787 - Finally Certified

[seapuppy]

Well...as some of you might remember...I have worked on the 787 for the past oh..um...bizzillian yrs (it seems).....and we're finally at the point where we are getting our ticket to deliver airplanes...
it's been a long hard road, being 3 yrs late, having an engine explode on the test stand....wing root crack at the wrong time....various delivery issues with our partners..(don't get me on my soapbox about that)...and a pwr panel that decided to burn up in test flight...
we're finally getting the FAA/EASA to sign our tickets today.....with over 830 of them on order....we can now start to hand the keys over to the airlines.......

here's the writeup on our boeing news


Steve
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Boeing's Dreamliner becomes commercial reality
Reuters News 08/26/2011
Author: Kyle Peterson
© Reuters Limited 2010.








CHICAGO (Reuters) - After years of headaches and occasional heartbreak, Boeing Co is ready on Friday for the U.S. government to declare its revolutionary 787 Dreamliner safe to fly passengers.

Operating certification by the Federal Aviation Administration will enable Boeing to make the first delivery of its plastics-based airplane next month to Japan's All Nippon Airways.


FAA certification will be granted at a ceremony on the Boeing flightline in Everett, Washington.


The Dreamliner, which promises to raise the bar for fuel efficiency and passenger comfort, is nearly three years behind its original schedule and at least several billion dollars over budget by some outside estimates.


"It's momentous. A few years back no on thought this day would come. We have pretty much have one step left and that's delivery," said Alex Hamilton, managing director with EarlyBirdCapital.


With 827 orders for the plane on the books, the Dreamliner may be the most hotly anticipated aircraft in the history of the storied company.


The airframe is made largely of light-weight carbon composites that help lower fuel costs for airlines. The composites also enable various improvements for passengers such as more comfortable cabin air pressure and bigger windows.


Development and construction make unprecedented use of a vast global supply chain that could slash production costs if it works correctly.


"It will completely change the way that aircraft have been manufactured until now," Hamilton said.


Boeing expects a production rate of ten 787s per month by the end of 2013. Kinks in the supply chain, however, have caused several of the embarrassing program delays.


Boeing, which competes with EADS unit Airbus for commercial plane orders, has said that it would bring more of the work on future models back in house.


It is unknown how long it could be before the 787 program earns a profit. Boeing Chief Executive Jim McNerney said in June that the program faces financial headwinds, and he declined to say when the 787 could make money.


The CEO has long insisted that while Boeing may have stumbled since proposing the aircraft eight years ago, it has built a plane that airlines around the world want and need for the long term.


Boeing does not disclose how much is has invested in the plane's development.


As Boeing celebrates FAA certification, the company continues to grapple with program challenges.


Boeing is mired in a legal dispute with one of its top labor unions in Washington state, where it has traditionally built its aircraft.


The International Association of Machinists and the National Labor Relations Board have accused Boeing of building a nonunion 787 assembly plant in South Carolina to punish the IAM for past strikes.


Boeing blames one of its seven program delays on a 58-day strike in 2008 over a contract dispute, but it rejects the notion that placement of its second assembly line was retaliatory.


Boeing plans to assemble seven 787s a month in Everett and three more in South Carolina.


(Editing by Steve Orlofsky)



787 Dreamliner receives FAA, EASA certification
Related links:
News release
Airplane complies with U.S., european regulations, agencies confirm


Boeing 787 Dreamliner ZA001. (Ed Turner photo)
Boeing on Friday received certification for the 787 Dreamliner from the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration and the European Aviation Safety Agency during a ceremony at the company’s Everett, Wash., facility.

FAA Administrator Randy Babbitt presented the U.S. Type Certificate, which verifies that the 787 has been tested and found to be in compliance with all federal regulations, to 787 Chief Pilot Mike Carriker and 787 Vice President and Chief Project Engineer Mike Sinnett, both of whom have worked on the program since the day it began.

Babbitt presented the amended Production Certificate 700 to John Cornish, vice president of 787 Final Assembly & Delivery, and Barb O'Dell, vice president of Quality for the 787 program. The Production Certificate adds the 787 to the list of Boeing Commercial Airplanes production systems that have been found to be compliant with all federal regulations.

Commercial Airplanes President and CEO Jim Albaugh said: "Certification is a milestone that validates what we have promised the world since we started talking about this airplane. This airplane embodies the hopes and dreams of everyone fortunate enough to work on it. Their dreams are now coming true."

Patrick Goudou, executive director of EASA, presented Dan Mooney, vice president of 787-8 Development, and Terry Beezhold, former leader of the 787 Airplane Level Integration Team, with the European Type

[biggerseagar]

Hats off to you hard workin folks at Boeing..............Being in Illinois we love Boeing in Chicago!

Good Job!

Roger

[CountryME]

SP, Glad to hear the people at Boeing have gotten certification for such a great game changing product. A good friend of mine who works for Butler International worked with Spirit on the fuselage. As with such a huge undertaking, when something this big get rolling, it takes more than a few roadblocks to stop the train.