Boeing Postpones 787 Launch

[jordi_fanclub]

Source: AP via Yahoo!News

Boeing Delays 787 Inaugural Flight Again, First Delivery Now Pushed to 2009

CHICAGO (AP) -- Boeing Co. said Wednesday that it was going to push back the inaugural flight for its much-anticipated 787 Dreamliner jet by as much as three months, delaying the plane's test flight until the end of the second quarter to allow additional time to assemble the massive aircraft.

The latest delay means Boeing won't be able to begin delivering the airplane until early 2009, instead of late 2008.

The Chicago-based aerospace company had hoped the 787's first flight would be conducted sometime at the end of the first quarter.

Read more: http://biz.yahoo.com/ap/080116/boeing_delay.html

[nightrider767]

1. If the plane's not ready,,,,

then so be it.

From a pilots stand point, Boeing is the best. Good to know that they won't release it till it's ready.

[Ghost Dog]

3. Are Airbuses really pigs to fly (from a pilot's standpoint)?

It's always felt like a smooth ride (but perhaps that's on fully-automatic?).

On a different issue, as an ex-software engineer, I've always worried somewhat about possible bugs in the system, not to mention all that wiring, motors etc.

Although I'm European, I've always thought the 787 looks like the right design for a large segment of the market and I hope it turns out well.

[nightrider767]

6. Airbuses are great planes...

Make no mistake about it. Not every American commercial pilot favors Boeing. But Boeing does have a larger following, by a fairly large measure.

The Airbus seems to be over-engineered for many pilots. Seems like you're flying the auto-pilot and not the plane. The Boeing gives a pilot more of a feel for what's going on. It's also more straight forward technologically.

In the end, Boeing has a wonderful design. The technology is not from the next century, but it's understandable and very, very reliable.

Both fine airplanes though...

Cheers.

[Ghost Dog]

9. Ok, cheers, thanks. I guess that 'lack of feel'

can even be disorienting sometimes... I get your point, albeit only from the perspective of a motorist and occasional sailor, myself.

[jordi_fanclub]

4. It could be a loooong waiting...

(picked from the last comment here: http://www.theregister.co.uk/2008/01/16/dreamliner_delay/comments/ )

"Back to 787: has there been any more analysis of the lightning-resistance of the 787 (being as it has no natural Faraday cage being as it's mostly made of Plastic Padding) since it was featured unfavourably in (of all places) News At Ten some months ago?

And how about the 787 network security thing featured in El Reg and elsewhere only a few days ago, which Boeing rolled out a PR bunny to respond to, when what was actually needed was detail, e.g. conformation that there was an actual "air gap" between the "safety critical" network carrying flight control data, and the "other" network, carrying important operational data (duty free stock levels, ETAs of hot lemon scneted towels, etc) http://www.schneier.com/blog/archives/2008/01/hacking_the_boe.html "

[Ghost Dog]

5. Wow, thanks. Well-informed people commenting there. n/t

[rockybelt]

2. It's a good thing

that Boeing is not ran like NASA, huh?

That baby would have been on the runway and shedding parts as it took off.

[nightrider767]

7. The Freaking shuttle,,,

What's up with that!?! Seems as if it was made in a Hong Kong piniata factory.

Foam!?!

[Barrett808]

8. Well, the design is over 30 years old...

NASA started working on Shuttle/Space Station under Nixon after all.