EVERETT, Wash., Dec. 15 -- The Boeing (NYSE: BA) 787 Dreamliner took to the sky for the first time today, ushering a new era in air travel as it departed before an estimated crowd of more than 12,000 employees and guests from Paine Field in Everett.
The newest member of the Boeing family of commercial jetliners, shown here at Paine Field before takeoff, flew for approximately three hours, landing at 1:33 p.m. local time. A crowd of Boeing employees is shown in the foreground and another 787 Dreamliner, sporting the livery of launch customer ANA, is in the background.
The flight marks the beginning of a flight-test program that will see six 787s flying nearly around the clock and around the globe, with the airplane's first delivery scheduled for fourth-quarter 2010.