Last week saw the fanfare that was the unveiling of the Boeing 787 Dreamliner to crowds of former and current Boeing employees, VIPs and customers, but as yet, without the technology to fly installed.
Had it not been for the terrorist attacks of 9/11, the world would be a very different place. The repercussions dramatically affected the airline market, with America's airlines being the worst affected.
As a result of the attacks, airlines around the world, that were considering updating fleets, began to focus on costs rather than speed, which was the Sonic Cruiser's unique selling point.
Flight International's Graham Warwick (of Flightglobal's Woracle blog fame), reported in the magazine's 10-16 July issue that Boeing would be a different company today if it launched any of the aircraft that were proposed before the 787.
Warwick believes that if Boeing had gone ahead with the Sonic Cruiser it is clear the firm would have taken a different direction.
Boeing had to abandon the Sonic Cruiser project and came up with an alternative project, the 7E7 which was to became the 787.
Here are some pictures of Boeing's Sonic Cruiser
Here is a video of the Sonic Cruiser being unveiled.
PART TWO next week
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For more Boeing 787 videos please visit our Boeing 787 Dreamliner profile
Source: FlightGlobal.com
