to replace the traditional
architecture of Boeings metallic wings and
fuselage on its earlier narrow- and widebody
commercial aircraft.
Of Boeings three big leaps on the 787, mate-
rials and systems represent the biggest game-
changers for customers, requiring adaptation
by the airlines to put the technologies into use,
towards the goal of reducing fuel burn by 20%
and operating cost by 10%. Breaking down the
20% fuel-burn improvement, Boeing says 8%
comes from the engines, 3% from the systems,
3% from the majority composite airframe, 3%
from aerodynamics and a further 3% from the
integration of all the technologies.
The seven monolithic carbon laminate fu-
selage barrels eliminate longitudinal joins
across the majority of the aircraft. This is
aimed at increasing fatigue life and cutting
heavy maintenance intervals in half. The
composite primary structure also allowed
Boeing to increase the size of the 787s win-
dows to 48.3cm (19in) with electro-chromatic
dimmable glass.
Barring slight variations, the composite
manufacturing processes are uniform across
the programmes primary structural suppliers:
Spirit AeroSystems in the USA, Alenia in
Italy, and Kawasaki, Fuji and Mitsubishi
Heavy Industries in Japan. Carbonbre tape is
laid down on a mould or mandrel either by
hand or using automatic bre placement
(AFP) machines, cured in a high-temperature
autoclave, trimmed, drilled, non-destructively
inspected, painted with primer and then
owed to the assembly or build-up process.
But there are of course signicant differ-
ences in size and purpose between the parts,
which range from oor beams all the way up
to 19.4ft-wide (5.91m-wide) fuselage barrels
and the 98ft-long wing skins. For lightning
strike protection, Boeing has embedded a thin
wire mesh into the carbon laminate, which
together with an aircraft-wide current-return
network provides a return ground plane for all
the equipment installed in the aircraft.
The 787s wings manufactured and assem-
bled by Mitsubishi in Nagoya, Japan; and also
carbon laminate are assembled with single-
piece top and bottom wing skins, and joined
with aluminium ribs and composite spars. The
Alenia-built horizontal and Boeing-built verti-
cal stabilisers also employ carbon laminate for
primary structure, replicating the 777s com-
posite empennage.
J
o
n

O
s
t
r
o
w
e
r
/
F
lig
h
t
g
lo
b
a
l
J
o
n

O
s
t
r
o
w
e
r
/
F
lig
h
t
g
lo
b
a
l
JON OSTROWER WASHINGTON DC
|
Flightglobal
|
5
We just booted it. Our only defence is that
every industry [does that]. We paid billions
upon billions in the learning process
JIM MCNERNEY
Chief executive, Boeing
IN MY VIEW
Carbon sandwich has a more limited
implementation on the Goodrich laminar ow
nacelles, and on the aircrafts elevators, rud-
der, spoilers, raked winglets and inboard mov-
able leading edge.
Fibreglass sandwich accounts for the for-
ward and leading and trailing edge structure
of the horizontal and vertical stabilisers, along
with the wing forward and trailing leading
edges and the wing-to-body fairing.
MORE-ELECTRIC ARCHITECTURE
The biggest change under the 787 carbonbre
skin can be found in its more-electric bleed-
less systems architecture, aimed at reducing
engine fuel burn by allowing the power
extraction to work on demand, managing the
pull of electricity as it is needed from the
engines generators rather than bleeding air
from the engine when it is more efciently
used for propulsion.
As one of the programmes earliest systems
suppliers, Hamilton Sundstrand was rst se-
lected in 2004 to supply nine systems for the
787, including the aircrafts environmental
control system (ECS), auxiliary power system
(APS), electrical power generating and start
system (EPGSS) and ram air turbine (RAT).
Without a pneumatic system seen on all
other Boeing aircraft, the airframer developed
with Hamilton Sundstrand an electric engine-
start system anchored by two 250kVA variable
frequency starter generators on each General
Electric GEnx-1B or Rolls-Royce Trent 1000
engine and two 225kVA generators in the aux-
iliary power unit. The six generators provide
up to 1.45MW of electricity fed through nine
power panels that manage and distribute elec-
trical power to a myriad of aircraft systems.
The hydraulic systems biggest difference
from previous Boeing aircraft is the power
source for its three independent systems, all
electrically driven, supporting the primary
ight control actuators, landing gear, nose gear
steering, thrust reversers and leading and
trailing edge aps with 5,000 pounds per
square inch (psi) pumps. Both left and right
systems feature engine-mounted and driven
pumps along with an electric motor pump,
while the centre system has twin large electric
motor pumps one that runs throughout a
ight and the other employed during takeoff
Final assembly and
systems integration (top)
Broetje machines for
drilling (above)
Spirit AeroSystems: a
primary structures
supplier (left)
gg
J
o
n

O
s
t
r
o
w
e
r
/
F
lig
h
t
g
lo
b
a
l
J
o
n

O
s
t
r
o
w
e
r
/
F
lig
h
t
g
lo
b
a
l
6
|
Flightglobal
|
2011
STRUCTURE & SYSTEMS
IN MY VIEW
and landing. Rather than use the hydraulic
actuation on the main landing gear brakes,
Boeing would use an electrically driven car-
bon brake-by-wire system supplied by either
Goodrich or Messier-Bugatti, while the GKN-
supplied wing anti-ice system also follows
Boeings more-electric architecture, eliminat-
ing the use of hot bleed air to melt any form-
ing ice on the wings. A heater mat technology
is used instead.
The more-electric systems provide cabin
pressurisation, run by electrically driven com-
pressors on the ECS that provide a cabin alti-
tude of 6,000ft (1,830m), compared with
8,000ft on previous Boeing aircraft.
The 787 is the worlds rst commercial jet-
liner to employ a required nitrogen generation
system from its rst day of operation, a certi-
cation requirement developed in the wake
of the 1996 TWA Flight 800 disaster, which
was caused by an explosion of fuel vapour in
an unused fuel tank.
Aerodynamically, the Honeywell-supplied
ight control system enables the 787s three-
axis y-by-wire, using the aircrafts ailerons
for manoeuvre load alleviation and elevator
for active gust load alleviation. The 787s wing
also adapts to changing gross weight condi-
tions, optimising the camber of the wing
through the trailing edge variable camber
(TEVC) system moving it up or down by 1.5
from its neutral position.
Fourteen drooped spoilers eliminate the
need for fore aps, bridging the gap between
the wing and extended aps, while also serv-
ing as traditional spoilers dumping lift
on landing and providing slowing drag while
in ight. Flaperons provide additional ight
control functionality, drooped when acting
with the high lift system; roll control as ailer-
ons; and upward deection as spoilers
on landing.
To further educe external drag further, the
airframer has incorporated a passive laminar
ow system on the engine nacelles by main-
taining a smooth boundary layer of air, and
provided each pair of nacelles a white colour
by default for customers to apply a universal
paint thickness designed to preserve the ow
over a larger area.
COMMON CORE BRAIN
The heart of the 787s integrated systems
architecture is founded on the GE Aviation
Common Core System (CCS) aimed at boosting
reliability and reducing aircraft weight and cost
by implementing a common processing and
data network to drive the aircrafts systems.
The system is tied together through Rockwell
Collins bre-optic ethernet-based avionics full
duplex (AFDX) command data network (CDN)
allowing communication between modules
with the AIRNC 664 standard.
The modular nature of the CCS which is
made up of twin Common Computing Re-
sources that are housed in the forward elec-
tronics equipment (EE) bay below the ight
deck and ahead of the forward cargo compart-
ment allows the system to be both scaled
and upgraded without necessity for a compre-
hensive redesign to make each change, hence
allowing the aircraft to gain new capabilities
without major modications. O
gg
For more about ANA read the Airline Business
interview with chief executive Shinichiro Ito at
ightglobal.com/ito
Final systems checks at
Spirit in Wichita, before
delivery to Boeing
fightglobal.com/787
J
o
n

