Boeing 737, 787 Updates

This coming Tuesday sees the media briefing on the Boeing 787 program.

To listen in, the webcast link is here.

At the Dubai Air Show, Scott Carson talked candidly about the work on the first airplane, and that work was progressing very well - indeed, even ahead of schedule in some areas. The first Dreamliner is also upon its own landing gear too, while the flightdeck is being completed.

Image courtesy of Boeing

While no date(s) have been set, power could be as soon as the end of December 2007 during the traditional factory respite when all is quiet(er).

Realistically, power on will be done in the New Year sometime, pushing first flight into the week of March 22, 2008.

Image courtesy of Boeing

Pat Shanahan, Boeing 787 VP/General Manager will also get his first opportunity since replacing Mike Bair to talk about the airplane thus far.

The Wall Street Journal today published a summation of all things 787. Click here to read.

“From where we stand, it’s still chaos” says an executive at one major supplier.

How far that impacts on the rescheduled Dreamliner is anyone’s guess, but it is not out of the realm to see another slip in deliveries. While the airplane itself is sound, the logistics efforts behind the airplane is a learning curve for both Boeing and its 787 partners.

Even Airbus is struggling to offload A350 work tied into factory sales - but with currency woes affecting the European planemaker, those are the least of its headaches. The bigger issue is being left behind.

“Effectively it is true that we are ahead in our work.”

Those were the words (of warning?) by Carson after speaking to the AP news agency vis a vis the Boeing push on a new 737 replacement, again talked about in Dubai for those who were listening attentively. Carson also spoke to the FT about both the 737 and 787 programs.

Engine maker Pratt & Whitney is working hard to secure pole position in reaching the geared turbofan fuel and performance efficiencies required to make the next generation of Airbus and Boeing narrowbody jets as attractive to airlines as possible.

Image copyrighted and owned by BOEING777 and FleetBuzz.com

Replicating the 787 into a smaller airplane is no small task, and as Randy Tinseth spoke in his interview with me, it’s a $1.2 trillion market - and the product has to be right.

After the 787 breifing next week, there’ll be more here on the 787-10, as promised.

To close this week, Boeing notched up a string of orders taking its current 2007 tally to 1144. That’s a new record for the company - with the best part of three full weeks to go, there’s bound to be more added.

Airbus too, who have not yet updated their orders sheet as of writing, will equally sport a quadruple digit orderbook on the back of a very successful 2007.

Equally interesting is Airbus’ claim that the A350XWB is the widest twinjet airplane in the marketplace, conveniently overlooking the 777.

Randy Tinseth quipped nicely this week in his blog about the 777 being :

“…the widest in the industry of any twin-aisle, twin-engine airplane - a “true” extra wide body.”

But when Leahy makes false claims that the A350 is “now the fastest-selling aircraft in history“, you can’t help but forgive these misguided views, especially when the 787 has 762 orders from total of 52 customers.

I know which claim I find more astounding!

3 comments December 7th, 2007