Travelling with Boeing 787

Boeing 787 - Features

aisle seating. 18.5" standard seat width in coach in a 2+4+2 arrangement, 17.3" in a 3+3+3 arrangement, 2" arm rests, 4" (at the center section of 2+4+2), standard aisle width of 21.5".

Cabin interior width at 50" from the floor is 223" (recently increased by 1"), the interior cabin width is a full 15" greater than that of the Airbus 330 and 350 aircraft. Two class configuration of 240 seats in two class domestic with 46" first class pitch and 34" coach class. 296 pax in a high density 2+4+2 coach arrangement with 36" Business and 32" Coach pitch. Up to 224-234 in a three class with 61" Pitch First (2+2+2 or 2+1+2), 39" Pitch Business (2+3+2 or 2+2+2) and 32" Coach (2+4+2).

Cruise speed: 0.85 Mach (903 km/h or 561 mph at altitude)

Range of 8,500 nautical miles (15,700 km), enough to cover the Los Angeles to Hong Kong or New York to Tokyo routes.

Construction materials (by weight): 61 % composite, 20 % aluminum, 11 % titanium, 8 % steel. Composite materials are significantly lighter and stronger than traditional aircraft materials, making the 787 a very light aircraft for its capabilities. By volume, the 787 will be 80 % composite.

The 787 production line will be able to finish an aircraft in as little as three days, compared to 11 days for the 737.

Larger windows than any other civil air transport (27cm by 47cm), with a higher eye level, so passengers can see the horizon, with liquid crystal display (LCD)-based "auto-dimming" to reduce cabin glare and maintain transparency. These are to be supplied by PPG[39].

Light-emitting diode (LED) cabin lighting (three color) will be used instead of fluorescent tubes, allowing the aircraft to be entirely 'bulbless' and have 128 color combinations.

A version of Ethernet -- Avionics Full-Duplex Switched Ethernet (AFDX) / ARINC 664 -- will be used to transmit data between the flight deck and aircraft systems.

LCD multi-function displays on the flight deck, all of which will use an industry standard GUI widget toolkit (Cockpit Display System Interfaces to User Systems / ARINC 661) [40]

Bleedless turbofans, allowing elimination of superheated air conduits normally used for de-icing, aircraft power, and other functions. These systems are to be replaced with an all-electrical system.

Cabin air provided by electrically driven compressors (no engine bleed air).

Higher humidity in the passenger cabin because of the use of composites (which don't corrode).

The internal pressure will be increased, to the equivalent of 6000 feet (1800 m) altitude versus 8000 (2400 m) on conventional aircraft. This will significantly improve passenger comfort.

Boeing is experimenting with several engine noise reducing technologies for the 787. Among these are a redesigned air inlet containing sound-absorbing materials and redesigned exhaust duct covers whose rim is tipped in a toothed pattern to allow for quieter mixing of exhaust and outside air. Boeing expects these developments to make the 787 significantly quieter both inside and outside the passenger cabin.

Early concept images of the 787 included rakish cockpit windows, a dropped nose, and a distinctive "shark-fin" vertical stabilizer. The final styling of the aircraft was more conservative, with the fin less radical than on earlier images, but the nose and cockpit windows were retained. The nose is very similar to that of the Dornier 728Jet.

Boeing 787 - Variants

The 787 is currently being sold in three variants:

The 787-3 will be a 296 seat (two class) short-range version targeted at high density flights, with a range of 3,500 nautical miles (6,500 km). EIS is 2008. Boeing is targeting the 787-3 to replace the Airbus A300 and A310, and Boeing 757-300, 767-200, and 767-300. The 787-3 will have no direct counterpart from Airbus.

The 787-8 will be the "baseline" model, with 223 seats in three classes and a range of 8,500 nautical miles (15,700 km). EIS is 2008. Boeing is targeting the 787-8 to replace the 767-300ER. The 787-8 will have no direct counterpart from Airbus.

The 787-9 will be a stretched variant, seating 259 in three classes. The targeted EIS is set at 2010 [41]. Boeing is targeting the 787-9 to replace the Airbus A330-200 and A340-200, Boeing 767-400ER, McDonnell Douglas DC-10, and Lockheed L-1011. Airbus is offering the A350-800 in competition.

The 787-10 has been proposed as a 300 seat stretched variant to compete with the planned Airbus A350-900 [42] The 787-10 would supercede the 777-200A and 777-200ER in Boeing's current lineup, and could also be targeted to replace the Airbus A330-300 and A340-300, and McDonnell Douglas MD-11.