O
s
t
r
o
w
e
r
/
F
lig
h
t
g
lo
b
a
l
We had not done a development programme
in 15 years, since the 777. We paid a very
heavy price for that
JIM ALBAUGH
Chief executive, Boeing Commercial Airplanes
OUR vI SI ON 1AIFS FLI GH1.
_ Spirit AeroSystems.
1he Boeing )8) is greater than the sum oF its parts.
And some oF its parts are truly amazing.
Boeing is building a super-eFFcient airliner, and we're proud to do our part. Several parts,
in Fact, including the all-composite Forward section, the wing's leading edges and engine
pylons. Spirit leads the world in composite manuFacturing, especially when it involves
large and complex curves. Our composite work helps the Boeing )8) require signiFcantly
less Fuel as it moves airlines and their passengers to a brighter and greener Future.
visit us at spiritaero.com.
fightglobal.com/787
Although supply-chain difculties arose from Boeings
constantly adapting production process, a strategy born 15
years ago remains at the 787 programmes heart
THEORY OF
EVOLUTION
8
|
Flightglobal
|
2011
B
o
e
in
g
PRODUCTION
IN MY VIEW
Some [suppliers] are very good at doing the
whole job. Some of them proved incapable... in
which case we had to take back design work
MIKE BAIR
787 programme manager, Boeing
JON OSTROWER WASHINGTON DC
information sharing ubiquitous, increase use
of monolithic assemblies and shift fabrication
responsibility to suppliers which would share
pre-certicated scalable technologies.
The ACPS acronym was dubbed faster-
better-cheaper by suppliers vying to earn a
spot as sole-source suppliers on the next new
Boeing aircraft. If the airframer was to contin-
ue producing new commercial aircraft, it
would have to nd a way to shift and reduce
the costs associated with clean-sheet designs.
Following creation of the ACPS, Boeing ex-
plored a series of concepts, contemplating its
next big move after the 777 and Next Genera-
tion 737 and pondering another variant in
the 747 family, while building the 717 inher-
ited through the McDonnell Douglas merger,
along with the 737-900, 757-300, 747-400ER
and 767-400ER derivatives, and developing
the 777-300ER and -200LR.
By February 2000, ACPS has been merged
with the New Small Airplane (NSA) study
under the revamped Product Strategy and De-
velopment (PS&D) organisation, which
spawned Project 20XX. With assistance
from its Phantom Works division, this mutat-
ed into three code-named projects: Glacier,
Redwood and Yellowstone. Each represented
a different middle-of-the-market congura-
tion. Glacier would become the high-speed
Sonic Cruiser, Redwood a blended wing body,
and Yellowstone a 777-style conguration.
Shelving a 747X effort, Condit would reveal
20XXs existence in January 2001, announc-
ing Boeings intention to focus on a 757/767-
sized replacement, days after the Sonic Cruis-
ers existence as revealed by a patent was
reported by The Wall Street Journal. Boeing
made the Sonic Cruisers debut ofcial in
March, with Gillette as programme manager.
The Sonic Cruiser met a cool response from
the market in 2001, and after the 11 Septem-
ber attacks, airlines facing economic slow-
down and the possibility of further attacks
using commercial aircraft shifted their focus
from speed to survival. Boeings Sonic Cruiser
technology development team would become
the primary rst-tier 787 suppliers.
In January 2002, Boeing named Japan-based
suppliers Mitsubishi, Kawasaki and Fuji
Heavy Industries as 787 technology partners.
In February, Italys Alenia Aeronautica and
Vought Aircraft Industries came aboard and,
O
n 15 December 1996, Boeing and
McDonnell Douglas disclosed plans
to merge into the worlds largest aer-
ospace company. The following
month, Boeing pulled the plug on develop-
ment of the 747-500/600 and then-chief exec-
utive Phil Condit commissioned a new team
to transform how the airframer designed,
manufactured and marketed aircraft. The Air-
craft Creation Process Strategy (ACPS) laid
conceptual groundwork for the 787s global
production system and business model.
At its helm was master engineer Walt Gil-
lette, responsible for the transition from the
737-200s cigar engine to the high-bypass
CFM56 fans on the 737-300 and the systems
architecture on the clean-sheet 777. His man-
date and that of 110 other engineers from
Boeing and 50 suppliers was to slash the
time and cost of bringing a new commercial
aircraft to market by half. Boeing leadership
concluded that the up-front development
cost, believed to be double the $7 billion rst
budgeted, did not make returns quickly
enough. Gillette and his team looked to stand-
ardise processes and platforms, make digital
|
Flightglobal
|
9
Boeing took control
of centre-fuselage
integration (far left}
A raked wingtip for a
China Southern 787
is worked on in South
Korea (near left)
in April, Boeing de Havilland of Australia and
Boeings commercial unit in Wichita, Kansas.
As commitment to the Sonic Cruiser began
to wane, Boeing introduced a conceptual ref-
erence aircraft against which the M0.98 jet-
liner was measured. The Super Efcient
concept envisioned an aircraft that would y
15-20% faster than then-contemporary air-
craft while reducing fuel burn by 20%.
Sonic Cruiser met its unofcial demise on
26 October 2002, when Boeing assembled in
Seattle representatives from blue-chip cus-
tomers from around the world, all of whom
voted for efciency over speed. By December,
Sonic Cruiser was dead, but the team Boeing
assembled to build it remained together.
Project Yellowstone became the majority-
composite 7E7 family, led by Mike Bair.
Boeings desire for an aircraft that pushed
performance higher, faster and further had
lost to a faster, better and cheaper model in
the eyes of customers, which deemed the
business case incompatible with the modern
operating environment of declining yields
and price competition. Boeings mid-size
long-range jetliner took on a conventional
conguration to bolster the bottom lines of its
customers, but the supply chain was designed
to retain the higher, faster, further DNA.
OFFICIAL GO-AHEAD
When the 7E7 was given its ofcial go-ahead
on 16 December 2003, granting authority to
offer the new twin to airlines, Boeing revealed
its selection of its Everett, Washington, facility
as for nal assembly, continuing the tradition
of building legacy widebodies at Paine Field
and beating out competition from Kinston,
North Carolina; Charleston, South Carolina;
and Mobile, Alabama.
The 7E7 which would become the 787
when Boeing received a 60-aircraft order from
Chinese airlines in January 2005 was to have
a signicantly different line from the 777s.
Arriving fully completed from suppliers, the
sections stuffed with all the necessary sys-
tems would be joined on a pulse line. Boe-
ing imagined the factory building 10 787s a
month by the end of 2009.
The 7E7 programmes supply chain founda-
tions drew conceptual inspiration from a busi-
ness model employed by McDonnell Douglas
on the MD-95, and later by Boeing on the
TRANSPORT JON OSTROWER WASHINGTON DC
DREAMLIFTERS BRING IT ALL TOGETHER
To meet its goal of building ten
787s per month transporting
its in-process inventory seam-
lessly between partner sites,
Boeing had to conceive a way
of moving its monolithic struc-
tures between its global sup-
pliers and fnal assembly.
The companys answer: a
small feet of well-worn 747-
400s, born in Everett as pas-
senger aircraft, now retired and
radically converted to cargo air-
craft. The Large Cargo Freighter
(LCF), or Dreamlifter as they
have come to be known, have
become an iconic part of the
787s global production system.
Concerned about meeting
the high production rate re-
quired for the 787, the
Dreamlifter avoided the use of
a feet of ships transiting
across oceans packed with
787s heading for fnal assem-
bly or integration.
Similar to the feet of Airbus
A300-600ST Super Transporter
Beluga aircraft used to trans-
port structural sections for
A320 and A330/340 family
aircraft, the bespoke delivery
system for each 787 accommo-
dates the wings, horizontal sta-
bilisers and fuselage
components, exclusively for the
Dreamliner programme.
Of the four Pratt & Whitney
PW4056-powered 747s, two
of the aircraft were previously
operated by China Airlines and
one by Malaysia Airlines and
Air China.
The aircraft were fown to
Taoyuan International Airport in
Taiwan where Evergreen Aviation
Technologies (EGAT) replaced
the passenger cabin with a bul-
bous unpressurised cargo hold,
punctuated on one end by a
massive forward pressure bulk-
head and a hinged swing tail at
the rear, which has raised the
vertical stabiliser by 1.5m (5ft).
This is one of the most
unusual modifcations Boeing
has ever done, said then-787
vice president of airplane de-
velopment and production,
Scott Strode.
The frst Dreamlifter made
its maiden fight on 9
September 2006, beginning a
250h fight test campaign to
certify the heavily-modifed
LCFs for use, evaluating its
handling characteristics and
clearing it of any excessive
vibration or futter. During the
US Federal Aviation
Administration certifcation
trials, which also included
500h of ground testing,
Boeing was forced to drop the
winglets from the fnal design
after it discovered futter is-
sues during fight testing.
The frst two Dreamlifters,
painted in a now iconic white
and blue company livery, en-
tered service in 2007, moving
787 parts between suppliers.
The aircraft marked its frst
service in January 2007 be-
tween Grottaglie, Italy, Nagoya,
Japan and North Charleston,
USA, for parts for integration of
the frst Dreamliners centre
fuselage at the Global
Aeronautica facility.
Initially operated by Boeing,
Evergreen International
Airlines, which has no relation
to EGAT, operated the feet
from August 2007 until
September 2010 before being
transferred to Atlas Air as part
of a compensation package
for delays to its 747-8F order.
In operation, the US Federal
Aviation Administration limits
the crew to use of the upper
deck of the aircraft with its two
pilots and a loadmaster,
though Boeing hopes to gain
supernumerary usage of lower
deck forward cabin, seating up
to 16 personnel, to double as
a shuttle connecting supplier
partners in the US, Europe
and Asia. O The Large Cargo Freighters are adapted from old 747-400s
J
o
n

O
s
t
r
o
w
e
r
/
F
lig
h
t
g
lo
b
a
l
J
o
n

O
s
t
r
o
w
e
r
/
F
lig
h
t
g
lo
b
a
l
B
o
e
in
g
gg
|
Flightglobal
|
2011
PRODUCTION
717. Known as return on net assets or
RONA, the ratio compares bottom-line prot
with the overall scope of the programmes as-
sets, to identify how much money is being
made in terms of the work required. Boeings
chief at the time of the 7E7 launch in late 2003
was RONA advocate Harry Stonecipher.
Boeing sought to reduce its industrial foot-
print, retaining only manufacturing of the
7E7s vertical stabiliser in Frederickson,
Washington, forward fuselage in Kansas,
wing-to-body fairing in Winnipeg, Canada,
and movable trailing edges at Boeing Aero-
structures Australia. This amount to a 35%
value share. And Boeing would conduct nal
assembly, as a large-scale systems integrator.
Clearly, we were way too focused on not hav-
ing assets on the [787], and having the right
level of assets is the right way to run a busi-
ness, reected Bair in a 2011 interview.
Boeing continued to shrink its footprint, in
the process creating the worlds largest aero-
structures manufacturer in February 2005.
Boeings Wichita, Kansas, commercial divi-
sion already responsible for the same work
on the 777, 747, 767 and 737 programmes
would develop the forward fuselage Section
41. But Boeing divested its Wichita and Tulsa,
Oklahoma, operations to Onex and Goldman
Sachs, netting $1.2 billion.
Vought Aircraft Industries, responsible for
fabricating the 787s aft fuselage Sections 47
and 48, established a 35,400m
2
(381,000ft
2
)
facility at Charleston International Airport in
North Charleston, South Carolina. And Alenia
Aeronautica responsible for making the Sec-
tion 46 barrel and Section 44 bonnet fuselage
structures, which covered the centre wing
box, in Grottaglie, Italy partnered with
Vought to create Global Aeronautica.
With a 31,000m
2
facility, the 50:50 joint
venture in Charleston would be responsible
for structural integration and systems installa-
tion of the centre fuselage, made up of Kawa-
saki Heavy Industries Section 43, and Fuji
Heavy Industries 45/11 centre wing box and
main gear wheel well, as well as Alenias Sec-
tions 44 and 46. Alenia would supply the
horizontal stabiliser from Foggia, Italy.
Boeings Japanese partners major suppli-
ers to the 767 and 777, representing 15% and
20% of the aircraft by value, respectively
would account for the single-largest work-
share of any one country: 35%. Fabrication
and assembly of the wing boxes were assigned
to Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, in Boeings
rst outsourcing of wings. With the Wichita
divestment, Boeing was left with a 23% share
of 787 aerostructures; only the vertical stabi-
liser would be built in the Pacic Northwest.
TRIALS AND TRANSFORMATIONS
There followed a three-year, multibillion-dol-
lar trial by re. A sputtering supply chain de-
livered a partially complete rst aircraft to
nal assembly in spring 2007. Boeings woes,
driven by widespread design changes, spread
back to its suppliers and their suppliers. With-
out adequate visibility, oversight and design
authority, Boeing would wrestle with incom-
plete tasks and workmanship issues.
In March 2008, Boeing paid $55 million for
Voughts half of Global Aeronautica. Teetering
on the nancial brink, Vought was provided
with much-needed cash to stay aoat. And
Boeing gained much-needed oversight into
the operations of 787s centre fuselage integra-
tion facility. South Carolina would later be-
come home to Boeings rst non-legacy nal
assembly line outside the Pacic Northwest.
In December 2008, Boeing launched its
round-the-clock Production Integration Cent-
er to tie together the airframes global network
of suppliers through seamless digital commu-
nications, monitoring everything from natural
disasters to shipset progress.
Boeing would acquire Voughts aft fuselage
fabrication facility in July 2009 for more than
$1 billion and complete its takeover of Charle-
ston in December by buying Alenias remain-
ing 50% of Global Aeronautica. The $1.2 bil-
lion the airframer had earned from its Wichita
divestment had been almost entirely spent on
creating a South Carolina division. And Boe-
ing had returned its share to 35% by value.
In the wake of the September-October 2008
International Association of Machinists and
Aerospace Workers union strike, Boeing se-
lected Charleston for its 92,900ft
2
second 787
nal assembly line. The overriding factor
was not the business climate, and it was not
the wages were paying people today. It was
that we cant afford to have a work stoppage
every three years, Boeing Commercial Air-
planes chief executive Jim Albaugh would tell
The Seattle Times shortly after the selection.
The airframer established a secondary ver-
tical stabiliser fabrication line exclusively for
Dreamliners assembled in South Carolina.
The 3,250m
2
line is expected to deliver its rst
tail to the North Charleston line for the third
787 to be assembled there. The Charleston
line, operational since mid-2011, will build
three of 10 787s per month by the end of 2013,
with the balance shared by the primary Ever-
ett line and a companion surge line.
787-9 CHANGES
For its larger 250290 seat 787-9 and its late
2013 entry into service, Boeing has continued
to redraw supply chain lines, bringing around
70% of engineering work back within its own
four walls. Frustration with issues at Alenia,
coupled with fundamental architecture
changes in the 787-9s horizontal stabiliser,
prompted Boeing to take back both design and
early fabrication work in 2011. Further, Boe-
ing will initially build the -9s horizontal sta-
biliser at its Seattle Developmental Center and
move the work to a yet-to-be dened vendor
operating alongside Alenia, which retains re-
sponsibility for the -8s stabiliser. O
Nosing ahead: the
787 had racked up
890 orders by May
2008 (below)
We had some good debates with the FAA
about how do you certify a brand new plastic
airplane... That had never been done before
JIM ALBAUGH
Chief executive, Boeing Commercial Airplanes
IN MY VIEW
B
o
e
in
g
Track twists and turns in Boeings commercial
programmes by visiting Jon Ostrowers blog at
ightglobal.com/ightblogger
gg
412.89J.002b www. TIi rt| . ccr
T2011 FT| |rtcrruticru| Mctu|:, |rt.
AJvarceJ erireerir...aJvarceJ rac|irir...aJvarceJ fcrrir...
perfcrrarce t|rcu| cur cptirizeJ va|ue strear. T|ats w|y t|e rcst aJvarceJ
ccrrercia| aercspace, prcpu|sicr, ri|itary, erery, arJ reJica| |eaJers
arcurJ t|e wcr|J ra|e TI t|eir frst c|cice fcr fra| fcrr.
4 J J 4 | I A K | I | I A 4 | J | J 1 I | 1 ,
| \ | 4 \ J J R A I \ J J RA 4 I | 4 I | | J 1 \ J J 4 | | J .
|
Flightglobal
|
2011
Deadlines were moved and missed, orders rocketed and receded, reputations built
and burned. Relive the twists and turns of a long, chaotic development programme
TURBULENT TIMES
TIMELINE
2005
JAN 7E7 offcially
becomes the 787 with order
for 60 aircraft from ve Chinese
airlines, each promised rst
delivery by 2008 Beijing
Olympics

