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WICHITA, Kan.--When technicians at Spirit Aerosystems are done with their assembly work on a Boeing 787 Dreamliner, they power it up. The aircraft's computers thinks it's ready to fly, and it would be -- but for one thing: the plane has no wings or tail, and is missing most of its body.
Still, a Dreamliner wouldn't be a Dreamliner without Spirit, which since 787s were first being built in 2007 has been the company that makes the next-generation composite plane's forward section.
Although the Dreamliner has caused Boeing no end of headaches, given its long history of mechanical problems, on-board fires, worker strikes, supply chain interruptions, and other issues, it is still considered a leap forward in aviation, largely because it's made with lighter composite materials instead of aluminum, and as a result is as much as 20 percent more fuel-efficient than similar-sized planes.
Still, a Dreamliner wouldn't be a Dreamliner without Spirit, which since 787s were first being built in 2007 has been the company that makes the next-generation composite plane's forward section.
Although the Dreamliner has caused Boeing no end of headaches, given its long history of mechanical problems, on-board fires, worker strikes, supply chain interruptions, and other issues, it is still considered a leap forward in aviation, largely because it's made with lighter composite materials instead of aluminum, and as a result is as much as 20 percent more fuel-efficient than similar-sized planes.
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