Yesterday was a day for which I had been waiting a long time . . . 7/8/07. Sadly, instead of sitting in front of my computer watching the rollout of the 787, I was busy twiddling my thumbs in Denver Intl Airport for hours on end. (I’ll have that story in the next couple of days.)
That being said, once I got home I started scanning the internet to find everything I could about the rollout. Unfortunately, I still haven’t been able to get Boeing’s official rollout video to work. Maybe you’ll have more luck by clicking here.
So instead I went to the old standby. The Seattle media always does a great job of covering Boeing, and sure enough they have some good stuff. Start with this video from KING5 (unfortunately it doesn’t seem to like working in Firefox) and then surf around from there. The Seattle Post-Intelligencer also has some great stuff including this photo below taken by the paper’s own Grant Haller.
As you can imagine, this was a huge day for Boeing, especially since they actually rolled it out on time. The next big test (and the more exciting event) is the first flight. That should be anywhere from the end of August to the end of September. Then the first delivery will be to Japan’s ANA in May of next year. ANA was so excited about this weekend that they decided to make an announcement of their own . . . they’re installing bidets on all the 787s. Um, ok. That’s definitely something that won’t be appealing to me. But it does beg the question . . . how much room is in that bathroom!?!
And the good news keeps rolling in. Air Berlin bought 25 of the 787s while Kuwait’s leasing company bought 10. Qantas says it will order another 20. ANA is said to be considering another 10 to 20. And, an eagle-eyed friend noticed that in the 787 rollout video, there was a picture of a 787 with a Qatar tail. Hmm, does that mean an order is imminent?
Overall, a great weekend for Boeing. I just can’t wait to fly on this plane.
6 comments on “Boeing’s 787 Dreamliner Takes Center Stage”
By “bidets” they mean these:
http://www.washlet.com
Ah, thank you. That would certainly explain how they can do it without making it a bigger bathroom.
It’s about time they put a bidet on a plane. I love bidets and have one in my home; they just make you feel better after you do your business. I hope this becomes a standard.
The bidets they are installing on these planes are not separate units. They are ones that can retrofit on almost existing toilet by removing the seat and lid and replacing it with a toilet seat bidet.