SEP Confguration
frmed
2006
MAY Air New Zealand
becomes 787-9 launch customer

JUN Jim McNerney elected Boeing
chief just as the airframer starts major
assembly of frst 787

SEP Scott Carson rises to
commercial top job after
racking up 330 787
sales
2007
APR-MAY Orders pass 500

JUL Boeing unveils rst 787 on 8 July
07/08/07 in US date format. But aircraft
contains limited structure and no systems

AUG Boeing amends delivery schedule of early
aircraft and test airframes

SEP First ight slips from late August 2007 to
mid-November/mid-December

OCT First ight moves to end of rst quarter
2008; frst delivery pushed from May to
November/December. Pat Shanahan
replaces Mike Bair as
programme head
2003
JAN Boeing proceeds with
7E7 development. Target: offers to
airlines in early 2004, service entry in
2008

JUN Boeing dubs 7E7 the Dreamliner, and
reveals plan to fabricate composite fuselage
and wing

NOV Boeing unveils 7E7 structures team

DEC Board grants commercial
unit authority to market
7E7
2004
APR Boeing names
Rolls-Royce and General
Electric as engine suppliers. 7E7
launched with 50-aircraft order
from ANA

DEC Scott Carson takes charge
of commercial sales. Order
total stands at
52
fightglobal.com/787
2008
JAN First ight goes back to end of
second quarter 2008. First delivery
expected in early 2009

MAR Boeing moves to acquire Voughts 50% share in
supplier Global Aeronautica

APR First ight slides to fourth quarter 2008, rst delivery
to third quarter 2009, 787-9 to 2012. Future of short-range
787-3 uncertain

JUN First power-on test

SEP-OCT Machinists strike brings 57-day work stoppage
at Boeings assembly plants in Puget Sound

DEC Boeing admits need to replace 3% of all 787
fasteners, slides rst ight to June 2009,
delivery to rst quarter 2010. Scott
Fancher takes charge of
programme
2009
JAN Air New Zealand reveals another
12-month slide in frst 787-9 delivery

APR After changes and rework to test feet, aircraft no
longer assigned to customers. Chinese airlines shift to later
models, giving ANA access to earlier deliveries

JUN At Paris air show, Boeing leadership reaffrms end-of-month target
for rst ight, but offcially postpones it on 23 June after analysis of
side-of-body join

JUL Boeing says it will buy Voughts 787 operations in North Charleston,
South Carolina. First taxi tests

AUG First ight: end of 2009. First delivery: fourth quarter 2010. Flight-test
feet reshuffe brings $2.5 billion charge. Jim Albaugh replaces retiring Scott
Carson

OCT Boeing selects North Charleston for second 787 fnal assembly line

NOV Boeing completes side-of-body reinforcement on frst test
aircraft

DEC First ight kicks off what is intended to be
8-9-month certifcation campaign. Boeing to buy
remaining 50% of Global Aeronautica
from Alenia
2010

JAN 787 achieves initial
airworthiness

MAR Boeing imposes rst of ve holds on structural
deliveries, with suppliers to catch up over fve weeks

APR Boeing granted FAA type inspection authorisation

JUN First GEnx-1B-powered 787 completes rst ight. Boeing
discloses workmanship issues with Alenia horizontal stabiliser

JUL Larger 787-9 gains frm confguration.
787 makes international debut

AUG After uncontained failure of a Trent 1000 test engine,
rst delivery slides to mid-rst quarter 2011

NOV In-fight electrical re on ZA002 brings halt to test
ying

DEC Following update to the power
distribution software, test fying
resumes
2011
|
Flightglobal
|
13
2011
JAN First delivery: third quarter
2011. Boeing predicts 25-40 deliveries of
787s/747-8s in 2011

MAR Albaugh acknowledges 787 will not meet
8,000nm performance specication, but argues aircraft
can meet customer guarantees

MAY First Trent 1000 Package B engine to bring SFC within
1% of spec ies. Fatigue test airframe passes 10,000 cycles

JUN Ninth 787 begins ETOPS and F&R testing

JUL Test aircraft wearing ANA colours arrives in Tokyo for
service-ready operational validation. Delivery target
revised to 25-30 787s/747-8s by year-end

AUG Boeing gains type and production
certications from FAA and
EASA
B
o
e
in
g
,
R
e
x

F
e
a
t
u
r
e
s
|
Flightglobal
|
2011
MARY KIRBY PHILADELPHIA
Airlines want to offer next-generation in-ight
entertainment on the new Dreamliner but a tight
delivery schedule means most will have to wait
GETTING
CONNECTED
THALES CONNECTIVITY SYSTEMS AVAILABLE ON THE 787
SOURCE: Boeing
First connectivity system available on the 787
Dedicated SATCOM
2 channels of swiftBroadband
IFE connect
Connectivity through the seatback screen
WiFi connectivity
Through passengers personal devices
GSM/GPRS/SMS
Live news, web browsing, e-mail, SMS,
Cellular phone calls and data services
B
o
e
in
g
INTERIORS
A
irlines want the ability to offer next-
generation in-ight entertainment
(IFE), connectivity and seats on Boe-
ings long-delayed 787 Dreamliner
but a tight delivery schedule means most will
have to wait for major changes to original or-
ders. The attributes that make the interior of
the Boeing 787 twinjet so distinctive a
sweeping entryway, super-sized luggage bins,
extra-large dimmable windows and a unique
lighting scheme with various mood settings
have justiably captured the imagination of
product to our customers for the 787. We did
that last year, even the year before. So were a
little bit ahead of the curve, he said.
Gundermann said what that means for As-
tronics is that when Boeing starts ramping
up 787 and all of the suppliers around the
world start talking about the 787 impact on
their nancials, were going to be strangely si-
lent. That doesnt mean were off the pro-
gramme, it just means that weve got to wait
for that inventory that weve already shipped
to get through the process.
Many IFE systems have sat on shelves for
years waiting to be installed on the 787. Since
the lifecycle of IFE in terms of equipment and
ideas is 18 months, a three-year wait equates
to nearly two turns, making the difference be-
tween kit ordered in 2006-2007 for delivery in
2008 appear quite stark when compared with
the lighter, slimmer platforms with capacitive
touchscreens available today.
For example, All Nippon Airways recently
unveiled the interiors of the 787s that will op-
erate on its regional and domestic routes.
While the seatback IFE in economy class
would have been considered state-of-the-art
when the carrier placed its order, it now ap-
pears dated on ANAs new 787s.
Economy-class seats have also reduced in
size during the past ve years, with todays
models vastly slimmer and subsequently
more fuel efcient. Boeing, however, is reti-
cent to make signicant changes to 787 cabin
technology and interiors for fear of further de-
laying deliveries, multiple sources say.
UNDER PRESSURE
Asked to say when it will install new connect-
ed IFE and communications (IFEC) systems on
the 787, Boeing said it could not comment be-
cause our experts are focused on rst delivery
right now. Additionally, we dont have any up-
dates to share on this topic at this time.
United-Continental is understood to be
among carriers pushing Boeing to t new IFE
specically Panasonic Avionics 9in smart
monitor known as the Eco 9i to B/E Aero-
space-manufactured economy-class seats on
its 787s. However initial deliveries, expected
in early 2012, will not feature the product.
Its a no. Our rst 787 wont have the smart
monitors, United-Continental conrms. A
The 787s interior is
distinguished by a
sweeping entryway,
super-sized luggage
bins, extra-large
dimmable windows
and a unique lighting
scheme with various
mood settings
travellers and aviation buffs. However, it is
not without irony that the 787s currently roll-
ing off the production line are less advanced
in terms of cabin connectivity than many Mc-
Donnell Douglas MD-80s ying in US skies,
feature older generation IFE systems, and lack
the latest innovations in integrated IFE/slim-
line seats. Some of the disparity can be
blamed on delays to the 787 programme. Peter
Gundermann, president and chief executive
ofcer of in-seat power specialist Astronics,
put the impact of the 787 delay on cabin sys-
tem suppliers into perspective in late 2010.
Weve already shipped 30 shipsets or so of
|
Flightglobal
|
15
SEAT BACK IFE COMPARISON
Integrated IFE/seats with
Panasonic eco 9i monitor
Current ANA seatback IFE
Mary Kirby blogs on in-fight entertainment,
communication and connectivity issues at
ightglobal.com/runwaygirl
IN MY VIEW
separate source with knowledge of the discus-
sions between Boeing and United-Continental
asserts that while the rst aircraft wont have
Eco, the seatback integration will look much
better than that being offered on ANAs ini-
tial 787s. Tom Plant, B/E Aerospace vice-pres-
ident and general manager seating products,
says the seat-makers ability to change plans
to accommodate the IFE system for United-
Continental has been pretty crisp and weve
been pretty fast in reacting to that. He adds:
We make deliveries on one of the new IFE
systems in the beginning of next year on the
787. I cant tell you what customer it is with.
LINEFIT OPTION
Boeing is also yet to offer IFE as a linet op-
tion for the 787. The airframer was badly
burned by its own failed foray into airborne
internet Connexion by Boeing (CBB)
which was closed at the end of 2006. It had
previously intended to offer CBB, a Ku-band
satellite-supported solution, on the 787.
A source said that when CBB announced it
was going out of business, one of the rst
things the 787 team did knowing it had a
weight problem already was to take out all
of the provisions [for connectivity].
Architecturally its still there but the actual
physical provisions on the airplane which
entails strengthening the area where the [Ku]
antenna radome was going to go on the aircraft
was about 30lb [13.6kg], so they pulled it off.
There was a rack as well, and thats bigger than
that, the source adds. However, Boeing is
showing interest in participating in post-deliv-
ery modications of connectivity to the 787.
Thales, which has been contracted to provide
an Inmarsat SwiftBroadband-supported IFEC
system for Qatars 787s, originally hoped con-
nectivity would be linet to the twinjets.
In a recent Flight International interview,
Thales IFE chief Alan Pellegrini revealed the
latest plan is for Boeing to provide some pro-
visioning on a linet basis, then Thales will
work with Boeings Commercial Aviation
Services division for post-delivery mods as
soon as the aircraft delivers.
The post-delivery mod includes installa-
tion of a second satellite communication radio
and antenna, [and] the installation of our on-
board wi- and mobile telephone system to
support cell phone access, says Pellegrini.
From a linet perspective, the fact that
well be doing this with a post-delivery mod
means that all the engineering work will have
been done, so even if an airline cannot get the
system linet from Boeing, well already have
an engineering package and arrangement for
post-delivery. Its less than ideal from an air-
line perspective but better than the alternative
of not having an option, so this will be good
precedent-setting and groundbreaking in get-
ting the system installed on the aircraft.
The rst retrots are expected in early 2012
after rst deliveries to Qatar. Thales next gen-
eration Android-based IFEC system, of which
Qatar is a customer for the 787, is expected to
make its debut in 2013 but the system, known
as AVANT, is not yet offerable on the 787.
THE COMPETITION
I suspect Boeing will want to be more asser-
tive or aggressive with new IFEC technology
once they get their feet on the ground with de-
liveries of the 787, recognising that the prod-
uct will be going into new aircraft but also via
retrot and on other Airbus platforms, includ-
ing the A380 in 2012, so I think there will be
market pressure to get the latest generation
systems on Boeing aircraft, says Pellegrini.
That pressure could mount if Airbus suc-
ceeds in delivering the new A350 as planned
in 2013. When we specied the A350 cabin
with the milestones we have on the pro-
gramme, ie starting two to three years later
than our competitor, in working with suppli-
ers we specically set out to capture technol-
ogy of the latest standard, says Airbus vice-
president marketing, Bob Lange.
That window has given us some opportu-
nities which we tried to capture. For us, we
had an opportunity to take advantage of the
rapid pace of technology in IFE and connec-
tivity in particular, seats to a slightly lesser
extent, so yes [connectivity] is part of our
standard A350 offer, he adds.
Once 787 deliveries start owing smoothly,
however, interiors and IFE in the cabin are ex-
pected to catch up, Panasonic Avionics chief
executive Paul Margis says.
I think right now it is a bit stalled because
they [Boeing] are so focused on making sure
the airplane itself is ying [in revenue serv-
ice]. The connectivity is a tough one because
of the antennas and all of that, but the interior
will be the fasted thing moving because its
not that hard and airlines are pushing to be
competitive, he adds. O
If airlines want to switch to the newer IFE
systems... were happy to jump on those
opportunities
TOM PLANT
Vice-president and general manager seating products, B/E Aerospace
|
Flightglobal
|
2011
MICHAEL GUBISCH LONDON
As the all-new airliner enters service, MRO providers
are assessing the challenges of parts supply and carrying
out repairs to the 787s composite structure
KEEPING
DOWN THE
DOWNTIME
A
ir

