Seattle Chinatown >> Seattle Community News >> Boeing Unveils First Assembled 787 Dreamliner
7/8/2007 EVERETT, Wash. -- Boeing has raised the curtain on its first fully assembled 787 passenger jet. An audience of thousands packed into the company's widebody assembly plant in Everett, Wash., Sunday for the plane's extravagantly orchestrated premiere.
The 787, also known as the Dreamliner, is Boeing's first all-new jet since
airlines started flying the 777 in 1995. It will be the world's first large
commercial airplane made mostly of carbon-fiber composites, which are lighter,
more durable and less prone to corrosion than aluminum.
Boeing hired former NBC "Nightly News" anchor Tom Brokaw to serve as master of
ceremonies.
Boeing has won more than 600 orders for the midsize, long-haul jet that promises
to burn less fuel, be cheaper to maintain and offer more passenger comforts than
comparable planes flying today.
The first test flight is expected to take place between late August and late
September. The plane is set to enter commercial service next May.
(Contributed by AP)
