 |
| Above, a United Boeing 787. Photo by Armand Vaquer. |
In 2014, I flew to Japan aboard a United Airlines Boeing 787 Dreamliner.
I didn't notice anything really different with the Boeing 787 compared to other jets (except the lack of legroom on the Singapore Airlines Airbus A380 in Economy when I flew to Japan last year). But there are some unique features of a 787 that also include a drawback.
According to Condé Nast Traveler:
Flying on a Boeing 787 Dreamliner is a different sort of experience: Not only is the aircraft more fuel-efficient than most on the market, it also has a bulb-less cabin, swaps out window shades for "smart glass" that passengers can adjust to five levels of sunlight and visibility, and has cabin pressure at an equivalent of 6,000 feet instead of the 8,000 feet. (All of this, suffice to say, helps fend off that pesky jet lag.) The relatively new Boeing aircraft also has five times the electrical power of conventional airlines, and unsurprisingly, has a leg up on typical flight systems—but it also has a major drawback.
In a document published last Friday, the Federal Aviation Administration noted an "unsafe condition" that required immediate attention. It now requires airline operators to shut off and then restart the electrical power on their 787 Dreamliners within seven days of the announcement, and then in "intervals not to exceed 21 days."To find out why, go here.
No comments:
Post a Comment