McNerney: 787 work scope was 'too much for our partners'; composite 777 considered
Boeing Chairman, President and CEO Jim McNerney offered a frank assessment of the manufacturer's delayed 787 program: "We did not execute this well." Speaking to several journalists including ATWOnline at a roundtable at the Paris Air Show yesterday, he nevertheless was bullish on the Dreamliner, saying, "It's a game-changing airplane and a step-function change like the 707 was."
He added that the production model for the 787 was sound, "but the execution overwhelmed our company and our partners. There are three key elements in building an aircraft: Design, materials and manufacture. Changing everything at once--materials you make the airplane with, design tools you use, the partners and the scope you give them--was a challenge. Each part was sound. . .strategy but I think in retrospect we would have gone more slowly on the industrial side. The design is right and materials are a breakthrough but the scope of work was too much for our partners."
VP-Commercial Airplane Programs Pat Shanahan told reporters in Paris yesterday that the first flight of the 787 is "imminent. . .We now are preparing to conduct final testing to verify that the airplane is ready to enter the flight test program. From there, we will go through taxi testing and then the airplane will take to the sky. That will be an emotionally intense day for everyone who had a part in reaching this key milestone." Insiders suggest the first flight will be on June 24 at about 10 a.m. local time in Seattle.
Beyond the 787, McNerney said Boeing is looking hard at an all-composite 777 replacement. Commenting on a potential a re-winged 777, he said the company is examining various options to compete with the A350-1000. "We are waiting to see how much of the A350-1000 promise is reality," he explained. "We have about a year or so."
He said that if the A350-1000 is competitive, Boeing possibly will look to counter with a re-winged 777. "But we may not have to do that much," he said. "Eventually we will have an all-composite 777 and the bigger the diameter the better the strength-to-weight ratio." He added that a composite 777 would be 20%-25% lighter than the 777-300ER. "It will be a very, very efficient airplane and it will fly a long, long way."
by Geoffrey Thomas
ATWOnline
Boeing Chairman, President and CEO Jim McNerney offered a frank assessment of the manufacturer's delayed 787 program: "We did not execute this well." Speaking to several journalists including ATWOnline at a roundtable at the Paris Air Show yesterday, he nevertheless was bullish on the Dreamliner, saying, "It's a game-changing airplane and a step-function change like the 707 was."
He added that the production model for the 787 was sound, "but the execution overwhelmed our company and our partners. There are three key elements in building an aircraft: Design, materials and manufacture. Changing everything at once--materials you make the airplane with, design tools you use, the partners and the scope you give them--was a challenge. Each part was sound. . .strategy but I think in retrospect we would have gone more slowly on the industrial side. The design is right and materials are a breakthrough but the scope of work was too much for our partners."
VP-Commercial Airplane Programs Pat Shanahan told reporters in Paris yesterday that the first flight of the 787 is "imminent. . .We now are preparing to conduct final testing to verify that the airplane is ready to enter the flight test program. From there, we will go through taxi testing and then the airplane will take to the sky. That will be an emotionally intense day for everyone who had a part in reaching this key milestone." Insiders suggest the first flight will be on June 24 at about 10 a.m. local time in Seattle.
Beyond the 787, McNerney said Boeing is looking hard at an all-composite 777 replacement. Commenting on a potential a re-winged 777, he said the company is examining various options to compete with the A350-1000. "We are waiting to see how much of the A350-1000 promise is reality," he explained. "We have about a year or so."
He said that if the A350-1000 is competitive, Boeing possibly will look to counter with a re-winged 777. "But we may not have to do that much," he said. "Eventually we will have an all-composite 777 and the bigger the diameter the better the strength-to-weight ratio." He added that a composite 777 would be 20%-25% lighter than the 777-300ER. "It will be a very, very efficient airplane and it will fly a long, long way."
by Geoffrey Thomas
ATWOnline
