It is a thrilling, even poetic moment when a brand new aircraft leaps from the ground and soars for the first time into its element, the air. It is even more so when that airplane is the first of its kind.
This was such a moment today when the first Boeing 787 took to the air for the first time from the Boeing plant about a 30 minute drive from where I live.
The first Boeing 787 at the moment it left the ground for the first time. I was excited when I learned that after flight-testing for some hours it would be landing at Boeing Field about the same distance south of my home because planes on their final approach to that field often fly low right over my house. They fly even lower when the weather is rainy with thick, low, overcast, just as it was today. With luck I would have a good view of that 787 on its first ever final approach to landing.
I was very lucky. It came in from behind the tall cedars, low, slow, huge, and with two small chase jets just feet off each wingtip, flying directly overhead.
This is the plane that our grandchildren will be doing most of their flying in and which this generation of children and grandchildren will be piloting. Much to my envy, my granddaughter was invited to the Boeing Plant to watch the takeoff, then was driven to Boeing Field to watch the landing.My granddaughter at the Boeing Plant as the 787 taxis to its maiden flight in the background.
Below is a CNET videoclip that captures the elation as Boeing workers who built the plane cheer as it successfully takes off.
4 comments:
Louis, Thanks for that narrative. The first Boeing plane that I took was the 707 in 1971 from KL to Perth and it had to make a stop at Jakarta. BTW why is that it start with the number Seven. Rather curious as to why Seven is chosen.
Have a nice day.
Hi Idrus,
Here's the reason for the number 7 to designate Boeing jetliner models (from the Boeing website):
"707 family
After World War II, Boeing primarily was a military airplane company. The company began to expand back into commercial airplanes and pursue new fields of missiles and spacecraft. The engineering department divided model numbers into blocks of 100 for each of the new product areas: 300s and 400s continued to represent aircraft; 500s would be used on turbine engines; 600s for rockets and missiles; and 700s for jet transport aircraft.
For the first airplane, the marketing department decided that "Model 700" wasn't catchy enough, so they picked Model 707 to start."
Like you, my first jet flight was aboard a 707, from Dublin to Shannon in Ireland, a short hop. That plane was the first jet delivered to the young Irish airline, Aer Lingus. To promote their jet service (Shannon to NY), they were offering special one-way flights to Shannon from Dublin, with the return by train.
Wonderful narration and photos, Louis! You've captured a piece of history for posterity! I like the Airbus A380 as it is the most fuel-efficient passenger aircraft in current use, but the Boeing 787 seems to be in a league of its own!
Hello ~Covert~
Did you see the A380 when it visited KL? I would like to see it and fly in it.
It seems that manufacturers of autos and aircraft have finally become serious about fuel efficiency. I hope Boeing's claims about the 787's efficiency do prove to be valid. We'd all benefit from that.
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