FACTBOX-A few facts on Boeing's 787 Dreamliner
NEW YORK (Reuters) - Boeing Co. plans to debut its 787 Dreamliner at an event at its assembly plant in Everett, Washington, on Sunday.
The carbon-composite, aluminum and titanium Dreamliner promises fuel savings for airlines and a new standard of comfort for passengers.
It is Boeing's most successful plane launch ever, with more than 600 orders before the plane has even left the ground. Here are a few facts on the 787:
* WHAT'S NEW:
-- The aircraft's use of lightweight composites will be unprecedented -- some 50 percent of the primary structure by weight versus 12 percent for the last all-new Boeing, the 777.
-- Its lighter weight and all-new engines are expected to make the plane 20 percent more fuel efficient than similarly sized planes.
-- Instead of panels bolted together, the 787's fuselage is woven out of composite in large barrels, saving tens of thousands of parts.
-- As composite materials do not rust, moisture in cabin air can be much higher than today's planes, promising a more pleasant flying experience.
-- Boeing has outsourced most of the manufacturing to firms in Japan, Italy, South Carolina and elsewhere. Six large pieces are to be joined within a huge structure called the "MOATT" -- mother of all tool towers.
* SOME FACTS:
-- The 787-8 Dreamliner will seat between 210 and 250 people.
-- The aircraft will fly at Mach 0.85, about 570 mph at typical cruise altitudes, similar to a 747 jumbo.
-- The first version of the plane, the 787-8, will have a range of 7,650 to 8,200 nautical miles.
-- The 787-8 is 186 feet long and has a wingspan of 197 feet.
-- There will be four variants of the 787: The 787-8 will enter service in May 2008; the shorter-range 787-3 and the stretched 787-9 are scheduled to enter service in 2010. An even larger 787-10 is expected later still.
-- List prices for the planes range from $146 million to $200 million, depending on model and configuration.
Source: Reuters/Boeing
