787

Boeing today announced the 787-10 Dreamliner, the third (and longest) plane in the often-troubled 787 family, and an aircraft that the aviation giant said will be the most fuel-efficient in the industry.

The unveiling was timed to the Paris Air Show, which is being held this week in Le Bourget, France. That show is the aviation industry's biggest event of the year, with many companies working hard to make sure their latest projects can be announced, or shown, there. Boeing's chief rival, Airbus, made its long-awaited first flight of the A350 XWB on Friday to ensure that that … Read more

Airbus has confirmed that the A350 XWB will make its first flight Friday, a milestone that marks perhaps the last highly touted inaugural flight for years to come.

Over the last 10 years, aviation enthusiasts have been treated to a series of exciting first flights, from Airbus' A380 to Boeing's 787 Dreamliner and 747-8 Intercontinental. But with no other game-changing airplanes set to be launched in the next five years or more, the A350's first flight could be it for a while.

There has been significant speculation in recent weeks that the plane would take flight in time … Read more

Boeing has begun final assembly of the first 787-9 Dreamliner, the newest member of the Dreamliner family, Boeing announced Sunday.

The aircraft maker began joining together large sections of what it's billing as a "super-efficient jet" last week after its partners delivered the first sections on or ahead of schedule, the company said.

"Integrating the 787-9 into our production system on time is another clear sign that we are well prepared and well positioned for the work ahead," Mark Jenks, Boeing's vice president of 787 Airplane Development, said in a statement.

The announcement comes … Read more

Five months later, Boeing's 787 Dreamliner is once again aloft.

United Flight 1 took off from Houston Monday morning en route to Chicago. It marked the first flight of Boeing's next-generation airliner since the entire worldwide fleet of Dreamliners was grounded by the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration in January in the wake of multiple on-board fires.

The fires were found to be related to the plane's batteries, and in the months since then, Boeing and its suppliers have worked to correct the problems. Last month, the FAA approved Boeing's proposed fix to the battery issues, … Read more

After three months of sitting on the ground, it's looking like Boeing's 787 Dreamliner jets may be able to soar again.

According to the Wall Street Journal, the Federal Aviation Administration is rumored to announce as soon as Friday that the jets will soon be allowed for takeoff. People familiar with the matter told the Journal that the FAA believes that Boeing has proven that the redesigned batteries are now safe.

Boeing's Dreamliners were grounded in January after a battery fire on an All Nippon Airways flight let to a forced evacuation of the plane. The FAA … Read more

When it comes to aircraft in flight, "uneventful" is a good thing.

Boeing today said that it has completed certification testing for a new battery system for its 787 Dreamliner designed to replace the one at the center of a Federal Aviation Administration investigation over recent fire-related incidents. Those incidents prompted the FAA to order airlines to ground their Dreamliners until the batteries were proven safe to operate.

The certification testing wrapped up with a demonstration flight on "line number 86," a Boeing-owned production Dreamliner built for LOT Polish Airlines. Boeing said that the aircraft flew … Read more

Boeing conducted a test flight of its 787 Dreamliner today as it works to analyze how the aircraft's redesigned battery system performs in the air.

The two-hour "functional check flight," which departed Paine Field in Everett, Wash., around noon today, is the first step in confirming that the systems perform as designed to allow the grounded aircraft to return to service, Boeing said in a statement. The crew of six on board during the flight performed a variety of tests from a normal flight profile, including cycling the landing gear and operating the backup systems.

The test … Read more

With Boeing's 787 Dreamliner reeling from recent and well-publicized setbacks, the commercial airline industry is no doubt eagerly awaiting the first flight of Airbus' next new airplane, the A350 XWB.

Although Airbus isn't saying when it will unveil the all-new A350 XWB (the XWB stands for "extra-wide body"), there is plenty of speculation that those attending this summer's Paris Air Show will get to see the plane in flight.

This would be big news for a number of airlines, who no doubt are wondering if they can afford to tie themselves to the Dreamliner, given … Read more

Boeing today outlined its plans for preventing the 787 Dreamliner's batteries from overheating or igniting, issues that have kept the aircraft's global fleet grounded for nearly two months.

While noting that it had not identified the root cause of the heat issues, the aircraft maker said during a news conference Friday in Tokyo that it had developed additional safety features designed to prevent heat issues with the planes' lithium-ion batteries.

"We've come up with a comprehensive set of solutions that result in a safer battery system," Boeing Chief Project Engineer Mike Stinnett said in a … Read more