F
r
a
n
c
e
-K
L
M
A
ir

F
r
a
n
c
e
-K
L
M
A
ir

F
r
a
n
c
e
-K
L
M
MAINTENANCE
M
aintenance providers expect sig-
nicant change with the service
entry of the Boeing 787. While
there is less concern about the
technological demands to repair the carbon-
bre airframe structure, many anticipate a
shift towards more intensive line mainte-
nance, large capital requirements to establish
new MRO capabilities and novel internal
processes, such as keeping the aircrafts com-
plex systems software up to date.
Air Berlin is a 787 customer which, after
supporting its existing eet of 737, Airbus
A320-family and A330 aircraft in-house, is
evaluating whether to outsource airframe and
component maintenance for the new twinjet
and subscribe to Boeings GoldCare MRO pro-
gramme. The German carrier has ordered 18
787s, scheduled for delivery from 2014.
Whether this eet will warrant the invest-
ment to build the required capabilities will
partly depend on how much additional third-
party custom can be attracted to ensure suf-
cient continuous workow, says Tobias Hund-
hausen, vice-president business development.
He says that Air Berlin Techniks composite
repair capabilities are limited and focus main-
ly on items that can be removed from the air-
craft and amended in the workshop. In future,
he expects more large-scale repairs in the
hangar and many more composite repairs.
While he is condent that small-scale fuse-
lage defects can be xed with pre-fabricated
repair kits, he is unsure how to deal with
large-scale damage. This is an area where we
still have information decits, where we de-
pend on the manufacturers expertise and
which we need to clarify in the coming
months, says Hundhausen.
LOGISTICAL CONCERNS
This view is echoed by Christian Weckesser,
project manager for 787 aircraft engineering at
Lufthansa Technik (LHT) in Frankfurt. With
repairs beyond a certain size, we fear that we
will quickly get to a point where the SRM
[structural repair manual] will not be suf-
cient and that we then have to talk to Boeing
and evaluate the damage together with them,
he says. And that will cost time.
Weckesser emphasises that he sees no funda-
mental technical difculties in repairing com-
posites, given that synthetic bres and resins
have been moulded into primary airframe
structures during past decades, be it oor beams
on the Boeing 777, vertical and later horizontal
stabilisers on Airbus aircraft or complete fuse-
lages for military and business aircraft.
His concern is about the logistics and po-
tentially longer time requirements to bring a
stricken aircraft back into service. Expecting
that large panels will have to be ordered from
Boeing, he questions whether material will be
as readily available as has been the case with
metal aircraft.
Boeing responds that airlines and MRO
companies will be able to stock composite
panels. However, as some materials need to be
temperature-controlled and have limited shelf
lives, their supply will be more complicated
to manage than for sheet metal. Whether op-
erators and maintenance providers with expo-
sure only to small eets will invest in repair
material, which might have to be discarded
unused, remains to be seen.
As an alternative to bonded composite re-
pairs, operators will have the option to under-
take bolted repairs with titanium parts. Simi-
lar to how metallic airframe structures are
xed using sheet metal, it is possible to fasten
titanium patches across a damaged fuselage
area as a permanent repair.
If a composite solution is preferred, it
is possible to remove the metallic x later
on and replace it with a wet composite
layup, says Ron Murray, Boeings 787 chief
mechanic.
We really dont envision major-type re-
|
Flightglobal
|
17
B
o
e
in
g
For premium news from the maintenance,
repair and overhaul sector visit
ightglobal.com/mro
IN MY VIEW
We believe that if we face a non-standard
problem, the delays and downtimes may be
signicantly longer than on current aircraft
DIRK WINKLER
Senior sales executive, Lufthansa Technik
pairs other than the usual damages we see on
aluminium aircraft today, which can be taken
care of with simple materials [prefabricated
kits], which the airlines can either have or be
readily available from Boeing, he adds.
A major bugbear in supporting the 787 will
be to keep systems software up to date, says
LHT. Much of the twinjets equipment and
functions are controlled via software. These
programs are not installed in self-contained
components but run as part of a common core
system (CCS), which works as an aircraft-wide
computer network.
SOFTWARE MAINTENANCE
Maintaining this system, particularly with re-
gard to later updates and modications, will
be a signicant challenge. Weckesser says
LHT has benetted from its experiences with
the Airbus A380, which also features a net-
work server IT structure, but he adds that this
expertise needs to be further intensied be-
cause of more software-controlled compo-
nents and functions on the 787.
While the physical replacement of a com-
ponent can usually be accomplished quickly,
it might not be as easy to install the respective
software and ensure full operability, says Dirk
Winkler, LHT senior sales executive. The
timescales, which the manufacturers suggest
to upload new software, do not always match
the reality, he says.
Tracking the software updates and congu-
ration status of individual aircraft across a di-
verse eet will be a central task in supporting
the 787. This will be further complicated if,
for example, an airline contracts separate en-
gineering, line and base maintenance provid-
ers which employ individual MRO processes
and IT systems.
Software can be uploaded to the 787s com-
puter network by cable connection from a lap-
top or via wireless link in the airport. Air Ber-
lin wants to stream software wirelessly but to
reduce risk of complications it will initially
transfer software from a laptop, says Hund-
hausen. He adds that the choice of connection
is only to upload the software on the aircrafts
network but the installation will always need
to be carried out by an onboard engineer.
For Air France Industries (AFI) KLM Engi-
neering & Maintenance, a main challenge in
servicing the 787 is the high price of compo-
nents. The Franco-Dutch company wants to
offer operators full-support component MRO
packages with access to spare-part pools. The
investment to set up the inventory, however,
might necessitate co-operation with external
partners, says to Marc Roubaud, senior vice-
president business development. We are
wondering if we can nd some synergies with
partners in order to nance the spares needed
to provide a good component support.
AFI formed Spairliners with LHT as an
A380 component-support venture. The spare-
price issue for the double-decker aircraft was
exacerbated by its comparatively small global
eet and limited number of operators. Never-
theless, AFI KLM E&M calculated it needs to
have at least 100 787s under contract to
achieve savings through scale effects.
The company wants to provide MRO sup-
port for the entire aircraft in the long-term, but
because of the service periods until the rst
scheduled overhaul events for the engines
and airframe, it will initially focus on compo-
nents. Avionics and pneumatics are likely to
be among the rst product areas for which AFI
KLM E&M will develop repair capabilities.
Technical training will not begin until next
year as the equipment will initially be covered
by the manufacturers warranties, says Rou-
baud. So far, the company has mainly allocat-
ed engineering staff to manage the mainte-
nance operations of early customers for the
new aircraft.
WIDER INTERVALS
As with previous aircraft generations, manu-
facturers aim to reduce the maintenance re-
quirements for their new models. Thanks to
the carbon-bre construction, Boeing has been
able to double the period until the rst air-
frame overhaul typically from ve to six years
for metallic aircraft to 12 years on the 787, sig-
nicantly reducing the need for conventional
base-maintenance work.
Nevertheless, none of the MRO providers
questioned were concerned about losing cus-
tom. Experience with the latest aircraft, such
as the A380, has shown their sophisticated
equipment will require new support tasks and
skills. Personally, I believe that the efforts for
line maintenance will signicantly increase
and that this will require signicantly higher
qualications, says Winkler.
So we will need more qualied personnel.
This cannot be handled by any technician any
more, he adds. O
Air Berlin is unsure
where its 787s will
be supported (top)
(L-R) Part support
will be the rst step
for AFI KLM E&M
High equipment
prices are a hurdle
Secret service:
ZA002 makes a
late-night visit to
Amsterdam in 2010
Boeing tested repairs
on airframe
demonstrators
A
ir

