Its many years behind schedule and Millions of Dollars over budget but it looks like the Boeing 787 Dreamliner is finally about to take off.  The Dreamliner is approximately 50% composite which is relatively new technology when applied to the aerospace industry and probably a large factor in the delays to the aircraft.

I wonder if Boeing get in trouble for late deliveries as I know their suppliers get in trouble?

At an event at Boeing’s facility in Everett, Washington, Administrator Babbitt presented Boeing executives with two certificates for the design and production of the Boeing 787 Dreamliner with Rolls-Royce engines.

“Today’s achievement could not have been possible without the professionalism and dedication of the FAA team involved in the certification,” said Administrator Babbitt. “The engineers, inspectors and flight test pilots all worked diligently to ensure our high safety standards were met.”

Boeing made its initial application to the FAA on March 28, 2003 and the program was launched in April 2004. The first 787 rollout ceremony was on July 8, 2007 at Boeing’s Everett assembly factory. The airplane first flew on Dec. 15, 2009, and the six flight test airplanes have since accumulated more than 4,645 flight hours, with approximately 25 percent of those hours flown by FAA flight test crews. More than 200,000 hours were logged by FAA technical experts who were involved in the type certification of the 787.

The airplane will use 20 percent less fuel and produce less noise compared to similarly sized airplanes. It was designed and manufactured by suppliers and partners around the world and integrated at final assembly. The 787 incorporates many capabilities of the nation’s Next Generation Air Transportation System, or NextGen.

The European Safety Agency (EASA) also issued a same day validation of the FAA Type Certificate of the 787.

The European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) issued on Friday 26 August 2011 to Boeing a Type Certificate for the Boeing 787-8 aircraft. This EASA certificate recognises that Boeing has demonstrated compliance to the EASA Type Certification Basis with applicable airworthiness and environmental requirements.

When handing over EASA type-certificate to Boeing, Patrick Goudou, EASA Executive Director said: “This is a great achievement. I am particularly proud of the dedication and efficiency demonstrated by EASA certification teams in dealing with new certification challenges such as the use of composite material which account for more than 50% of the aircraft’s primary structure”.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and EASA worked closely together during the certification of the aircraft, the FAA being the primary authority for all American designs, and EASA the validating authority. Boeing received the FAA Type Certificate simultaneously at a joint ceremony organised Friday in Seattle.

Type certification is a prerequisite to the first delivery to airline customers. The Boeing 787-8 has now completed all certification requirements prior to its entry into service later this year with the Japanese Airline All Nippon Airways (ANA). The first European airline to operate the Boeing 787-8 will be Poland’s national carrier LOT with the first delivery expected in March 2012.

The Boeing 787-8 can carry between 210 and 250 passengers over a distance of 7,650-8,200 nautical miles (14,200-15,200 km). Its in-service record will now be monitored through continuing airworthiness activities.

Above information is courtesy of EASA.