Overview
With the launch of its superjumbo, the A380, Airbus made what looked like an unbeatable bid for commercial aviation supremacy. But archrival Boeing responded: Not so fast. Boeing’s 787 Dreamliner has already generated more excitement--and more orders--than any commercial airplane in the company’s history.
This book offers a fascinating behind-the-scenes look at the first all-new airplane developed by Boeing since its 1990 launch of the 777. With hundreds of photographs, Boeing 787 Dreamliner closely details the design and building of Boeing’s new twin-engine jet airliner, as well as the drama behind its launch.
Here are the key players, the controversies, the critical decisions about materials and technology--the plastic reinforced with carbon fiber that will make this mid-sized widebody super lightweight. And here, from every angle, is the Dreamliner itself, in all its gleaming readiness to rule the air.
Synopsis
A fascinating behind-the-scenes look at Boeing’s new superjumbo--its design, materials, technology, and the drama of making a play for superjumbo supremacy.
Editorials
From the Publisher
Combining the writing of Norris, a senior editor with Aviation Week & Space Technology, and Wagner’s professional photography, this is a good pre-flight history of the airliner’s troubled but also path-breaking development. Briefly tracing the 787’s forebears, the authors related the brief and sad story of the mis-conceived ‘Sonic Cruiser’ that fell flat with customers. Moving on to the 787, we see how early artist renderings bore little relationship to the final airplane; that handsome shark-like fin, for example, eventually became just another jetliner tail in the end. But the real stories here—and why the airplane is important, as well as why it is late—are its extensive use of composite materials and the global outsourcing of component design…
Norris tells the story straight—as one of breakthroughs and breakdowns, while Wagner’s often striking photos bring the text to life. Once the 787 Dreamliner enters service, there will doubtless be other books; but this one provides a useful survey of the development story to date. - Airways
In Boeing 787 Dreamliner, Guy Norris and Mark Wagner take the reader through the creation of this innovative airliner. Built out of plastic reinforced with carbon fiber, the super lightweight passenger jet is to be the replacement plane for the world’s aging fleets of 767s and 757s, and their Airbus competitors…
Featuring numerous color photos and diagrams, this highly informative book traces the decade-long story of the 787 from its earliest roots to the start of flight testing. The authors discuss not only the design challenges that the Boeing engineers faced but also the advanced systems and new technology that the aircraft features.
The accessible and readable text makes this volume one that anyone interested in commercial aviation can understand. If you want the inside scoop on the 787 Dreamliner program, this is a book you’ll want to read. - Coastviews Magazine