The Newest Member Of The Dreamliner Family Prepares To Fly

Boeing has completed the first 787-9 Dreamliner. The second member of the 787 family rolled out of the Everett, Wash., factory Saturday to the flight line, where teams are preparing it to fly later this summer.

Boeing built the first three 787-9s on its Temporary Surge Line in Everett to allow for smoother integration of the 787-9 into the production system while continuing to ramp up production across the 787 program.

The first 787-9 Dreamliner became the first 787 to don the new Boeing Commercial Airplanes livery. This refreshed look for the Boeing family began with the 747-8 and evolved with the 737 MAX. The new livery retains many of the features of the original 787-8 livery, adding a prominent number on the tail to help distinguish among models within the same product family.

At 20 feet longer than the 787-8, the 787-9 will extend the 787 family in both capacity and range, carrying 40 more passengers an additional 300 nautical miles. The 787-9 leverages the visionary design of the 787-8 such as its exceptional environmental performance — 20 percent less fuel use and 20 percent fewer emissions than similarly sized airplanes — and passenger-pleasing features. With the second and third airplanes in final assembly, Boeing and the 787-9 are on track. First delivery to launch customer Air New Zealand is set for mid-2014.

FMI: www.boeing.com