The oldest flying Boeing meets the newest

by Kent Wien on

We were rather blown away by this shot from Ryan Pemberton of Spokane, Washington. Ryan managed to capture a challenging formation flight of the oldest flying Boeing airliner flown by his dad, Addison Pemberton, along side the newest model, the 787.

Some credit the Boeing Model 40 as the first successful ‘airliner’ in the U.S., and to see it alongside the 787, which will be delivered by the end of this year, is rather amazing. While heritage flights involving WWII aircraft flying with more modern jets are somewhat common, this formation was a bit more challenging given the differences in speed of each airplane. The 787 is unable to fly as slow as the maximum cruise speed of the Model 40, so some quick shooting was required as the jet flew by. Ryan captured a number of shots, and to see the rest, check out the gallery below.

We covered the first flight of the Boeing model 40 in the past at Gadling. Be sure to check out the video of this amazing aircraft that helped usher in air travel to America.

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Boeing’s 787 Dreamliner finally flies

by Grant Martin on

After over two years of reporting on the 787 Dreamliner, Boeing’s long awaited aircraft has arrived. Yesterday morning, the aircraft took off on a three hour historic flight over Washington, landing successfully in Boeing field just outside of Seattle, Washington.

And now, the data analysis begins. A full year of testing as well as multiple test flights follow this first step, all towards making the final delivery to Boeing’s first customer, ANA at the end of next year. We’re looking forward to getting onboard.

Boeing Dreamliner 787 finally ready for its maiden flight

by Scott Carmichael on

In what has become a common trend in new airplane launches, the Boeing Dreamliner 787 has suffered delay after delay. Her initial maiden flight was scheduled for the end of August 2007, with deliveries to start taking place in May 2008.

When Boeing engineers discovered problems getting pieces to fit together, the launch was delayed. Then delayed again, and finally in June of this year, it was delayed yet again.

Thankfully, all the problems have been taken care of, and the newest jet from Boeing is set to take to the skies on December 15th at 10 a.m. PST. A web site dedicated to the maiden flight has been created, which should go live tomorrow morning (24 hours before the flight).

Fingers crossed all goes well – engineers are examining the test data from a series of ground tests, including one which pushed the plane to 150mph, lifting the nose wheel from the ground. Of course, all the technology in the world can’t help prevent bad weather – which is one of the few remaining factors that could delay the test flight.

Boing 787 “Dreamliner” maiden flight delayed again

by Scott Carmichael on

Poor Boeing. They are right in the middle of one of the worst economic downturns in their history, and their newest plane is creating a bit of a disaster of its own.

The 787 Dreamliner was scheduled to take its first flight early last year, but they realized back then that it could be moved to September 2008. We are now in the Summer of 2009 and Boeing is on their sixth delay.

The delay comes just one week after a horrible Paris Air Show, which is traditionally where Boeing announces a boatload of orders, but this year Airbus beat them, though neither manufacturer had that much good news to report. Airbus reported 112 aircraft sales, Boeing only sold 2.

The bad news is having a horrible effect on the share price of Boeing, which is down over 7% this morning (at the time of writing).

Still, fingers crossed that they sort out the problems with the plane. It really is a beauty, but it won’t do them (or their customers) any good if it just sits on the runway. By now I am sure Boeing will be regretting laughing at the problems Airbus encountered in building the massive A380 double-decker plane.

Jumbo Jets Disappearing from the Sky

by Josh Lew on

Jumbo jets, like Boeing’s classic 747, are a bit like that Buick your grandpa used to drive. They are sizable enough that you don’t have to concern yourself too much with what is going on outside. What’s a little turbulence to such a massive beast? What’s a six hour flight when you can stand up and actually walk around? (I was a little kid last time I rode in “the boat,” but you get the analogy).

High fuel prices have been grounding more and more of these large aircraft. And those who fly frequently are none to happy about it. Aside from a smoother ride, larger aircraft offer more seating options, more lavatories and more overhead space. If you are flying from New York to L.A. or Atlanta to Seattle, a little extra room can make a big difference.

Among major carriers, American and Delta still offer the most jumbo jet flights at more than 50 per day. However, wide-bodied planes are nowhere to be found on Northwest‘s and Continental‘s domestic routes. According to the industry, large aircraft will account for less that 1% of air traffic by the end of this year.

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