Boeing Dreamliner lands in Auckland on Testflight


Pilots are giving the thumbs-up to Boeing's new Dreamliner plane, which touched down at Auckland Airport this morning.
Air New Zealand's version of the aircraft will be even larger than the one that flew in this morning around 10am, with a greater range and more seats.

They said it was going to be better for passengers because it can fly at lower altitudes.
It means those passengers who have deep vein thrombosis or who get dehydrated are going to have a much more comfortable flight.
The planes are also much safer because technology in the cockpit means instruments are easier to read.

Running three years late after delays including supplier and production problems, it's the the first landing for the Dreamliner in the Southern Hemisphere.

The high-tech plane, with its promise of improved passenger comfort and 20 per cent greater fuel efficiency and fewer emissions in comparison to similar sized aircraft, was to have reached the market in 2008.
The first delivery was made to All Nippon Airlines in September and New Zealanders will see the plane in service here next summer season with Continental Airlines, with Jetstar in 2013 and Air New Zealand in 2014.

Today, a test aircraft landed at Auckland Airport for a brief visit. It will fly to Sydney on Tuesday.
Boeing spokesman Ken Morton 821 planes had been ordered at a cost of about US$145 billion ($186 billion).
"The touch down that we're most focused on is the first one to Air New Zealand of the 787-9 [Dreamliner] which is the next model of the 787," Morton said.
"The challenges we have faced have been well documented but we've always said we will overcome these challenges.
"One of the objectives of the weekend visit is to demonstrate that this plane is here and now, and it's a real thing."

Air New Zealand chief executive Rob Fyfe said Air New Zealand was the first customer for the 787-9 version, with eight aircraft on order.

Dreamliner Desiners are Assisted by Kiwi Technology in the 3D software Industry.



Kiwi technology helped to design and manufacture the new Boeing 787 Dreamliner set to touch down in Auckland this morning.

3D-software firm Right Hemisphere, founded in New Zealand in 1997, develops tools allowing companies to better visualise their business processes.

For the Dreamliner, Right Hemisphere's software helped present engineering and manufacturing data in a "light-weight 3D format" that could be easily transferred among those working on the project.
"[A user would see] a three-dimensional model of, say, a piece of landing gear or a portion of the wing and it would have all the manufacturing information there - the sort of information that is useful on the manufacturing shop floor," said Mark Thomas, Right Hemisphere's founder, president and chief technology officer.

The Dreamliner is not the first Boeing project to involve Right Hemisphere and the two companies have worked together for around five years, Thomas said.

"We believe the success of this implementation will lead to more business in other programmes and projects [with Boeing]."

Right Hemisphere is headquartered in California, but has a research and development branch in Auckland, which employs 45 staff.

In September it was snapped up by German software giant SAP for an undisclosed amount.

Article & footage compliments of NZ Herald.