While our American companies are struggling to stay in the air, NIPPON AIRWAYS soared past us in the new Boeing 787, nicknamed the "Dreamliner". In an odd twist the "Dreamliner" is made in America! The Boeing Company near Seattle went to work on this state- of- the- art plane in 2004.
The "Dreamliner" carried it's first passengers yesterday in a flight from Tokyo to Hong Kong. It is not noted ( as the French SST, no longer flying) as a speed demon. Instead it is to be far more comfortable and TWENTY PERCENT more fuel efficient. How did they do that? It has a carbon -fiber frame. The frame allows a higher humidity and larger windows (30 percent larger).It is a quieter ride, with some engine improvements. It will also have added a turbulence- dampening system that will anticipate a sudden drop and compensate for this. There will be "mood" lighting and natural light coming in. Eight hundred have already been sold. The first US airline with the "Dreamliner" is scheduled to be United Continental next year.
My brother, Powell, who flew for TWA before his retirement talked about the 767, which he flew round-trip New York to Switzerland, as being so sophisticated one could almost fly itself, including landing and take-off.
When you take your first flight in a 787 peek into the cockpit to make sure real pilots are at the controls. If your flight attendant says something like this: " Our peelot for des treet is Captain Robot Humavee. Seet bock un unjoy de fight...fight....fight....fight." You could be in trouble.
