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On Friday, February 17th, our new president visited Boeing’s 787 Dreamliner final assembly facility in North Charleston, South Carolina. While doing so, he proudly proclaimed that this aircraft is built in America, which is what some might call an alternative fact.
I visited the same facility only three days later and found out the full truth, along with many reasons the 787 is a great plane.
It's Not Really "Built in America"
Not to get political here, but I’m a guy who presents facts. So, when I know something about planes is presented without factual structure, I’m going to go ahead and correct it.
The Dreamliner is, in fact, the world’s most technologically advanced commercial aircraft. It was designed here in America, but it’s actually a conglomeration of parts built in several countries throughout the globe. Boeing has over 20,000 suppliers around the world, and parts from the 787 come in from places such as Australia, Canada, China, France, Italy, Japan, Sweden, and South Korea.
So while Boeing does final assembly of all their planes here in the United States, I wouldn't say it’s built in America.
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What’s so great about this plane? From an airline’s standpoint, it’s much cheaper to operate.
The 787’s lower operating cost is accomplished through efficiency gains in the form of its structure, aerodynamics, and engines. More than half of the plane is made from composite materials, including carbon fiber.
The carbon fiber laminate composes the entire fuselage of the plane and most of the wings. It’s lighter and much stronger than the aluminum used on older model planes. Being lighter, it saves fuel, which saves money for airlines. It’s also non-corrosive, so airlines don’t have to worry about the material breaking down due to exposure from the elements, which reduces maintenance costs.