ROCKFORD -- The 787 Dreamliner is Boeing's newest baby, so its presence at Chicago Rockford International Airport this week is like a visit to the doctors who helped deliver it.
And 1,100 of the Hamilton Sundstrand employees who helped build and test nine systems for the Dreamliner will get a chance to see one of the finished products today.
Buses will run continually from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. between the airport and the company's Harrison Avenue headquarters so employees can walk through the new plane that some have worked on for seven years.
"We put an invitation out to all employees in Rockford facilities, and they were filled in two hours," said Geoff Hunt, vice president of Hamilton Sundstrand's 787 programs. "It's so exciting for all of these folks."
Other local Dreamliner suppliers have also been invited to meet The Boeing Co.'s newest baby.
Because it's more than just a product. For Sundstrand, the $200 million airliner represents $15 billion in revenue over the life of the program. Boeing expects to sell 3,300 Dreamliners between now and 2030.
There are two versions of the ultralightweight, midsize plane -- the 787-8, which can be configured for 210 to 250 passengers, and the 787-9, which can be configured for 250 to 290 passengers. In test flights, the plane was able to fly more than 20 hours -- 10,300 nautical miles -- without refueling.
The plane's selling points include 10 percent lower operating costs, 20 percent less fuel consumption, 30 percent lower maintenance costs and a 40 percent increase in flight range, said Mike Sinnett, Boeing's vice president of 787 engineering.
The Dreamliner's two-day visit to Rockford started at 10:08 a.m. Monday, landing on a raw, blustery morning and taxied to the airport's international terminal south of the main terminal.
The plane is on the second segment of a six-month world tour, flying here from Wichita, Kan. The tour will continue to Dublin, Ireland, and Huntsville, Ala., for Boeing's vendors and potential customers to see.
"Boeing's partnership with Hamilton Sundstrand resulted in innovative technologies that make the 787 Dreamliner a game changer in the industry," Sinnett said. "We're proud to recognize their dedicated employees with the Dream Tour's visit to Rockford."
Sundstrand is the Dreamliner's largest systems supplier (nine), including electrical power generating and distribution systems, environmental controls, electric motor pumps, and fire protection systems.
Reach staff writer Brian Leaf at [email protected] or 815-987-1343.
On the Web
See video of the Dreamliner with this story at rrstar.com.
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