The Boeing 787 - Dreamliner was launched

The plane's chassis is mostly made of composite materials, thus enabling lighter weight and fuel economy

In 2002, the American company Boeing carried out market research, for the purpose of making decisions on the production of a medium-sized passenger plane. At the end of the research process, the company decided to develop a twin-engine, long-range aircraft, built from composite materials and equipped with extremely efficient and fuel-efficient engines. It was decided to build a wide-body plane that would hold up to 300 passengers. This is in contrast to the decision of the biggest competitor from Europe, Airbus, which decided to build a huge plane - the Airbus A-380, which can fly 555 passengers in a standard configuration. The 787 planes will replace the outdated 767 planes in many airlines.

At the beginning of 2003, the development team for the plane, which received the nickname "Dreamliner", began to work, and at the end of that year the project partners were chosen, who would build parts of the plane. Rolls Royce and General Electric were chosen to manufacture the engines. The fuselage is built for the most part (80%) from advanced and light composite materials - mainly carbon fiber reinforced with epoxy. The distribution of weight by materials: composite materials 61%, aluminum 20%, titanium 11%, and steel 8%.

On July 8, 2007, the roll-out ceremony of the plane took place in Seattle (that is, the unveiling of the plane for the first time after the completion of its production). The plane, Boeing 787, is supposed to be more fuel efficient, more environmentally friendly and more comfortable for passengers, due to multiple innovative technologies incorporated into it. It should be noted that airlines ordered close to 700 787 planes even before the first plane was built. This made the plane an impressive commercial success. Such a long order list means that many customers will wait years before receiving the aircraft. The Israeli company Arkia has ordered four Boeing 787 aircraft, and the first ones it bought will arrive in 2012. The company held an event in Tel Aviv to mark the launch of the state-of-the-art aircraft, which was attended by aviation, tourism, business and government officials. The event took place a few hours after the event held in Seattle, where the factory that produces the Boeing 787 is located. In the past, El Al also had an option to purchase 787 aircraft, but it canceled it, and is now considering ordering this aircraft again.

Technical data:
• Cruising speed: about 900 km/h
• Flight range: 6,500 to 16,000 km (depending on the model)
• Length: about 56 meters
• Height: 16.5 meters
• Wingspan: about 60 meters
• Maximum weight: 164 to 227 tons (depending on the model)
• Cargo weight: 16 tons
• Altitude ceiling: 13,000 meters
• Basic price: 120 million dollars

Boeing engineers put a particularly strong emphasis on passenger well-being. Thus, for example, the plane's windows will be forty percent larger than windows on other planes - because the plane's body, made of composite materials, will be able to withstand this design, while conventional planes made of aluminum are not strong enough for such large windows. The humidity in the passenger cabin will also be higher, making it easier to fly the plane. In normal airplanes it is necessary to maintain low humidity, in order to prevent corrosion of the airplane parts made of metal, but in composite materials there is no corrosion problem.