There is a new plane on the block, and though the name remains the same, the numbers have changed. I’m talking about Boeing‘s new 787 (Ironically released on 7.8.2007). It has been about twelve years since the companies last jet unveiling and I don’t know about you, but a billion dollars sounds like a success to me! That is how much money Boeing is to be paid already for the more than 600 orders they have received. 

Whenever new planes are announced, the finer points are always put out to the public view and the ooh and aahs can begin. Though, with most planes revealing, you don’t usually hear companies stating how loud or polluting they are. This is because they are usually very loud and polluting! However with the 787, these points are some which should most definitely be touched upon. 

Noise pollution is nothing to be laughed at… Ha ha ha, …Sorry, someone broke windbefore me. I guess I will try to beat them to it next time. But honestly, noise pollution can be very harmful to human health. It can affect things such as hearing and cardiovascular health. Noise pollution may even interfere with the natural cycles ofanimals. To help put things in perspective, this chart shows a list of things (including some prior Boeing planes) and how they rank on the noise scale. Many laws have been in place for quite some time now to make sure that planes fly high enough over residential areas so that they do not bother people. Such laws may not apply to the 787 though, …this is mostly due to its specially designed engine which helps to make the 787 approximately 60% quieter than its predecessor. Not only is this great news for people on the ground, but also for the passengers! 

When a jet makes that massive sound that you have forever ingrained in your memoryif you have ever been close to one taking off, it is actually coming from the front of the engines. It is produced by the fan and the low-pressure booster that sends air “jetting” through. The new engines don’t have this effect as much due to a new type of nacelle, or casing. The 787′s engines are modified to include special acoustics which make almost all of the nacelle’s inner surface completely sound-absorbent. 

The other great environmental factor about the 787 is its emissions. Boeing says that the new plane will produce up to 20 percent fewer emissions than previous planes of a similar size. Most of this is due to the dramatic difference in weight comparably. The materials used in the construction of the 787 is a new type of carbon composite material as opposed to previous versions using heavier aluminums. Don’t be fooled though, the carbon composite is by no means weak… the new material can take a previous service expectancy of 30 – 40 years and make it a 70 – 80 year plan. 

Perhaps if the X-Men knew of this composite material, Magneto would have never escaped, and the world would be a much safer place? 

-LINKS-

Boeing
787
very loud
http://www.ehponline.org/qa/105-12focus/focus.html
broke wind
Noise pollution
animal
this chart
engine
passenger
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/business/236095_quietjet11.html
nacelle
carbon composite
memory
Magneto

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This entry was posted on Monday, July 16th, 2007 at 9:47 pm and is filed under Conservation, Transportation. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.