ANA May Be First, But Boeing Still Has Plenty of 787s to Deliver
We’re still feeling a little lightheaded over all the Boeing 787 news that we talked about yesterday, but that doesn’t mean that we’re done talking about the latest airplane to hit the skies. Boeing still owes a lot of planes to a lot of people, so it’s full steam ahead once the very first 787 arrives in the hands of pilots and passengers at All Nippon Airways.
If everything goes as planned this week, Boeing will get the final stamps, seals, and approvals related to certification of its new bird. There’s like $16 billion in inventory just hanging out at the factory outside of Seattle, and some of the 35 almost-finished planes are awaiting interiors, windows, and those always important engines. Some of the planes even have concrete blocks hanging off the wings—rather than engines—to ensure the planes don’t get tipsy due to weight balance issues.
In the middle of all the assembly is the very first plane that’s going to be delivered to an airline in North America, as United Airlines’ very first 787 just rolled onto the floor of the facility. However, that doesn’t mean that the workers, engineers, and robots won’t be able to do their thing quickly, as hopefully this plane will be delivered at some point in 2012. So maybe that Houston to Auckland route we mentioned long, long ago will finally become a reality.
For now, just remember to enter that contest we mentioned to get access to ANA’s first flight, and we’ll keep you posted about everything and anything related to the Boeing 787—whether you like it or not!
[Photo: Boeing via Wired]
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