THE ONLY PLACE THAT INNOVATES (via Kevin Whited):

787 Dreamliner to debut 7-8-07: Three men with a suitcase and an idea may revive Boeing (JAMES WALLACE, 6/30/07, Seattle Post-intelligencer)

On the afternoon of July 8, a date chosen for its special sequence of numbers, the Boeing Co. will show the world for the first time a commercial passenger plane three years in development and much longer in the planning — a superefficient jet for the 21st century that some have described as a game changer.

The 787 Dreamliner will be the world's first large commercial jetliner with an airframe made of carbon fiber composite rather than aluminum. It will give passengers a much-improved flying experience while saving airlines money on fuel and maintenance.

Houston-based Continental Airlines has a firm order for 25 of them.

And for Boeing, the 787 represents a return to the heady days when it was known for blazing aviation trails through the sky, starting with the 707 at the dawn of the Jet Age.

This story of the Dreamliner's birth begins with three men and a large silver suitcase. [...]

"This is the first new airplane for the second century of flight," said Walt Gillette, one of Boeing's legendary engineers and aerodynamicists who was vice president of 787 development and production until he retired last year. "The Airbus A380 is the last embodiment of the first century of flight."