Boeing 787 Dreamliner

Wednesday, October 19, 2011 at 09:56 PM ET

Verified

** Oshkosh welcomes the first arrival of the
Boeing 787 Dreamliner, the first midsize
airliner capable of a range of more than
8,500 nautical miles.**

Key Takeaways:

The author describes his excitement at witnessing the Boeing 787 Dreamliner's arrival at EAA AirVenture 2011, noting its futuristic design and his anticipation for an interview to understand its flight characteristics compared to the 777.
An interview with Capt. Steve Taylor, president of Boeing Business Jets, highlights his unconventional career path from sales to test pilot, his passion for aviation (including flying the 787 into Oshkosh), and Boeing's stringent safety protocols in test flights.
The 787's key technical features include its fly-by-wire system allowing software-tweaked flight characteristics, advanced large cockpit displays, and a significant shift to electrically controlled systems (e.g., wing leading-edge heating, landing gear) departing from traditional engine bleed-air.
Pilots for the 787 undergo extensive simulator training, and the aircraft is designed to have minimal handling differences from the 777, enabling a straightforward transition for experienced pilots like the author.

See a mistake? Contact us.

(October 2011) Shortly after retrieving credentials at the media counter, I glanced at my BlackBerry display. The time was 0830. Good deal. I had an hour of free time to wander around the nooks and crannies of EAA AirVenture before the scheduled arrival of the 787.

After concluding that I really didn’t need to agonize over a decision to purchase a wooden miniature of a 777 as an addition to my office dust-clutter collection, I began to walk toward the flight line. A whooshing sound caught my attention. A Boeing airplane with the identifiable blue and white logo whispered majestically above the runway. Its composite wings characteristically curved upward as it climbed after completing a low approach. Way cool. I smiled. Wouldn’t you know it?