B
e
r
lin
|
Flightglobal
|
2011
COCKPIT
NEW WINDSHIELD
For the 787 Boeing has pursued its frst new
windshield design since 1979, updating the 757,
767 and 777 six-window fightdeck with a clean-
sheet four non-opening window design that moves
the crew escape door to the fightdeck ceiling.
FIVE SCREENS
The 787s fve 15.1in displays, the largest
ever on a commercial aircraft, replace six 7in
screens on the 777, contributing to reducing the
total fightdeck line replaceable units from 22 on
the 777 to 12 on the 787.
CONSOLIDATION
The new outboard captain and frst offcer
displays consolidate the once standalone primary
fight displays (PFD), clocks, and fight information,
into a single primary fight display offering the PFD,
mini-map and auxiliary display.
FLIGHT MANAGEMENT
The fight management computer line-
replaceable units, maintenance systems, synoptic
pages and electronic checklists on the 777 have
been consolidated across three multifunction
displays (MFD) that allow for up to fve half-page
display areas and a constant Engine Indication
and Crew Alerting System.
HEAD-UPS
The dual Rockwell Collins HGS-6000 head-
up displays are standard on the 787, a frst
for a Boeing commercial aircraft, enabling low-
visibility take-offs and more eyes out fying with
velocity vectors.
MULTIFUNCTIONAL INTEGRATION
The three multifunction displays are inter-
faced through the new multifunction keyboard and
the cursor control selector knob, which comple-
ments the cursor control device frst introduced
on the 777.
NAVIGATION
Each navigation display can be presented
half or full width on each MFD, with views as wide
as 1,280nm and down to 0.5nm presenting
gates, taxiways and runways on the integrated
airport moving map, along with a graphical vertical
situation display and terrain display for RNP 0.1
approach capability.
ELECTRONIC FLIGHT BAGS
Dual Class 3 electronic fight bags are stand-
ard on the 787, allowing a paperless interface
presenting video surveillance, performance data
computation, navigation charts, electronic docu-
ments and logbooks.
DISPLAY OF
INNOVATION
The 787s ightdeck design builds on the 777s advances
1 5
5
6
6
7
8
8
2
2
3
3
4
4
1
7
A
ll
p
h
o
t
o
g
r
a
p
h
y
:

J
o
n

O
s
t
r
o
w
e
r
/
F
lig
h
t
g
lo
b
a
l
2011
|
Flightglobal
|
19 fightglobal.com/787 2011
|
Flightglobal
|
1 htglobal com/787
The 787 ightdeck
combines greater
situational
awareness with
familiar touches
|
Flightglobal
|
2011
ENGINES
IN MY VIEW
GE 787 ENGINE VARIANTS
1st iteration 2nd iteration 3rd iteration
Block D PIP 1 PIP 2
Thrust (lb-thrust) 70,000 75,000 78,000
Variant 787-8 787-8 787-8, 787-9
Upgrades LPT upgrades HPT upgrades
SFC (vs.spec) 2.4% above 1% above 0% (target)
EIS Dec-11 Dec-11 2013
PARTNERS: Ishikawajima-Harima Heavy Industries (IHI), Avio, Volvo Aero, Techspace Aero, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Samsung Techwin
ROLLS-ROYCE 787 ENGINE VARIANTS
1st iteration 2nd iteration 3rd iteration
Package A Package B Package C
Thrust (lb-thrust) 64,000 70,000 74,000+
Variant 787-8 787-8 787-9
Upgrades fan, nozzle, geometry
LPT, air system
SFC (vs.spec) 1% above
EIS Sep-11 Dec-11 2013
PARTNERS: Kawasaki, Mitsubishi, Industria de Turbo Propulsores, Carlton Forge Works, Hamilton Sundstrand, Goodrich
PUSHING
POWER TO
THE LIMIT
JOHN CROFT WASHINGTON DC
While Boeing struggled with the programme schedule,
the 787s engine suppliers took opportunities to hone
designs for which the rulebook had been abandoned
A
n early Christmas present arrived at
Rolls-Royce on 28 September when
All Nippon Airways, launch cus-
tomer for the Boeing 787-8 Dream-
liner, took delivery of its rst aircraft. Under
the wings of the mostly composite 264-seat
twinjet were two Rolls-Royce Trent 1000 tur-
bofans. My rm belief is that once the aircraft
is delivered, the whole eld within the indus-
try will change, says Simon Carlisle, Trent
1000 programme manager for Rolls-Royce.
Its like being a child waiting for Christmas
its magical.
As a result of the protracted 787 develop-
ment programme, Carlisle, who took his posi-
tion two weeks after the 787 rst ight just
before Christmas 2009, is in charge of three
Trent 1000 development programmes simul-
taneously Package A, the launch engine;
Package B, a higher-thrust, more efcient en-
gine that will power all 787-8 aircraft as of
next year; and the 74,000lb-thrust (330kN-
thrust) Package C engine destined for the 787-
9, a stretched, higher-capacity version of the
aircraft slated for entry into service in 2013.
Bill Fitzgerald, vice-president and general
manager of the GEnx product line for rival en-
gine provider GE, is also essentially running
three programmes at once a Block 4 engine,
the rst to be certied; the recently approved
performance improvement package (PIP) 1
engine that gets to within 1% of Boeing fuel
efciency targets, and a more powerful PIP 2
engine for the 787-9.
Simultaneous engine-upgrade efforts were
not part of the plan when Boeing launched
the 787 in April 2004 with the two engine
choices. The turbofans are 15% more fuel ef-
cient than the engines they will replace,
helping to produce an overall fuel-burn reduc-
tion of 20% compared with the Boeing 767,
the aircraft the 787 replaces.
Nothing about this engine programme is
typical, says Carlisle. Given Boeings original
plan to get the 787 certicated and ying in
time for the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, Rolls-
Royce developed and worked to a compatible
schedule. From our perspective, we followed
our normal design new product-introduction
process and in 2007, certied the engine with
full expectation it would go into a ight-test
programme and be delivered.
However, Boeing only achieved US Federal
Aviation Administration certication on 26
August 2011, three years after the initial tar-
get. None of us thought it would be quite this
long, Carlisle says.
If, in 2008, Boeing would have said, It is
going to be the end of 2011 [for certication],
it would have been relatively easy to cope
with, says Carlisle. We would have relooked
at the programme. But to some degree, the
way the programme slipped six months,
every six months all of the supply chain had
to maintain readiness to ight test, which took
away from improving the product.
He adds: We took advantage of the delay
to get the engine as current as it could possi-
bly be. We did a ton of ight testing that has
The [delays] were not a huge issue for us
from a technical development aspect. We
tried to use that time to our advantage
BILL FITZGERALD
Vice-president and general manager of GEnx product line, GE Aviation
2011
|
Flightglobal
|
given us a lot of condence in the maturity of
the product. It will be the most mature prod-
uct we have ever put into service.
For GE, the main challenge as the schedule
expanded was making sure it stayed focused
on the execution of PIPs while nishing in-
dustrialisation of the production engines,
says Fitzgerald. GE has the added pressure
(and privilege) of being the sole source sup-
plier of the similar GEnx-2B engines for the
747-8 programme, which has meant a dual
ramp-up for the new line of turbofans. We
delivered 44 GEnx-1B and -2B engines in
2010, and well triple that number in 2011,
Fitzgerald said in mid-August. Boeing plans
to certicate the GE-powered 787 in the fourth
quarter this year, with the rst delivery going
to Japan Airlines.
PRESSURE COMPRESSORS
The more-electric turbofans created for the
787 will be worth the wait. GEs offering is
similar to the high-bypass, composite-fan,
two-spool GE90 for the Boeing 777, but takes
the next step with a composite fan case sav-
ing 181kg (400lb) per engine titanium alu-
minide turbine blades, and a low-emission
twin annular pre-swirl (TAPS) combustor.
The 6,126kg engine has a 282cm (111in) fan
diameter, three-stage low-pressure compres-
sor, a 10-stage high-pressure compressor
(HPC), a two-stage high-pressure turbine
(HPT) and a six-stage low-pressure turbine
(LPT). The overall bypass ratio is 9.6:1.
Like the Rolls-Royce offering, the GEnx-1b
is a bleedless engine (except for hot bleed air
for engine inlet anti-ice protection) that drives
twin 250kW starter generators on each engine,
pumping 1MW into the 787. The more-elec-
tric design required GE to build power storage
banks in the ground testing area to dump all
that power, and drove changes to the compa-
10C per 1,000 cycles for the GE90. Delaying
EGT degradation prolongs engine life.
Rolls-Royce used its trademark three-spool
architecture as a starting point for the Trent
1000. Behind a 284.5cm titanium fan is an
eight-stage intermediate pressure compressor
(IPC), a six-stage HPC, a single-stage HPT, a
single-stage intermediate pressure turbine
(IPT) and a six-stage LPT. The overall bypass
ratio for the 5,936kg engine is 10:1. Key fea-
tures include an intermediate shaft electrical
power offtake Rolls-Royce says helps reduce
fuel consumption with the engine running at
idle. Overall, the company says its three-shaft
architecture has better deterioration charac-
teristics than GEs two-shaft design.
HARDWARE CHANGES
Package B upgrades include a modied LPT
design, high-aspect-ratio blades, relocation of
the IPC compressor bleed offtake ports and
improved aerodynamics for the fan outlet
guide vanes. The Package B engine is also said
to incorporate hardware changes put in place
after an August 2010 uncontained failure of a
Package A engine on the test stand at Derby in
the UK. Carlisle says Rolls-Royce has approv-
als to perform repair and overhaul work on
the engines in Derby.
He says ANA will have some capability
for engine testing and light maintenance in-
house at EIS, but adds that, as the eet grows,
we will look to have more capability through
the established maintenance network in part-
nership with our leading customers.
Although the companies agree on the prod-
uct improvement roadmap, they are as com-
petitive as ever when it comes to the sales job.
As of late August, GE had sold 830 engines,
giving it an edge over Rolls-Royce in the
number of engines sold, given that 821 aircraft
have been purchased, but buyers have not yet
declared their engine choice for roughly 250
aircraft. Boeing plans to build 10 aircraft each
month by the end of 2013.
I would hope that everyone would cele-
brate the delivery of the [Dreamliner], says
Carlisle. It will be a fantastic product even
better for those who have selected the Trent
engine, he adds. O
GEnx is a three-in-one
programme (right)
Three spools were
the Trent 1000s
starting point (below)
The atypical 787
up close (bottom)
nys 747 ying testbed to handle the excess
electricity. Along with production demands,
GE has been deploying a worldwide infra-
structure to support the engine in service, ve
years ahead of the rst expected overhaul.
When the GE90-115B entered service, we
had one [GE] certied maintenance facility,
says Fitzgerald. We have two certied sites
for the GEnx from the start, ve times the
number of GEnx on-wing support sites, 10
times the number of eld support engineers
and four times the quick-turn capability. GE
has two certicated overhaul facilities in
place. You have one chance to make a great
rst impression, says Fitzgerald.
The most signicant lesson learned came
from trying to squeeze too much performance
out of the LPT. In our design, we took a very
aggressive approach on the LPT and reduced
the blade count by 30% [compared with the
GE90], says Fitzgerald. The resulting Block 4
engine missed Boeings specic fuel con-
sumption (SFC) targets by several percent, an
issue that will be addressed with the PIP 1 en-
hancement soon after EIS and the PIP 2 up-
grade in 2012. While GE obtained PIP 1 certi-
cation from the FAA in August, thrust was
limited to 70,000lb because of an HPT nozzle
problem discovered during a ground test at
35% above red-line temperature. Fitzgerald
says a modied nozzle that will allow for
75,000lb thrust should be certicated by Janu-
ary or February for the PIP 1 variant.
While SFC is currently higher than speci-
cation, the engine is meeting targets for ex-
haust gas temperature (EGT) degradation.
Using the GE90 engine as a baseline, engi-
neers had designed the GEnx for a 6-8C re-
duction in EGT per 1,000 cycles, down from
Our latest special report on commercial en-
gines focuses on Rolls-Royces composites fan
blades. Read it at ightglobal.com/commeng
B
o
e
in
g
|
Flightglobal
|
2011
MAX KINGSLEY-JONES LONDON
SIVA GOVINDASAMY SINGAPORE
The launch customers are nally ready to start earning
money with Boeings wonder jet and to nd
out if the 787 has been worth the long wait
STARTING A
REVOLUTION
I
n 1968, the Beatles sang, You say you
want a revolution. Similar words could
have been uttered by Boeings salesmen
when touting their so-called super-ef-
cient airplane to potential customers almost
a decade ago.
Launched as the 7E7 in April 2004 with
NETWORK
IN MY VIEW
an order from All Nippon Airways, the 787
came with a promise of 20% lower fuel burn
and greater range than any aircraft in its size
category, along with a new level of passenger
experience through radical architecture and
cabin pressure at a lower altitude than before.
However ANA, Japan Airlines and other 787
early adopters have had to wait much longer
than expected to sample these promised de-
lights, after production and development dra-
mas created delays greater than a worst-case
scenario. Boeing expects the Dreamliners size,
performance and range will combine to pro-
duce the perfect airliner for its much-touted
network fragmentation philosophy.
Fragmentation really gives passengers
more of what they want, and thats more fre-
quent, non-stop service, says Boeing Com-
mercial Airplanes vice-president marketing
Randy Tinseth. Its size, range and economics
allows it take that to an all-new level.
ANA is in pole position for the 787, having
received its rst aircraft on 26 September 40
months later than rst scheduled. It is due to
begin passenger services on 26 October.
FLEET-PLAN FRUSTRATION
After ANA, the sequence and schedule for the
next 787 operators is a little blurred, although
other customers with early deliveries are
known to include Air India, China Southern,
Ethiopian Airlines, Hainan Airlines, JAL,
Qatar Airways and Royal Air Maroc.
ANA, which has 55 787s on order, expects
to receive its rst batch of 12 through to 31
March 2012, with a further eight before 31
March 2013.
The delays forced the airline to acquire ad-
ditional Boeing 767-300ERs, as an interim lift,
and cut back on some network growth.
There was a great deal of frustration as our
eet plan has been forced to change for three
years, says Ito. But there would have been a
bigger impact if we did not do anything at all.
We modied our eet plan.
ANAs local rival, JAL, was another early
Dreamliner customer, signing in December
2004 for 30 aircraft since increased to 35.
JAL was scheduled to receive its rst 787 in
August 2008 but says that after suffering a
total of seven delays, deliveries should now
begin at the end of the year. It hopes to have
received ve by the end of its current scal
year, which closes on 31 March 2012.
JAL says in the wake of the delays it con-
sulted Boeing on various adjustments, includ-
ing the introduction of alternative aircraft,
purchasing conditions and compensation, to
minimise impact on its business plans. To
bridge the delays, the airline introduced about
10 767s and 777s and postponed the retire-
ment of several older 767s, as well as making
J
o
n

