How It Works-Amazing Vehicles

A

t fi rst glance the Boeing 787 Dreamliner

appears to be nothing special. A new

mid-sized jetliner that through its

conventional design, standard power output and

modest ma ximum range seems to, for the most part,

blend in with the crowd. Just another commercial

passenger jet introduced to a market hit severely by

the worldw ide recession. A multimillion pound

piece of technology that changes nothing. But if you

believe that, then you couldn’t be more w rong...

That is because, as is common with most

groundbreaking new technologies and ideas, the

dev il is in the details. Indeed, the 787 is arguably a

slice of the f uture today, both literally (its ser v ice

life is predicted to extend up to 2028) and

metaphorically. The latter comes courtesy of it being

the fi rst aircraft to be designed within a mantra of

effi ciency over all else. That’s not to downplay its

numerous improvements and technological

advancements in any way – this is one of the most

complex jetliners currently in operation – but in

the present fi nancial climate and arguably one that

w ill affect the industr y for years to come, this

greener, cheaper and more accommodating aircraft

is lay ing dow n a roadmap that others can follow.

The ev idence for this? How about worldw ide orders

of 982 planes from 58 operators to the tune of over

£100 ($169) billion?

So how is the 787 turning the dream of cheaper,

more effi cient air travel into a reality? The simple

answer is a direct 20 per cent saving on both fuel

usage and outputted emissions. The long answer is a

little more complicated.

The key to the super-high performance granted

by the Dreamliner lies in its adoption of a suite of

new technologies and materials. Composite

materials (ie carbon-fi bre/reinforced carbon-fi bre

plastics) make up 50 per cent of the primary

structure of the 787, which include both the

f uselage and the w ings. These are lighter, stronger

and more versatile than traditional pure-metal

offerings. Indeed, when this model is compared

against the Dreamliner’s predecessor, the 777 –

read: a mere 12 per cent composite materials and

over 50 per cent aluminium – you begin to grasp

what a game-changer this vehicle is to the

jetliner industry.

The new materials have been partnered w ith a

completely rev isited build process, which allows

each Dreamliner to be produced from fewer

aluminium sheets, less fasteners (an 80 per cent

reduction on the 777) and simpler drill schematics –

the latter allow ing a 787 to have fewer than 10,000

holes drilled in its f uselage (the 747 needed over 1

million). This saves on production costs, assembly

time and streamlines the build, reducing potential

points of failure, while increasing aerodynamic

effi ciency. In addition, more than 60 miles of copper

wiring has been eliminated from the new model,

again saving weight, plus streamlining the electrical

This jetliner has transformed the

commercial airliner industry, boasting

signifi cantly improved fuel economy

and a host of next-gen features. We

take a closer look...

Boeing 787

Dreamliner

AIR