Further Delays of 787

According to the news article in MarketWatch, the Boeing Dreamliner 787 may again be further delay.

Boeing may further delay 787 Dreamliner: WSJ

SAN FRANCISCO (MarketWatch) -- Boeing Co. may delay the first deliveries of its new 787 Dreamliner at least six more months, according to a media report late Thursday, marking the fifth time the aerospace giant has been forced to extend the flagship commercial jet's rollout schedule.

The online edition of The Wall Street Journal, citing unnamed sources, reported that Boeing officials are expected to announce later this month that first deliveries of the jet may not occur until as late as summer 2010.

Development of the jet has been hampered by a strike by the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers that "forced Boeing to shut down its Seattle-area assembly lines for almost all of September and October," according to the report.

In addition, the high volume of work on the project being outsourced has also created problems, according to the report.

Delivery of the 787 was last delayed in April, when Boeing cited issues within its supply chain and reworking of its design. See related story.

Boeing said at that time that it expected to deliver the jet by the third quarter of 2009, instead of the first quarter. The jet's maiden flight had originally been scheduled for August of last year. Boeing has been spending roughly $1 billion per year on related research and development.

The Journal reported that problems with the Dreamliner have also affected other programs, including Boeing's efforts to update its 747 jumbo jet, as engineering resources have been diverted. End of Story

Source : http://www.marketwatch.com/news/story/boeing-may-further-delay-787

787 DreamLiner Background

The 787 Dreamliner is a first commercial jet by Boeing which construction uses composite materials for construction. Quite a radical design too with it's curve surfaces. It's a successor to the well known 767.

According to WikePedia

The Boeing 787 Dreamliner is a mid-sized, wide-body, twin engine jet airliner currently under development by Boeing Commercial Airplanes. It will carry between 210 and 330 passengers depending on variant and seating configuration. Boeing stated that it will be more fuel-efficient than earlier Boeing airliners and will be the first major airliner to use composite materials for most of its construction.Boeing's development of the 787 is also innovative in the collaborative management approach with suppliers.

On January 28, 2005, the aircraft's development designation 7E7 was changed to the 787. Early released concept images depicted a radical design with highly curved surfaces. On April 26, 2005, a year after the launch of the program, the final look of the external 787 design was frozen, with a less rakish nose and a more conventional tail.

Boeing featured its first 787 in a rollout ceremony on July 8, 2007, at its Everett assembly factory, by which time it had become the fastest-selling wide body airliner in history with nearly 600 orders.Originally scheduled to enter service in May 2008, production has been delayed and it is currently scheduled to enter into service in late 2009.

The entering of 787 to actual service is dogged with production delays. The most recent is the machinist strikes which according to the article in Wikipedia

The program was further delayed by a Boeing machinists strike during September and October 2008. On November 4, 2008 the Company announced another delay, this time caused by the incorrect installation of some of the structurally important fasteners, stating that the first test flight would not be accomplished in the fourth quarter of 2008.Boeing still insists that the new delay can be attributed directly to the strike.Although a revised delivery schedule has not been announced, the original program called for a 9 month flight test campaign. In September 2007, after announcing delays, Mike Bair said that Boeing would keep the Certification Date using six flight-test 787s at a rate of 120 FT hours per month, higher than the 70-80 FT hours per month used in previous planes.[75] Boeing's previous major aircraft, the 777, took 11 months with nine aircraft flying 7000 FT Hours, partly to demonstrate 180 min-ETOPS, one of its main features.