O
s
t
r
o
w
e
r
/
F
lig
h
t
g
lo
b
a
l
The 787-8 is an excellent tool to develop
new routes that could not be economically
sustained before
AKBAR AL BAKER
Chief executive, Qatar Airways
|
Flightglobal
|
23
Boston
Tokyo
Beijing
Doha
Boston
Tokyo Tokyo
ing jing
Intra Gulf,
Europe and Asia
Tokyo-Boston and
long-haul routes
Domestic, Tokyo-Beijing,
North America and Europe
787 OPERATORS EARLY NETWORK PLANS
Doha Doha
Beij Beij
Read the Airline Business cover interview with
Qatar Airways chief executive Akbar Al Baker:
ightglobal.com/albaker
changes to schedules and maintenance plans.
Qatar Airways expects it will be roughly
the sixth customer to introduce the 787, with
its rst of 30 on order due to arrive in the sec-
ond quarter of 2012. When the airline an-
nounced its order in 2007, deliveries were
due to start in the rst half of 2010. Chief ex-
ecutive Akbar Al Baker says the delays were
very disruptive indeed to route development
plans and the resulting revenue losses were
far in excess of the compensation provided by
Boeing. To make up for the potential capacity
shortfall resulting from the delays, the airline
postponed the return of leased Airbus A330s
as well as the sale of its own aircraft.
Launch operator ANA will give the 787 its
commercial debut on a charter service be-
tween Tokyo Narita and Hong Kong on 26 Oc-
tober. The airlines initial batch of 787s have
264 seats for regional and domestic operations
and will later be adapted to a lower-density,
222-seat layout. A spacious 158-seat congu-
ration will be own on long-haul services.
We are now going to get the 787 and have
more expectation than anything else. We can
now do whatever we wanted to do three years
ago, Ito says.
ANAs regular 787 services begin on 1 No-
vember, with daily services between Tokyo
Haneda and Okayama and Hiroshima. Inter-
national 787 operations start in December be-
tween Haneda and Beijing while, from Janu-
ary, the type will be used for a new service
three weekly ights between Haneda and
Frankfurt. The airline also plans to use the
787 to connect Haneda with Itami,
Yamaguchi-Ube and Matsuyama by March.
In the longer term, the liberalisation of Ja-
pans airline market will allow ANA to add
new destinations in North America and Eu-
rope, where its 787 eet can be best utilised.
JAL ordered its 787s to replace medium-
sized aircraft such as older 767s and Airbus
A300-600s that have since been retired. The
Dreamliner acquisition also ts in with its
overall eet-management policy to reduce the
number of types operated. The 787 is a game
changer. Previously, we used larger aircraft on
long-haul routes as they had the range but the
concept has changed with the 787, says JAL
president Masaru Onishi. The 787 allows us
to be more efcient.
To maximise fuel efciency, JAL will de-
ploy the 787 on long-haul routes. The airline
says the range, speed and size of the 787-8
serves well to meet medium-sized demand for
long-haul routes. It adds that these qualities
contributed to its decision to launch services
between Tokyo and Boston next year using
the 787. The Boston-Narita leg will be JALs
second-longest routing 13h 40min.
Like JAL, China Southern expects to re-
ceive the rst of 10 Dreamliners before year-
end, and plans to deploy them on internation-
al ights. We will mainly use them to open
up new international routes rather than on ex-
isting ights, says chairman Si Xianmin.
BETTER RANGE CAPABILITY
Qatar Airways sees the 787-8 as an excellent
route-development tool and will use its eet
initially to develop new European points with
widebody capacity that could not be econom-
ically sustained with its existing widebody
types. The 787-8 has been acquired primarily
as an A330-200 replacement but may also re-
place the A321 on some denser, short-haul
routes, says Al Baker.
Although our 787-8s will have about 20
fewer seats that our [272-seat] A330-200s, we
believe that the 787 has a lower total operating
cost per seat over the A330 and a double-digit
total-cost-per-trip advantage, when compar-
ing new aircraft at representative net acquisi-
tion costs. The 787-8 also has a signicantly
better range capability than the A330.
Initial operations next year will see the type
deployed on Qatars intra-Gulf services to aid
crew training. The 787s will then migrate pro-
gressively to longer routes, serving points in
Europe and Asia.
Qatar is one of a number of 787 customers
that has also ordered Airbus rival, the A350,
but the two types will have quite different
roles in the Qatar eet, says Al Baker. At
Qatar Airways, the 787-8 is principally a fre-
quency-development tool, whereas the A350
is a capacity-development tool.
So after all the talk, the industry and 787
customers wait with bated breath to see if
the Dreamliner is the game changer it is
cracked up to be. It will not be long before we
all nd out. O
Boeing promises to
to revolutionise
passenger
experience with the
Dreamliners cabin
design
J
o
n

