Dreamliner. The Boeing 787 is known as the Dreamliner. The twin-engine aircraft is designed to serve as a commercial airliner, and it's design had an emphasis on fuel-efficiency. Boeing claims that the Dreamliner is 20 percent more fuel-efficient than other aircraft in it's class. There are two types of Dreamliners, one is the 787-8, the other is the 787-9. The 787-8 has a capacity of between 210 and 250 passengers and a range of 14,200 to 15,200 kilometers. The 787-9 has a capacity of between 250 and 290 passengers and a range of 14,800 to 15,750 kilometers. The first flight of a 787-8 was on December 15, 2009. The Dreamliner was certified by the F.A.A. in August 2011, and the first Dreamliner was delivered to a customer on September 25, 2011.
The Dreamliner was the first aircraft made by Boeing with lithium-ion batteries in it's main power system. The batteries were the source of two major failures, which resulted in all of the aircraft being grounded. As of January 17, 2013, all of the Boeing Dreamliners had been grounded, because of the battery problems. Japan Airlines had seven of the Dreamliners and had found that in one aircraft, the lithium-ion battery located under the cockpit had been leaking, and there were "burn marks" around the battery.
On April 27, 2013, A Boeing Dreamliner was flown from Ethiopia to Nairobi, Kenya, it was the first time the plane had been flown since it was grounded in January, 2013. On May 20, 2013, a Dreamliner was flown from Houston, Texas, to Chicago, Illinois, with 250 passengers on board. It was the first time the Dreamliner had been flown in the U.S.A. since it had been grounded in January.
On July 12, 2013 two incidents involving Boeing 787 Dreamliners were reported. One incident involved a fire. A Dreamliner operated by Ethiopian Airlines had a fire, while it was parked on the airport ramp. The fire was reported to be in the rear of the aircraft, where the galley is located, not in the front, where the lithium batteries are located, but many people suspected that overheated lithium batteries were the cause of the fire. Fire-extinguishing foam was sprayed on the aircraft, which had been sitting on the ground for more than eight hours before the fire was discovered. No passengers were on board the plane at the time of the fire, and no injuries were reported.
On the same day (July 12, 2013) another Dreamliner had a problem. A Dreamliner operated by Britain's Thomson Airways was on a flight between Manchester, England and Sanford, Florida, when they were forced to turn around due to 'technical issues'.
Drones. A drone is an unmanned aircraft, guided by remote control or computer, that is used for target practice in a military flight program, or in other military flight regimes. The first drone aircraft were used for target practice, although modern drine aricraft may be used in surveillance missions in combat zones.
Above: 50 Years Of Target Drone Aircraft by Richard A. Botzum, 1985. The book was published by the Northrop corporation, which manufactured drones.
Above: Drones by Martin J. Dougherty, copright 2015.
Above: Drone Warfare, subtitled; 'the development of unmanned aerial conflict', copyright 2014 by David Sloggett.
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