Marking its public debut in the U.S., Boeing's 787 Dreamliner, the 21st century's first radically different commercial airliner, landed at the AirVenture air show on Friday.
The world's first jetliner made largely of superhardened plastics is still officially "experimental,'' sharing that title with many of the homebuilts and other aircraft on display at the Experimental Aircraft Association's annual week-long show in Oshkosh, Wis. But that similarity will end soon.
The Dreamliner, an ultra-smart plane that Boeing says will achieve a 20 percent improvement in fuel burn compared to planes the same size, is scheduled for delivery to its first customer, Japan's All Nippon Airways, by the end of September, Boeing officials said.
That's three years late. The twin-engine plane that will carry up to 250 passengers has been beset by design and construction problems that caused numerous delays.
