Small is beautiful in Boeing's long-haul Dreamliner

By CHRIS DANIELS

Boeing, recently displaced as the world's largest maker of wide-bodied commercial jet aircraft, is pinning its future on the smaller, super-efficient, long-range plane it calls the "7E7 Dreamliner".

Boeing began pursuing the 7E7 in late 2002, after it cancelled plans to build the super-fast "Sonic Cruiser" which would have travelled near the speed of sound.

But airlines weren't interested in high speed - they wanted efficiency. So Boeing went back to the drawing board with a new plan: to build an aircraft that would be 20 per cent more efficient than the planes it would replace.

While its competition in Europe is building the biggest commercial jet ever, the Airbus A380, Boeing's tack is to go smaller and focus on range and efficiency.

The 7E7 standard and stretch versions will carry 200 to 250 passengers respectively in three classes (first, business and economy) on routes between 7800 and 8300 nautical miles (14,500km to 15,400km).

With a range like this, the 7E7 could make non-stop flights between Auckland and New York.

It will use 20 per cent less fuel than any other wide-body plane, flying at speeds similar to today's fastest commercial jets - around mach 0.85. Boeing says it will also be able to carry 40 to 60 per cent more freight.

Much of the aircraft - including fuselage and wings - will be made of composite materials. The plane's main structure will be graphite combined with a toughened epoxy resin. The wings will also include a titanium and graphite composite .

Making a plane lighter but just as strong is good for many reasons, with passenger comfort one of the biggest.

Planes have an internal air pressure of around 8000 feet (2438m), which means spending 12 hours on a flight to Los Angeles is the same as spending half the day up a mountain - at 2797m Mount Ruapehu is not much higher .

The greater the pressure difference between the air outside the plane and in the cabin, the stronger the aircraft fuselage must be. Using lightweight composite materials instead of aluminium, the new 7E7 combines strength with lightness.

Boeing says the cabin pressure inside the new 7E7 will be 6000ft (1828m), which will be a more pleasant environment to fly in - especially important on very long-haul routes.

This will allow moisture content in the cabin to be increased, reducing passengers' dehydration.

Production of the 7E7 is due to start in 2006, with the first plane flying in 2007 and the first airlines taking delivery in 2008.

Boeing is hoping that owners of its 777 aircraft - which could soon include Air New Zealand - will be natural customers for the next generation of planes to roll off its Everett production line.

* Chris Daniels travelled to Seattle as a guest of Boeing.