O
s
t
r
o
w
e
r
/
F
lig
h
t
g
lo
b
a
l
1 Padome housng smart radar
2 Iorward pressure bu|khead - oomposte
3 1wo-orew oookpt featurng ve
228 x 305mmPookwe|| Uo||ns LU0s,
e|eotrono ght nstrument system
and ght bag wth dua| head-up
dsp|ay system
4 Avonos bay
5 Iorward retraotng, fu||y steerab|e twn-
whee| nose |andng gear - Messer-0owty
6 Lavatory
7 Uabn orew [ump-seat
8 5towage |ookers
9 Iorward Ua||ey
10 Iuse|age - sng|e-peoe oomposte
bre-g|ass oarbon |amnate
11 Busness-o|ass oabn - 12 seats
12 vPI 1 antenna
13 Iorward oargo ho|d
14 Loonomy oabn - 24 seats
15 Ua||ey and passenger bar area
16 Uabn entry emergenoy/ext doors wth
natab|e esoape s|de/rafts
17 Wng-to-fuse|age oomposte farng
18 Landng and turn-off |ght
19 Po||s-Poyoe 1rent 1000 - rated at
70,000|b thrust
20 Uenera| L|eotro ULnx turbofan - rated
at 70,000|b thrust
21 A|umnum a||oy |eadng-edge s|ats
22 Navgaton |ght o|uster
23 Paked wngtp - oomposte
oarbon sandwoh
24 5tato dsoharge woks
25 A|eron - breg|ass
26 Man-wng box oarbon - |amnate
27 0utboard hnged pane|s -
oarbon |amnate
28 0utboard ap - oarbon |amnate
29 I|aperon - oarbon |amnate
30 Inboard (hnged) spo|ers -
oarbon |amnate
31 Iour whee| man |andng gear, (Messer-
0owty) noorporatng Uoodroh or
Messer-Buggatt e|eotro brakes
32 Man |andng gear support beam
33 nboard ap - breg|ass epoxy
34 Uentre wng box - UIPP
35 Uontro||ab|e photo-ohromato passenger
wndows - 483 x 279mm
37 Pear oargo ho|d
38 Ua||ey
39 Uabn oor struoture - oomposte
40 vPI 2 antenna
41 Pear fuse|age - sng|e-peoe oomposte
breg|ass oarbon |amnate
43 Pear |avatores
44 Upward sou|pted Ue|ng pane|s
45 Pear ga||eys
46 Pear pressure bu|khead - oomposte
47 Porzonta| ta|p|ane (oarbon |amnate)
e|evator - oarbon sandwoh
48 APU - Pam|ton 5undstrand
49 vertoa| ta| - oarbon |amnate
50 Pudder oarbon-sandwoh
51 Leadng-edge - a|umnum a||oy
52 1a| oone (sng|e-peoe) - oomposte
breg|ass oarbon |amnate
53 Pear oargo door
54 Inboard aps and spo|ers - dep|oyed
55I|ap farngs - oomposte
56 Man fue| tanks
57 Uonnexon steerab|e antenna
58 Uentre wng tank
59 Lngne py|on - a|umnum a||oy, stee|
and ttanum oonstruoton
60 Lngne oow|ngs - oarbonbre
epoxy oonstruoton
787 launch customer All Nippon Airways depicted (264 seat layout)
SKIN-DEEP
MICROCUTAWAY
Inside the 787-8 (initial production version)
Boeing 787 family
787-8 - Length: 57m, Passengers 223
787-9 - Length: 62m, Passengers 259
787-10X - Length: 68m, Passengers 290-310
Iront e|evaton showng n-ght wng ex
Tim Bicheno-Brown
2011
5.74m (18.9ft)
Uabn oross-seoton
|
Flightglobal
|
2011
STEPHEN TRIMBLE WASHINGTON DC
What is the Boeing 787s potential as a freighter
or military aircraft? Can plastic fantastic prove a
exible friend?
ROLE
REVERSALS
W
ith entry-into-service (EIS) far off
in the unknown distance in May
2008 in fact, it would become
nearly two-and-a-half years Boe-
ing felt comfortable revealing one of the 787s
hidden and potentially lucrative design secrets.
Tom Crabtree, then a regional director for busi-
ness strategy at Boeing Commercial Airplanes,
casually gave the secret away in a presentation to
journalists inside the companys sprawling facto-
ry complex in Everett, Washington.
Buried in the blueprints of the all-composite
fuselage of the new widebody are the provi-
sions to quickly transform the 787 from an air-
liner into a pure freighter, Crabtree said.
We worked with the initial design ve
years ago during the initial sizing of the air-
plane, said Crabtree. We have routed the sys-
tems such that the area where the main deck
door would go are clear of any reroutings, say,
[of] electrical or hydraulic lines. Long term, we
ALTERNATIVE USES
IN MY VIEW
The new-build market for cargo planes
in this class is quite limited, as Airbus is
nding out on its A330F programme
RICHARD ABOULAFIA
Vice-president of analysis, Teal Group
B
o
e
in
g
have designed provisions into the [787] when
the market demands it to allow that aircraft to
become a freighter.
That statement marked the last time Boeing
publicly discussed plans for alternative uses of
the 787, but did nothing to stop the specula-
tion. Large aircraft are often launched with a
single job envisioned carrying passengers, for
example but often nd second and even third
careers serving other markets. Freighters and
special mission aircraft for the military are two
of the most obvious examples.
Boeing has already planned to make the 787
readily available for the freighter market, and
the widebody has already appeared in US Air
Force concept studies as a candidate to serve in
a variety of roles ranging from next-generation
surveillance aircraft to the successor of the Boe-
ing VC-25A the Boeing 747-200 also known
as Air Force One when the US President is on
board. Finding such alternative roles is an es-
tablished tradition for most new Boeing airlin-
ers. The Boeing 707, 737, 747 and 767 have
each been adapted for numerous roles. One
company Oregon-based Evergreen even
uses the 747 to dump chemical retardant on
wildres. And the 777 has recently launched a
second career as a pure freighter.
On the other hand, there are no guarantees
that the 787 will nd other roles, and some an-
alysts wonder if the aircrafts design philoso-
phy will prevent its success in other markets.
One problem is that the 787 is designed
with minimal margin tolerances, while older
jets were designed before [computer-aided de-
sign/computer-aided manufacturing] became
an extremely precise tool, says Richard
Aboulaa, vice-president of analysis at the
Teal Group.
A DESIGN LEARNING CURVE
As design methods have become precise, man-
ufacturers have discovered that planning ahead
for secondary roles is more critical than ever.
Airbus, for example, discovered that the
freighter version of the A330-200 required a re-
design. The passenger version was built with a
slight forward tilt.
The slope is almost unnoticeable to passen-
gers, but on a freighter would have forced cus-
tomers to buy special equipment to slide cargo
pallets from the front to the back. For the
A330-200F, the nose gear is raised up slightly
to make the fuselage level, and a new fairing
was added to the enlarged gear doors.
Crabtrees comments in 2008 could still offer
reassurance to pricing analysts in the airline
market who must predict aircraft valuations
over time. If Boeing has already made provi-
sions for the 787 to serve as a freighter, valua-
tion experts may keep price levels stable for a
longer period.
Airbus appears to play similar games in pub-
lic statements about its aircraft. For example,
Airbuss latest global market forecast may be
sending a subtle signal to pricing analysts
about the companys long-term intentions for
the new A350 widebody. The A350 is listed in
the 2010 forecast as one of ve future large
freighters, a category listed in the report as also
including the 747, 777, MD-11 and A380.
Boeings 787, however, is listed nowhere in
Airbuss market forecast, even among the re-
gional and long-range freighters segment that
includes the A330 and 767. Airbus may not
want to give Boeing any more ammunition to
|
Flightglobal
|
27
R
e
x

