ANA’s 787 Dreamliner Interior Revealed

by McLean Robbins on




Boeing has unveiled interior designs for its 787 Dreamliner at the Paris Air Show earlier this week, and we must admit, we’re intrigued. There’s a WINDOW in the bathroom!

The 787-8 will sit 210 to 250 passengers, have a 7,650 to 8,200 nautical mile flying range, and an array of high tech enhancements. The 787-9 will seat 250 to 290 and have a range of 8,000 to 8,500 NMI.

In addition to bringing big-jet ranges to mid-size airplanes, the 787 will provide airlines with unmatched fuel efficiency, resulting in exceptional environmental performance. The airplane will use 20 percent less fuel for comparable missions than today’s similarly sized airplane. It will also travel at speeds similar to today’s fastest wide bodies, Mach 0.85. Airlines will enjoy more cargo revenue capacity.

In the cabin space, the 787 will have larger windows with an adjustable tint, more spacious overhead storage (images show four bags fitting comfortably), and large, lay-flat beds in First and Business classes. Economy will feature a 2-4-2 design and reclining seats. To improve overall comfort in flights, the airplane will employ improved air filtration system, higher humidity levels (to prevent dehydration), a lower cabin altitude (ensuring a more comfortable flight) and design innovations to ensure a less bumpy ride and quieter in-cabin experience.

Find more about the technical specifications of the 787 Dreamliner here.

In more news from Boeing, the company also announced that they will move the flight attendant call button, eliminating hassles for the crew and travelers alike.

American Airlines flight makes emergency landing in Las Vegas

by Kraig Becker on

An American Airlines Boeing 757 was forced to make an emergency landing at Las Vegas‘ McCarran International Airport earlier today after pilots detected smoke in the cockpit.

AA Flight 431 was traveling from Miami to San Francisco, and was over Utah, when the crew diverted from their course to make the landing. They touched down at 11:10 AM Pacific time and were met by emergency crews who assisted with the evacuation of the plane. All 159 passengers and six crew, exited without incident or injury.

A spokesperson for American Airlines said that the emergency landing is standard procedure for pilots after smoke is detected on a plane, and that the crew was just acting properly to ensure the safety of all those on board.

At this time, it is unclear as to the cause of the smoke, but investigations by AA flight mechanics and the FAA are ongoing. In the meantime the company is working to re-book all the stranded passengers and get them back on their way to San Francisco.

American Airlines to test streaming video

by Chris Owen on

American Airlines will begin testing inflight streaming video that enables customers to wirelessly stream content such as movies and TV shows from an inflight library to their personal Wi-Fi-enabled devices during flight.

“We know our customers want to be connected on the ground and in the sky, so we are working hard to stay on the leading edge of connectivity through technology enhancements like this.” said Rob Friedman, American’s Vice President of Marketing

American will also expand inflight Wi-Fi to its narrow body fleet, completing its Wi-Fi rollout fleet-wide. The Wi-Fi expansion will include 93 of American’s domestic 757s used for routes within the continental United States, and up to 50 additional MD80 aircraft the company said in a statement.”By expanding Wi-Fi to the remainder of American’s domestic fleet and adding movies and TV to the already powerful Internet, American and Aircell continue to transform the inflight experience,” said Ash ElDifrawi, Executive Vice President and CMO of Aircell. “In this new era of inflight entertainment and inflight connectivity convergence, we are proud to be American’s partner in innovation and applaud their leadership.”

The streaming video offering is American’s latest enhancement in a series of investments in mobile technology.

“Mobility is where we are all headed and our focus on new technologies in this space is unmatched by our competitors,” added Friedman.

Do you agree? Is American the best for inflight connectivity? Share your experience with us here.

Flickr photo by boeingdreamscape

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Aborted takeoff testing of the 747-8

by Grant Martin on

Comprehensive testing is at the core of any airframe development, and that means modeling and measuring the worst case scenario. Though likely to never happen in practice, engineers need to know how components will perform in an emergency situation — so they test them to their limits.

The aborted takeoff is one such test that Boeing uses to gauge the performance of a vehicle’s braking system and condition thereafter. At full load and under full take off power, a system is tested by suddenly slamming on the brakes with no reverse thrust. How quickly the aircraft stops and the condition of the landing gear is a reflection of how successful the test is.

In the above video you can see the results of a recent test at Boeing on their upcoming 747-8 freighter. In coming to a stop the brakes glow red hot and the landing gear begins to smoke, but that result is actually good — the fully loaded aircraft stops 700 feet short of the target distance, which means safer, more effective breaking.

Whether or not the passengers onboard have wet their pants is another question. You can read more about the test over at Boeing’s website.

Boeing’s 787: Engineering a quieter airplane

by Grant Martin on

It has long been rumored that Boeing‘s new 787 Dreamliner will be the quietest commercial jumbo jet in its class. Take a look at the back of select engine nacelles on the airframe and you can see an obvious difference. That egg crate design is in place for improved acoustic performance, which means a better experience for not only passengers but the people living near airports and flight paths.

Boeing just published a video showing some of the other improvements and the testing that they’re working on. Take a look at the show above.