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A TEAM of Australian specialists will review the safety of Boeing's 787 Dreamliner after claims the plane could smash apart and emit toxic chemicals if it crashed.

A former Boeing engineer has warned the plane, which is made largely from brittle materials rather than flexible aluminium, was more likely to shatter on impact.

The carbon-composite material used in the plane's fuselage could also emit dangerous chemicals when burning, the engineer and other experts said.

The Civil Aviation Safety Authority today said the plane would not make it to Australia if it failed strict US safety reviews, and a team of safety specialists were standing by.

“The aircraft will be certified with the Federal Aviation Administration in the US, and of course, can’t enter commercial operations until that certification process is complete,” said CASA spokesman Peter Gibson.

“Once it has been certified it will then need to go through another review with each country’s airline that wishes to operate it," he said.

"We have assembled a team and been working precisely for this since early this year."

Qantas is set to become the world's biggest airline operator of the 787 Dreamliner, having ordered 65 planes with options to buy 20 more and rights on another 30.

But the aircraft will have to undergo severe scrutiny from both the CASA and Qantas engineers long before the first commercial passenger steps aboard.

“When the time comes for Qantas to introduce the new 787 Dreamliner to Australia, we the CASA have to access the certification of the aircraft and Qantas’ ability to operate the aircraft safely,” Mr Gibson said.

CASA's team of inspectors had spent time observing the construction of the plane and talking to Boeing's engineers in the US, he said.

David Cox of EGM Qantas Engineering said the airline's experts would also be testing the Dreamliner.

“All new aircraft go through a vast amount of testing and certification over many months, which is preceded by a testing program over many years,” he said.

“The issues raised have been part of the risk discussion we undertook with Boeing during the evaluation process for the aircraft.

“We are entirely comfortable with the 787's design and certification approval process.”

Concerns over the Dreamliner's safety were aired by former Boeing engineer Vince Weldon in an interview with journalist Dan Rather to be broadcast in the US tonight.

A spokesman for Boeing said Mr Weldon's claims were not valid and the materials used were safe.

"We've looked at Mr Weldon's claims. We've had technical committees review them. We do an exceptional amount of testing," a spokeswoman said.

"Absolutely, these materials are safe. They are tested (and) they will be certified."

News Limited

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Boeing 787 Dreamliner most successful in history

MORE than 50 of the world's airlines can't be wrong in their choice of Boeing's hi-tech Dreamliner ahead of the A380 "big bird" from Airbus.

The moulded carbon-fibre "plastic fantastic" has yet to fly but is already the most successful new airliner in aviation history.

Boeing's new-generation 787, otherwise known as the Dreamliner, is the biggest-selling new plane ever.

It has outsold its twin-deck European rival almost four to one; chalking up 750 orders worth $US114 billion ($125 billion) to Boeing.

While Qantas will use the 20 A380s it is buying to land growing passenger numbers through congested hubs such as Heathrow and Los Angeles, the Dreamliner will be the kangaroo carrier's workhorse.

The 65 it has ordered from Boeing will give it the flexibility it needs to grow its passenger loads by seeking less crowded destinations.

Instead of flying Melbourne-Los Angeles, Dreamliner passengers are likely to land at Dallas or Chicago.

The long-haul plane will fly up to 16,000km without refuelling, creating an opportunity for direct flights from Australia to Paris, Amsterdam and southern Europe in a plane that will be 20 per cent more fuel-efficient.

With the carbon composite much stronger than traditional aluminium, cabin pressure will be boosted to new and more comfortable levels.

Cabin noise has been reduced, and windows and lighting also have undergone radical changes.

The windows are 60 per cent bigger and passengers in aisle seats will get clear views outside.

Window shutters have been replaced with an electrochromic film that darkens electronically.

Outside light can be cut so you can sleep or watch a movie.

Other improvements include bigger toilets, increased head room, wider aisles and larger overhead bins.

I just visited the Boeing facility at Everett today.

Here are a couple of photos:

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This is the whole facility from construction

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to painting

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Here is a close-up of the dreamlifters:

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They are used only for transportation of fully-assembled aircraft parts (fuselage, wing, etc) from Europe. (Very coveted by UPS, etc, but only built for Beoing's own use)

And here is a comparison of the 747-400 and the 787-8. You can see that it is smaller than the 747, only one engine on each side. (with a whole lot more torque!) Notice, also, the curved wings.

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For more info, you can go to http://www.newairplane.com and click on the link "787 Dreamliner Site" or check out the Wikipedia article: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boeing_787-8

And here is one photo I forgot: they built this building ONLY for wining and dining new purchasers of their new planes.

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Thanks for sharing the photos Spunner. I would love to go on a tour of the Boeing factory, how long did the tour take?

I wasn't able to take the tour (I arrived too late) but I am staying with an Boeing employee who took me to the site, and I was able to take photos from just offsite. (His camera had a nice optical zoom!)

Hacking fears aboard Dreamliner

BOEING'S new 787 Dreamliner is at the centre of a security storm after the US Federal Aviation Administration revealed the jet's onboard computer network could be hacked by passengers.

The hacking scare was highlighted in a report conducted by the FAA, who said the plane's computer system, designed to give passengers in-flight internet access, is also connected to the plane's control, navigation and communication systems.

According to wired.com, the FAA said "the proposed data-network design and integration may result in security vulnerabilities from intentional or unintentional corruption of data and systems critical to the safety and maintenance of the airplane."

The FAA is now demanding Boeing address the computer-network issue before the planes begin service in November.

Boeing spokeswoman Lori Gunter said the wording of the FAA document is misleading, and the plane's networks "don't completely connect".

"There are places where the networks are not touching, and there are places where they are," Boeing spokeswoman Lori Gunter told wired.com.

Gunter also told the website that protections are in place to ensure that the passenger internet service "doesn't access the maintenance data or the navigation system under any circumstance."

Boeing are said to have received more than 800 advance orders of the 787 Dreamliner, which is currently in the final stages of production.

Speaking of the security concern, Gunter told the website that Boeing has been working on the issue with the FAA and "the problems will all be done before the first airplane is delivered."

News Limited

Eeek!!

Yeah its disturbing news that Boeing would develop the onboard computer system that links into the passenger computer system. The Dremliner Project is already 6 months behind schedule and this will certainly delay it even more. I doubt that we will see any Dreamliners flying in 2008

Boeing delays Dreamliner's maiden flight

BOEING will delay the first flight of its 787 Dreamliner because some sections of the plane have not been fastened together properly.

The Dreamliner's "first flight is not going to be accomplished'' in the fourth quarter as planned, said Yvonne Leach, a Boeing spokeswoman for the Dreamliner program.

The company would announce a new launch timetable later, she said.

Ms Leach said company inspectors found that about 3 per cent of the fasteners used to hold together sections of the four 787 test jets in final assembly at the Boeing plant in Everett, Washington, were incorrectly installed.

Some of them were spaced too far apart and some were too close on the sections forming the fuselage, the wings, the nose and the tail, she said.

The faulty installations occurred in Boeing's structure suppliers for the program, both in the US and overseas, she said.

News.com.au