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Workers celebrate in North Charleston as Boeing unveils first 787
By Dan McCue
Staff Writer
It was a rare Sunday evening at the office for hundreds of workers at the Vought Aircraft Industries and Global Aeronautica plants in North Charleston, but then this was no ordinary shift.
After five years of development, the Boeing Co. unveiled the first 787 Dreamliner to roll out of its Everett, Wash., facility and invited its contractors to celebrate via a globe-encompassing satellite link.
While more than 15,000 gathered at mid-afternoon in Seattle, it was dinnertime here in Charleston, Monday morning in Japan and late night in Italy.
Workers at each of the facilities got about a minute of satellite time to join in the festivities, but the star of the show was the 787 Dreamliner itself.
Workers here broke into applause as they watched on a large video screen as the new jet emerged from the paint shop at the Everett facility. It was the first rollout of a brand-new Boeing airplane since the 777 in 1994.
In his speech commemorating the event, Boeing Chief Executive Jim McNerney said such an opportunity comes along only “about once in a generation.”
“Boeing has gathered the best ideas and brightest minds from throughout the world, separated to be sure by continents and culture, but unified by a common vision,” he said in a nod to those who are contributing to the aircraft’s creation.
The 787 is the world’s first large commercial airplane made mostly of carbon-fiber composites. This is also the first project on which Boeing has relied on suppliers around the world to manufacture major pieces of the jet before shipping them to Everett for final assembly.
To date the company has secured firm orders for 677 of the aircraft, making it the most successful commercial aircraft launch in history.
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