Nine years ago, Boeing Co. executives
decided to take the biggest leap in
airliner technology in a
generation and develop the 787 Dreamliner. They promised it would burn less fuel while flying farther and
offering more passenger comfort than existing models.
年前,波音公司(Boeing Co. BA)的高管们决定完成飞机技术上的一次重大跨越,开发了787梦想飞机。他们承诺,与当时的其他机型相比,这款飞机将会更加节约燃料、航程更远,也更加舒适。
The plane would be 'a true game-changer for the industry and traveling public,' said Boeing's then-chief executive, Harry Stonecipher. The 787 also showed Boeing's 'commitment to innovation.'
时任波音首席执行长斯特恩斯佛(Harry Stonecipher)说,这款飞机将改变行业格局和大众的飞行体验。他说,787还显示了波音公司对创新的重视。
Airlines, eager to save money and woo fliers, ordered a record numbers of Dreamliners, now totaling 848 planes. Rival Airbus remade its product line in response.
急于节省资金和吸引飞行员的航空公司订购了大量梦想飞机,到目前共订购了848架。作为回应,波音的竞争对手空中客车(Airbus)重新设计了产品线。
Today, Boeing is struggling to master its innovations. The Dreamliner's body and wings, made of plastic reinforced with
carbon fiber, have proven
unexpectedly hard to produce and attach. Power-distribution panels
running the plane's
advancedelectrical systems have overheated and ignited in flight. Most recently, lithium-ion batteries that provide auxiliary power