Boeing’s newest jet more than a dream
A company engineer says the 787 Dreamliner will revolutionize flying.

By D.R. STEWART World Staff Writer
Published: 2/18/2010  2:31 AM
Last Modified: 2/18/2010  4:18 AM

Boeing’s 787 Dreamliner is changing the way commercial aircraft are designed, built, flown and maintained, and the jet will provide a unique experience for passengers, a Boeing Co. engineer said Wednesday.

Julie Rieffel, a strength engineer on the 787 program with Boeing’s commercial support division in St. Louis, said the Dreamliner will provide better value for airlines and a better experience for passengers.

A 2000 aeronautical engineering graduate of the University of Missouri at Rolla, Rieffel spoke to about 50 people at the Engineer’s Week Luncheon at the Tulsa Country Club. The event was hosted by the American Society of Civil Engineers and the Tulsa Engineering Foundation.

“Boeing took the opportunity to erase the drawing board, start fresh and use modern technologies that hadn’t been used on any other aircraft, especially composite technologies,” Rieffel said. “The 787 will have lower operating costs; it is 20 percent more fuel efficient per passenger seat mile. It will have lower landing fees because it is lighter.

“It will have lower maintenance costs because there will be longer times between maintenance” as a result of new, automatic electronic maintenance checks. The automatic electronic sensors, which are in use in some automobiles, will give the Dreamliner 52 additional flying days in the first 12 years in service, Rieffel said.

Boeing is preparing to launch three 787 models:
The 210- to 250-passenger 787-8, which passed its first flight test Dec. 15 and the first delivery of which is scheduled for the fourth quarter.

The 250- to 290-passenger 787-9, a stretch model of the 787-8, the first delivery of which is scheduled for late-2013.

The 290- to 330-passenger 787-3, which is a larger plane designed for regional transport, especially in Asia.
The 787-9 and the 787-3 are still in the design stages, Rieffel said.

The 787 is the world’s first commercial aircraft to be designed and manufactured globally by Boeing and 50 international manufacturing partners, ranging from Japan and Italy to Tulsa.

Spirit AeroSystems Inc. in Tulsa, among the pioneers of lightweight composite materials in aircraft construction, is fabricating 2,100 pounds of composite wing leading edges and 1,700 pounds of movable wing leading edges for the 787.

The composites are fashioned by applying with adhesives repeated paper-thin layers of such materials as carbon fibers, Kevlar, boron and graphite. The resulting material is stronger than steel and lighter than aluminum, industry officials say.

NORDAM Group in Tulsa is fabricating the 787’s composite window frames.

The 787’s window frame is significant because it offers low density and high strength at a 50 percent weight savings and has superior damage tolerance, NORDAM executives say.

“The windows are 65 percent bigger than other aircraft, and they are without shades,” Rieffel said. “They are electronically dimmed.”

The twin-aisle 787’s cabin will feature brighter, indirect lighting that is more energy efficient, a higher ceiling and redesigned luggage bins that create an interior environment unlike any other commercial aircraft, Rieffel said.

“There is more headroom, leading people to feel they are in a bigger space, giving a more pleasant feel to the aircraft,” she said. “We will be pressurizing the aircraft to a lower altitude — 6,000 versus 8,000 feet — so that problems people have with headaches and fatigue will go away.”

Flying faster, farther, quieter and with fewer emissions of carbon dioxide, nitrous oxide, hydrocarbons, smoke and carbon monoxide, the 787 will be a dream for airlines and airport neighbors, especially in Europe, where airports are nestled among close-in residential areas, the Boeing engineer said.

The 787, which has a range of up to 9,430 miles, is the fastest-selling commercial aircraft Boeing has ever produced, with more than 900 orders from 56 customers, including Continental Airlines, Air Canada, British Airways, Japan Airlines, Qantas, Avianca and Virgin Atlantic.

Rieffel said the economic downtown and the slump in the airline industry has dampened the enthusiasm for the 787 among U.S. carriers — at least for now.

D.R. Stewart 581-8451
don.stewart@tulsaworld.com By D.R. STEWART World Staff Writer

Read more from this Tulsa World article at http://www.tulsaworld.com/business/article.aspx?subjectid=45&articleid=20100218_46_E1_Benral479484

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