787 Dreamliner

WHEN: April 27, 2012
WHERE: North Charleston, South Carolina

Today was truly a proud and historic day for South Carolinians, especially those in Charleston.

Today, Charleston, South Carolina made history with the unveiling of the first South Carolina-built Boeing 787 Dreamliner.  While it is not the first 787 ever built, it represents the first plane Boeing has manufactured outside of Everett, Washington (headquarters of Boeing) since World War 2.  Additionally, with the unveiling of the 787 today, North Charleston became the latest of only three facilities in the world to provide final assembly for wide-body jets.  The other facility being the Boeing facility in Everett, Washington and the European competitor Airbus facility, based in Toulouse, France.

I for one am proud.  First of all, I am an ever-growing aviation enthusiast.  I love that Charleston is home to such a unique facility, a facility that also neighbors the largest Air Force base of C-17 military cargo jets in the world.  Today's unveiling of the 787 has cemented Charleston as a leading global hub for both aviation development and significance.  Second, and perhaps more important, is what Boeing's presence has meant and will continue to mean for the local and state economies here.  With the completion of the new 1 million square foot facility (the size of 10 football fields) last year, Boeing brought with it over 9,000 jobs to Charleston during the construction phase, and thousands more permanent jobs for manufacturing.  It's not only those jobs that are important, but also the many other businesses that have already looked and will continue to look to Charleston as a place to invest, now that Boeing has established its presence here.

I want to and could write so much more about Boeing, the Dreamliner, and what today's ceremony means to Charleston and myself.  But as is often the case, that means I never find the time to finish my post, or it's significantly delayed.  So this post, though not well thought out, has been completed on time because I'm not waiting around to get it "perfect".  Instead, I'm just providing a few snapshots into what today's ceremony was like, what Boeing's presence in Charleston means, and a little more background on the 787 Dreamliner.

So, what is the 787 Dreamliner?

 

Boeing's 787 Dreamliner is the first commercial jet of the 21st century.  Is it revolutionary, state-of-the-art, and will forever change the passenger experience and set the standards for future commercial aircraft for decades to come.  I don't say that just as a flashy statement.  Even after the exposure to all things Boeing over the past 2 years (news, billboards, construction), I am learning so much more today about just how significant the 787 is to the airline industry.

 This short video offers a quick snapshot of what air travel in the 787 is like.

More multimedia related to the 787 Dreamliner.

One of the coolest parts about having the new 787 Dreamliner facility in Charleston is that we occasionally get to see Boeing Dreamlifters (seen below) fly over the city.  Dreamlifters are specially outifitted Boeing 747s that were designed and created specifically for shipping 787 Dreamliner parts across the world.  They are a sight to behold flying low over Charleston!


A Boeing Dreamlifter in Frankfurt, Germany
(Photo Credit: Airliner.net)

A video on the Boeing Dreamlifter

The unveiling of the first South Carolina-built 787 Dreamliner

Slideshow of some of today's images from the ceremony

 The first South Carolina-built 787, emerging from the North Charleston facility today.

 I followed the coverage LIVE online.  Just wish I could have been there.

 Gov. Nikki Haley speaking at the ceremony.
She chose to have Aerosmith's "Dream On" as the 787 was rolled out and she took the stage.  Lenny Kravitz's song "Fly Away" was also heard over the PA system during the unveiling.

"Made with pride in South Carolina"

Building dreams in South Carolina

 LIVE flight tracker map for Boeing jets worldwide