Boeing 787 Dreamliner - Mark Wagner [16]
CHANGING WORLDS
On September 12, Walt Gillette addressed a rapt audience at a conference in Seattle about the Sonic Cruiser. But even as he discussed the “time machine” and the virtues of speed and point-to-point travel, the real-world market for the Sonic Cruiser was imploding. The truth, as ugly as it seemed, was that the airlines were already on the verge of a deep crisis, which in most cases the dreadful events of September 11 merely hastened.
Although the crisis was all-consuming in North America and to a great extent in Europe, some airlines—particularly in Asia and the Middle East—were still eager for Boeing to explore Sonic Cruisers with supersonic dash capability. Boeing moved quickly to suppress these desires, although Gillette told the Seattle crowd that the model had been tested at speeds up to Mach 1.08 in the Boeing transonic eight-by-twelve-foot wind tunnel.
However, even though Boeing was avoiding the cost and risk of developing exotic technologies required for supersonic travel, the targets set for the Sonic Cruiser were no walk in the park. Pressure to meet the long-range goals, yet still carry sufficient fuel for the higher cruise speed, began to drive Boeing with a new urgency toward a series of advances that would all benefit the 787. These included the use of advanced computational fluid dynamic design tools for high- and low-speed aero design, advanced materials for lower manufacturing cost but better properties, improved systems for greater efficiency, and next-generation engines.
Although Boeing had already outlined ambitions for a much greater use of composites in primary structures, Gillette said other materials were being considered, particularly for the fuselage. He reported that “we’ve started building several sample technology fuselage barrels because there are several ways we can go at it. We’re looking for the lightest, most cost-effective ways of building it.”
To better understand the true manufacturing potential, and challenges, of large-scale composite assemblies, Boeing’s Sonic Cruiser team meanwhile made a secret visit to Kansas—the center of the world’s composite aerospace structures industry. The experience was an epiphany to Gillette. “In mid-2001, when we hadn’t even made the decision to use carbon composites, we went to Wichita and visited Raytheon. When we entered the assembly building, instead of the usual noise of a production line, it was quiet, and these big machines were silently rotating. It was almost primordial—they were like ‘beings’ being created, and once you’ve seen it you’re never the same again. It was an unforgettable image in my mind, like butterflies coming out of a chrysalis, and most importantly it gave us confidence knowing someone knew how to do it.”
Boeing’s structural inspiration included the pioneering work of Raytheon for its business aircraft. Beginning in the 1980s with the Beech Starship, a largely composite pusher design intended to replace the King Air 200, Raytheon used its hard-won experience to develop the all-composite fuselage of the Premier 1. Although retaining conventional metallic wings, the fuselage was made of graphite and epoxy laminate and honeycomb composite construction, which eliminated the need for internal frames. This increased cabin volume by nearly 15 percent and, in comparison with a conventional aluminum-made airframe, reduced weight by about 20 percent. Mark Wagner
The proposed development timescale was also coming together, and not surprisingly would end up a virtual mirror image of the schedule later adopted for the 787. Reflecting experience gained on the 777, Boeing sketched out a roughly 5 1/2-year plan for the Sonic Cruiser. Assuming