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| From the start, Dreamliner jet prog |
| From the start, Dreamliner jet program was rushed
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| UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
, 25-January-2013
5:0:54 AM |
| The 787 Dreamliner was born in a moment of desperation.
It was 2003 and Boeing - the company that defined modern air travel - had just lost its title as the world's largest plane manufacturer to European rival Airbus. Its CEO had resigned in a defence-contract scandal. And its stock had plunged to the lowest price in a decade.
Two years after the 9/11 terrorist attacks, financially troubled airlines were reluctant to buy new planes. Boeing needed something revolutionary to win back customers.
Salvation had a code name: Yellowstone.
It was a plane that promised to be lighter and more technologically advanced than any other. Half of it would be built with new plastics instead of aluminium. The cabin would be more comfortable for passengers, and airlines could cut their fuel bills by 20 per cent.
But once production started, the gap between vision and reality quickly widened. The jet that was eventually dubbed the Dreamliner became plagued with manufacturing delays, cost overruns and sinking worker morale.
In interviews with The Associated Press, a dozen former Boeing engineers, designers and managers recounted the pressure to meet tight deadlines. Adding to the chaos was the company's never-before-tried plan to build a plane from parts made around the globe.
The former Boeing workers still stand behind the jetliner - and are proud to have worked on it. But many question whether the rush contributed to a series of problems that led the Federal Aviation Administration last week to take the extraordinary step of grounding the 787. Other countries did the same.
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