As anyone with a passing interest in aviation or the stock market must know, the Boeing 787 is late. The product was announced with much hype about many new features, rolled out prematurely to reveal bugs large and small, and remains unflyable until a series of patches are implemented.Sound familiar?Behind this are expected issues involving stake-in-the-project multinational outsourcing and making an airplane half out of plastic. Tighter integration might have prevented recent problems in the Japanese wings and the Italian fuselage. I recently read where half of Boeing engineers are now spending their time fixing the other half's problems. Still, Boeing is doing something if not new, at least on a scale bigger than before, and doing it with new materials. Delays should be expected. Right now, Boeing is literally patching the wings and fuselage of the 787 and first flight is expected in -- or at least announced for (whether anyone still expects Boeing to meet its schedule is another matter) -- November or December.The real problem is one flight simulation has long been familiar with: expectations and instant communication. If Boeing had paid closer attention to aviation's computer doppleganger, it could have avoided a lot of problems.

• keep development in-house, or work with proven entities and then keep a tight leash on development
• never announce a release date
• if you do announce a release date, be prepared for everyone to go nuts when you fail to meet it
• understand that every single perceived problem is going to be flashed around the world instantly, propelled by electronic urgency that may be all out of proportion to the actual issue
• it takes a long time to build credibililty, and it can be squandered in a moment (e.g. Paris Air Show "We fly in July!")
• fans of other companies can't wait to jump in and bash your product
• for every official spokesman there are a thousand bloggers
• once you reach critical negative mass, the "pile-on effect" takes over and "everybody knows" your product is trash

Personally, my plan is to wait for the next "sky is falling" news story when December rolls toward an end and the 787 still has not flown, and buy up as much Boeing stock as I can afford when it hits bottom. Boeing has not handled the 787 expectations game well at all. But anyone who thinks the sky will not be full of 787s ten years from now can watch me laugh all the way to the bank.

Very smart post there. And I totally agree with you. Yes the 787 project has had many set backs and delays, but when you try to build something so new and so different and advanced, that is going to happen.And I totally agree with you on the future, the 787 is going to dramatically change the aviation landscape. I think Boeing has more to worry about its failing 747-8 project, as I see far less customers wanting that bird than the 787.

Tim, What is going on with Boeing and the 787 is not that dissimilar to Airbus and the A380. I really thought that Airbus' inability to deliver the A380 on time might be their downfall, but they got their act together and they're doing OK now. My guess is the same will happen at Boeing.

Great post!Maybe Boeing could borrow a page from a recent Airbus A320 release disaster and simply sell a B-787 "Basic" version... :( ...the :( made me type that! :(

Hello,

Maybe Boeing could borrow a page from a recent Airbus A320 release disaster and simply sell a B-787 "Basic" version

I really hope not ...A CTD in middle of a RL flight is not funny Regards.Gus.