What's Happening

The Boeing 787 Dreamliner Stops in Phoenix

Excitement built as the first glimmer of the highly anticipated Boeing 787 Dreamliner was seen in the sky. Approaching from the West on a sunny Friday afternoon, the aircraft made a majestic landing at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport as part of its multi-city Dream Tour.

“We are excited to bring this wonderful innovation to all of you in Phoenix,” said Boeing’s Vice President of 787 Supplier Management George Maffeo.

The three-day visit to Phoenix was the culmination of the contributions and hard work of local Boeing and Honeywell employees had made to the project. Boeing has more than 5,000 employees in Arizona working in various capacities, while Honeywell employees worked on the navigation, maintenance, crew information, flight control electronics, and exterior lighting systems.

“Honeywell has more than 700 employees in Arizona working on this project,” said Honeywell Aerospace’s President of Air Transport and Regional, John Bolton. “Innovation is in the DNA of Honeywell Aerospace. We are proud to be a key supplier and partner with Boeing.”

Ed Wilson, Boeing Test Flight Pilot, was met with cheers as he spoke a few words about the aircraft.

“It has been exciting to fly this aircraft around the world,” Wilson said. “There is a lot of technology incorporated to make the passenger experience better.”

In fact, passengers on the Dreamliner will find that the flying experience will be much improved as the aircraft was designed with their comfort in mind. The sleek and modern aircraft has taller ceilings, bigger overhead storage bins and more spacious seating. In the 787-8 model, the aircraft can seat from 210-250 depending on the seating configuration and the 787-9 can seat between 250-290 passengers. Yet, the aircraft does not feel cramped with slightly wider aisles and a wider fuselage.

Passengers will also enjoy bigger windows to glance out at the clouds and look at the terrain below. The windows have the distinction of being larger than other aircraft windows and are dimmable, meaning that no longer do passengers have to pull down the shade. Instead passengers can simply dim the windows electronically. Cabin crew also can illuminate the cabin with a simulated sky which uses energy efficient lighting. With this feature, the ceiling gives travelers a sense of daylight or a peaceful nighttime sky.

The most distinctive features of the aircraft relate to air and humidity. The aircraft uses a filtration system that increases humidity which results in reducing a passenger’s symptoms of dryness while flying.

The aircraft is also environmentally friendly. Bolton said it is one of the most fuel efficient aircraft in the world. It is 20 percent more fuel efficient and has 20 percent less emissions than similar sized aircraft.

Boeing and Honeywell employees were able to take a peek at the aircraft while it was in Phoenix to see the results of their work. Travelers might have also had the opportunity to see the aircraft take off on its next tour stop – its sheer presence on the runway was something that was truly magnificent.

For more information on the features of the Boeing 787 Dream Tour, visit newairplane.com

See pictures of the aircraft on Facebook or Google +

Published: March 12, 2012