A Closer Look: First flight of B787

[nigelb]

Subject says it all.

http://www.flightglobal.com/blogs/fligh ... ht-of.html

Nigel²

[petermcleland]

I found that all very interesting...Particularly this answer to a couple of questions:-

"Richard, I hope this answers your questions:

Q: Why are winglets and Pratt and Whitney engines missing from it?
A: Boeing opted for "raked" winglets rather than the ones we're used to seeing on the 737. This is because with with flex of the wing, the structure becomes one giant blended winglet, ultimately reducing drag even beyond what you'd expect from the standard 737 style winglet.

There are no P&W engines on the aircraft because Boeing felt the offering that was made (PW-EXX) was ultimately going to be too costly and risky to develop.

Q: Why does it not cruise faster than the Boeing 707 of more than 50 years ago?
A: Faster speeds = more fuel. Boeing entertained addressing that question with the Sonic Cruiser, but ultimately determined that the airlines didn't care about going faster, they just wanted to go cheaper.

Best,

Jon"