F
e
a
t
u
r
e
s
Stephen Trimble provides running commentary
on developments in military aviation at
ightglobal.com/dewline
The 737 is popular
in the special
missions market as
the P-8 Poseidon
(bottom left)
Could the 787 be a
candidate for a future
Air Force One?
(below)
boost the 787s pricing forecasts. At the same
time, it is probably too early for the freighter
market to be condent in the 787 as future
member of the eet.
The 787 freighter concept is extremely
premature. Cargo planes in this class tend to be
conversions, which are useful for maintaining
asset values but typically only kick in
after 1520 years of airline service, at least,
Aboulaa says.
Boeings 20-year market forecast shows that
it expects the market for a 787-sized freighter to
shrink in the future. In 2009, freighters with be-
tween a 40-tonne and 80-tonne payload capac-
ity represented 36% of the market, according
to Boeings latest World Air Cargo Forecast
2011. In 2029, the same market is projected to
account for 27% of all freighters.
A future military role for the 787 is also not a
sure thing, despite Boeings success with adapt-
ing previous models. For one thing, military
customers have not expressed great interest in
converting widebody airliners into special
mission roles.
Several years ago, the USAF purchased a
767-400ER to convert into a replacement for
the Northrop Grumman E-8C joint surveillance
target attack radar system (JSTARS) and the
Boeing E-3 airborne warning and control sys-
tem (AWACS). However, the USAF cancelled
the E-10A multi-sensor command and control
aircraft (MC2A) in 2005. Meanwhile, Boeings
737 narrowbody has become popular in the
special missions market, with the US and In-
dian navies ordering the P-8 Poseidon.
SINGLE-AISLE, MANY USES
Theres no need for a larger special mission
aircraft. I can only think of one instance of
twin-aisle jets being used for [intelligence, sur-
veillance and reconnaissance] or other special
mission duties Japans four 767-based
AWACS, says Aboulaa.
Single-aisle jets offer superb range and
endurance these days, thanks to business jet
derivatives of commercial 737s and A320s,
adds Aboulaa.
Given that radars and other avionics are
getting smaller, special mission size require-
ments arent likely to grow at all, particularly
with a great reliance on offboard sensors.
In 2008, the USAF also asked Boeing to sub-
mit design and cost data for the 787 while re-
searching options for a VC-25A replacement.
The USAF request also asked for information
about the 777, 747-8 and even the Airbus A380.
However, the Obama administration cancelled
early studies for the VC-25A replacement pro-
gramme. Boeing delivered both VC-25As in
1991, and the aircraft now rank among the US-
AFs most costly aircraft to operate. The 787
seems ill-suited to serve as a VC-25A replace-
ment, if a requirement to recapitalise the eet is
ever relaunched.
There is no way the 787 would make a re-
spectable Air Force One. Its just too small
given the lift requirement, says Aboulaa.
Boeing has already converted the 747 into a
tanker for Iran and the 767 into an aerial refuel-
ler for Italy and Japan. The USAF has also or-
dered a new version called the 767-2C as the
KC-X tanker. In the KC-X competition, Boeing
never seriously considered the 787 as a candi-
date. Instead, a KC-777 was in development
until the USAF issued specications that fa-
voured a smaller aircraft. The KC-Y require-
ment to replace the KC-10 remains in the US-
AFs long-term plans. Both the 787 and 777
could be possible candidates, but the 787s
tight design tolerances could pose problems for
the companys engineers to overcome. O
|
Flightglobal
|
2011
MAX KINGSLEY-JONES LONDON
Despite the Dreamliners development problems, Boeing
has secured over 800 orders for its carbonbre airliner.
Caught napping by the 787s sales success, Airbus has
been ghting to compete with its A350
MARKET
THROWING
DOWN THE
GAUNTLET
W
ith an order backlog in excess of
800 aircraft, the success enjoyed
by Boeings 787 sales team has
been in stark contrast to the tur-
moil of its development programme.
The rate of orders broke all records, with
the Dreamliner becoming the fastest-selling
airliner since launch, racking up 677 sales
from 47 customers worth $110 billion by the
time of its roll-out in July 2007.
At that time, of course, the maiden ight
was due to follow straight after and rst deliv-
eries within a year. So although in gross terms
Boeing has accumulated almost 1,000 orders
in the seven years since launch, the backlog
has suffered in the wake of delivery delays to
the tune of about 150 cancellations.
Order intake has slowed dramatically in re-
cent times for a combination of reasons. The
endless reschedulings since the roll-out have
affected slot availability, with the multi-year
lead time for batches of new aircraft having
effectively been in limbo since the original
slip four years ago of the planned May 2008
rst delivery. There has probably also been an
element of wait and see by some existing
and potential new customers after the devel-
opment troubles and delays.
If the 787s rapid order rate was a surprise
to Boeing, it was even more of a shock to Air-
bus. But if the European airframer was caught
off-guard by the Dreamliners early sales suc-
cess, it has moved quickly to close the gap.
Initially, Toulouse did not have a competi-
tive response in the market place, and as it
tried to regroup, the door was left wide open
for Seattle to romp home in a series of cam-
paigns. There followed a sequence of strategic
U-turns by Airbus as it dithered about what its
new A350 twinjet should be, giving Boeing
several years head start in both sales and
development time.
Everyone was writing that we redesigned
the A350 six or seven times, joked Airbuss
chief operating ofcer customers, John Leahy,
back in 2007 after the A350 had nally crys-
tallised as the XWB. We didnt. We rede-
signed it three times, and that was enough.
Back then, Leahy admitted to having been
caught napping by the Dreamliners suc-
cess, but defended that initial lack of response
by pointing to the failed Sonic Cruiser
programme which led to doubts that Boeing
would be able to deliver its initial 787 speci-
cations. Our rst reaction was that they were
exaggerating what they could do, he said.
Although history now shows that Airbuss
cynicism about the 787 claims may have been
partially justied, the reality is that customers
were queuing up to order Boeings plastic
fantastic and Airbus had to up the ante. But
by the time Airbus nally launched the XWB
in December 2006, Boeing had used its three-
year lead to rack up 450 orders.
SIGNIFICANT MARKET LEAD
Five years on, and Boeing still has a signicant
market lead over the XWB with 821 orders
against 567. But while the 787 and A350 are the
new-generation twinjet offerings from Seattle
and Toulouse, the size offerings of the two fami-
lies mean they overlap rather than compete di-
rectly, which is why the 250- to 300-seat A330
models are an important part of the Airbus ar-
moury. And Boeing would counter that the
larger A350 variants compete just as much with
the 777, which is also enjoying strong sales.
Sales of the 20-year-old A330 have resurged
partially thanks to ongoing doubts about
IN MY VIEW
We did not let the delay distort our
business... a more difcult delivery can only
make the baby more precious and adorable
SHINICHIRO ITO
Chief executive, All Nippon Airways
|
Flightglobal
|
29
B
o
e
in
g
near-term 787 availability and, when
combined with A350 sales, give Toulouse a
ve percentage point lead over its rival in
overall backlog market share.
The A350 is the main competition, which
is sized slightly larger at 270-350 seats versus
the 787s 242-320 seats in a three-class layout
although with many moving to four classes,
the seat counts will be lower, says Chris Sey-
mour, head of market analysis at Flightglobals
data and consultancy arm, Ascend.
Both programmes have cutting-edge tech-
nology and carbonbre structures, albeit dif-
fering in the fuselage manufacturing process,
Seymour adds. Both have sold well to date.
Indeed, 10 airlines have ordered both sug-
gesting some complementary usage, especial-
ly with the smaller 787-8 and the A350-900.
Richard Aboulaa, vice-president of analy-
sis at Teal Group, believes that in the longer
term, Airbuss decision to size the A350 fami-
ly to overlap the top end of the 787s category
and the 777s too means Boeing will have a
niche to itself. Since theres really no Airbus
opposition the A350-800 is kind of a bad
joke at this point the 787 will do as well as
the 767 and 777 would have in a much larger
market and with no competition, he says.
Airbus and Boeing both agree that the market
in which their two all-new products compete
will account for about one-fth of all airliner de-
liveries over the next 20 years in unit terms, and
just over 40% in value terms. However, because
their overall delivery forecasts are different (Air-
bus, for example, excludes aircraft with fewer
than 100 seats and sees more demand for ultra-
large airliners), the number of units also differs.
Boeings latest 20-year forecast for widebody
twinjet deliveries (passenger and freighter air-
craft) is 7,330 units worth $1.8 trillion, whereas
Airbus says the market will account for 6,240
deliveries worth about $1.3 trillion.
Ascends AGA global aircraft forecast pre-
dicts that about 4,600 passenger twinjets will
be delivered during the next 20 years in the
size categories (250-300 seats) covered by the
787 models (with 2,300 in larger seat sizes).
Some 80% of deliveries are expected to be in
the sizes covered by the 787-9 and -10X
stretch, so it really is at the core of the wide-
body market demand, says Seymour.
Ascend analysts believe the 787 is well
placed to hold on to at least 50% of the market
in the near term (over the next 10 years), when
its main threat will come from the A330 and
A350. Seymour adds: Longer term, it will be
competing with the A350, any new competi-
tor from China, perhaps and whatever
Boeing develops in the widebody arena to re-
place the 777-200ER be it a 777 derivative or
the 787-10X.
Boeing views the 787/A350 category as
the fastest-growing segment of the market
and believes the availability of these new air-
craft has driven the resurgent demand for
twin-aisle airplanes as the new offerings will
bring a signicant improvement in efciency
over their predecessors. It also expects the two
new types to spur airlines to trade up from
the 767/A330-size category as they roll over
their eets. The Asia-Pacic region dominates
both aircraft manufacturers long-term fore-
casts, so it is no surprise that they expect it to
account for the largest proportion of their new
widebody twinjets. Boeing expects Asia-Pa-
cic carriers to account for 40% of twin-aisle
deliveries, while Airbus puts demand even
higher, at 43% of the total.
Teals Aboulaa sees no reason assuming
Boeing makes the right call on specications
why the 787 cannot emulate the success of
its big sister: The 777 has ultimately been op-
erated by every single important international
carrier except Qantas, and that was one of
Qantass mistakes, he says. That means sev-
eral thousand 787 sales, and individual eets
well above 100.
In terms of route development, exibility
and airline strategies, the 787 is exactly
what the international market wants, says
SOURCE: Flightglobal ACAS database
787
821
47.3%
A330
348
20%
A350
567
32.7%
Total - 1,736
Airbus
total
915
52.7%
787 BACKLOG VS A330/A350
WIDEBODY TWINJET COMPARISON
787 777 A330 A350
List price ($m) 185-218 232-284 200-223 237-300
Seats 260-290 300-365 250-295 270-350
Range (nm) 8,200-8,500 7,730-9,400 5,850-7250 8,100-8,400
Orders 821 1,242 1,155 567
First delivery Sep 2011 May 1995 Dec 1993 Q4 2013
SOURCE: Manufacturers
All Nippon Airways
launched the 787s
sales surge in 2004
with a 50-aircraft order
gg
|
Flightglobal
|
2011
MARKET
IN MY VIEW
Aboulaa. It is also a very appealing asset
from a nancial perspective, which is ex-
tremely important these days.
Seymour concurs that the 787 eets of some
major operators are likely to run into three g-
ures over time. There are already some with
50 or more 787s on order; although currently
there are just 10 airlines that have a eet of a
passenger widebody type that is in excess of
100 units, he says. Looking at other large
widebody operators, Delta [with 159 wide-
bodies in service] is another obvious candi-
date in the longer term. It deferred the North-
west 787 order inherited with the merger, and
looks to be concentrating on its narrowbody
replacement rst; Americans 787 deal is still
a letter of intent pending industrial negotia-
tions with its pilots; and Lufthansa is yet to
order anything, as are Malaysia Airlines and
Turkish Airlines.
Sales of the 787 are currently split roughly
70:30 in favour of the smaller variant, but ulti-
mately the order trend is expected to follow
the usual pattern of the stretched derivatives
40%
43%
19%
20% 15%
14%
5%
5%
3%
5%
3%
2%
15%
12%
Percentages show share of all twin-aisle deliveries during 20-year period
*Boeing data includes 280 medium widebody freighter deliveries. Airbus data excludes 379 regional
and long-range freighter deliveries
SOURCE: Airbus GMF (2010-2029), Boeing CMO (2011-2030)
Total twin-aisle* 7,330 5,784
Total demand 33,500 24,974
Deliveries
0
500
1,000
1,500
2,000
2,500
3,000
Boeing Airbus
Asia-Pacifc Europe Middle
East
North
America
Latin
America
Africa CIS
20 YEAR TWIN-AISLE DEMAND BY REGION
All data at year-end except *which is at 31 August 2011
**Original variant
SOURCE: Flightglobal ACAS database
Backlog
2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011*
787 VS A350 - BACKLOG ACCUMULATION
0
200
400
600
800
1,000
787 A350 XWB A350**
56
291
87
448
102
817
320
910
483
851
505
847
583
821
567
becoming the most abundant of the family
members. Seymour adds: We expect the larg-
er -9/10X variants will be the most popular
over the long term and the orders upsizing
seems to be showing that, too especially
with more customers adopting four-class lay-
outs, the extra cabin space is needed.
Although the 787s pioneering structural
design has been at the root of some of its de-
velopment problems, the longevity that its
carbonbre construction promises over con-
ventional aluminium aircraft is reected in its
residual value.
We expect the 787 to perform more like a
narrowbody in residual value terms than a
traditional widebody, as it is expected to last
longer, says Seymour.
Widebodies have traditionally had shorter
useful economic lives than narrowbodies in
their primary role for example, 20-25 years
rather than 25-plus years which means their
values depreciate at a faster rate. But with the
787s structure being effectively corrosion re-
sistant compared with airliners built from tra-
ditional materials, and because maintenance
costs will be lower over time, the aircraft
should be more economical for longer, says
Seymour. Its for the 787 to now prove that
those assumptions are valid.
A potential negative aspect of the 787s car-
bonbre design for values is the risk that
sometimes comes with innovation. Boeing
admits it is on a steep learning curve with the
carbonbre technology, and this could lead to
the introduction of frequent block changes
with improved build standards as it expands
its understanding of the structure and identi-
es weight savings.
Although it is not uncommon for the early
airframes in a new programme to be super-
seded by ones with better payload/range ca-
pability, this is a factor only for a small eet
with many sub-variants with different up-
gradeability, such as the Lockheed TriStar,
says Seymour. It is still early days on the 787
as to how many identiable blocks of aircraft
there may be. In the end, the market will de-
cide on what value penalty there may be for
less-capable or non-upgradeable aircraft. O
More about Flightglobals newly acquired data
and consultancy division at:
ightglobal.com/ascend
The 787 is a game-changer. Previously,
we used larger aircraft on long-haul routes
as they had the range
MASARU ONISHI
President, Japan Airlines
gg
rlght attltude]rlght approach]rlght a|ongslde
NLLD SOHLONL JO DLLND ON
IOk AIJLkHAkKLJ SUOkJ?
WL'kL kICPJ ALONCSIDL.
Coodrlch ls one oF the |argest provlders oF aFtermarket support and
MRO servlces ln the wor|d.
Our global network includes asset stocking and MRO Facilities ideally
positioned to deliver the solutions you need. 1ogether with teams
ready to support you hours a day, days a week.
vhatever your platForms or aFtermarket requirements, you can depend
on Goodrich. Contact us today at www.goodrlch.com
we're on lt.
"
Orea| cha||enges are par| o| our everyday rou||ne. W||h over 50 years' exper|ence |n ma|n|enance and repa|r, no|
|o men||on ac||ng as |aunch|ng cus|omer |or a grea| number o| new p|anes, you can res| assured |ha| we are a|ready
mak|ng a|| |he necessary arrangemen|s and w||| be ready |o go |he momen| your p|ane |s. Jus| ||ke a|| o|her |ypes o|
a|rcra||, your 787 w||| bene|| |rom our comprehens|ve S|ar|-up-Suppor|, |nc|ud|ng ma|n|enance and componen| suppor|.
We |ook forward to work|ng together to ensure a perfect |aunch.
|u||hansa Techn|k AO, Marke||ng & Sa|es
E-ma||: marke||ng.sa|es_|h|.d|h.de
www.|u||hansa-|echn|k.com/787
Ca|| us: +49-40-5070-5553
More mob|||ty for the wor|d
The future and us: a perfect match.

787

Uploaded by

Document Information

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

787

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

2011

You might also like