Original subtitles

- The 787 is the new generation

aircraft from Boeing.

It is lighter, faster, and more maneuverable

than all its predecessors.

The engines are revolutionary, powerful, quiet

and with very low fuel consumption.

The cockpit has been entirely rethought.

It draws upon the best military technology.

The wing design is unique.

Onboard, WiFi works as it does at home,

technical progress based on satellite relay.

Another innovation, extra-large windows.

An astonishing invention allows the amount of light

entering to be controlled.

The majority of the aircraft is made of carbon,

which is a first.

Boeing called in the world's best suppliers.

In France in particular, thousands of parts assembled,

wait for it, in three weeks.

And it's at a unique moment, the arrival of the first 787

in an airline company that we are going to explore

this exceptional aircraft.

Mechanics will explain what happens

during maintenance operations.

We will learn from pilots what makes the 787 stand out.

The cabin crew will unveil the security systems

of this new aircraft.

You're going to discover this new Boeing

as never seen before.

Our adventure begins in Seattle, Boeing's number one city.

Here they think Boeing, they breathe Boeing,

they dream Boeing.

The yearly turnover of this aeronautic giant

is 100 billion dollars.

The Air France team has a meeting here

at the private Everett Airport.

On the tarmac, they discover the Boeing 787,

also known as the Dreamliner.

This is Boeing's 500th 787,

but the first to enter the French fleet.

- It's a revolution.

It is a step change in the industry

like we've never seen before.

Many, many innovations, many, many novel things

that we have done with this airplane

for the passenger, for the airline, for the environment.

- This aircraft is smaller than the Airbus 380

or the Boeing 777.

But like them, it is capable of reaching

extremely far-off destinations.

Consequently, the 787 allows airline companies

to open up routes which were not previously financially

viable for long-haul.

For example, Singapore

or .

Thanks to this aircraft, 130 new routes like these

have been opened up.

It's aerodynamics and lightness

provide astonishing maneuverability.

The 787 is the fruit of more than five year's research

and development in conjunction with leading industries.

From the base model, Boeing has produced

several versions of the 787.

- Boeing is marketing three versions,

the 787-8 -9 and -10.

The differentiating feature between them

is simply the length of the fuselage.

There is approximately a six meter section added by model,

so the -9 is six meters longer than the -8

and the -10 is six meters longer than the -9.

- The largest one can accommodate

up to 330 passengers.

The six meter shorter one can carry 290 passengers.

Finally, the smallest 787-8 can take 242 passengers.

Air France has chosen the -9 for its first model.

This Dreamliner is just 63 meters long

with a wingspan of 60 meters,

but it can fly up to 15,750 kilometers nonstop,

more or less the equivalent

of three Paris to New York flights.

But before the Air France team can take flight

with this 787, a little formality needs to be sorted out.

Payment in cash, a transaction which we've exceptionally

been allowed to film.

The base price for each aircraft is 230 million dollars.

Here in this room, Air France authorizes the transfer.

The Boeing representative is waiting for the moment

when the sum appears on their account, live.

- Now we're waiting for Boeing

to come back into the room and confirm reception

of the payment on their account.

So Suzanne should be back in five to ten minutes.

- It's always a slightly

stressful moment.

- It looks as though things are moving.

- That's it.

The money has arrived on Boeing's account

and like at a solicitors, the buyer and the seller

finalize the sale.

Just for the record, this contract is for the equivalent

of 1,500 Porsche Luxury Models.

As of this moment, the aircraft is legally

the responsibility of the French company.

Now the Boeing representative can symbolically

hand over the keys to the Boeing 787.

- Well done.

The first aircraft delivered.

We can tell the on-board teams to start preparations

for the flight.

Then we just have to take her back to Paris.

- On the tarmac, the inauguration

can take place.

The highest representatives of the two companies

are side by side.

The sense of pride is palpable.

Two hours later, the French crew is onboard the 787,

ready for takeoff.

- Okay, captain, are we clear

to disconnect external power?

- Bye, thanks a lot.

- We can go.

- The flight to Paris will take nine hours.

This is known as a ferry flight.

It is strictly reserved for Air France team members,

specially trained pilots, directors, project leaders.

This is the first time that the company

accepts being filmed.

- Is everything going well?

I see you're having fun.

- It's our first flight

on a new airplane.

- It's beautiful.

It's expensive, but it's beautiful.

- Thanks for writing the check.

- The aircraft's engines

are astonishingly powerful.

If one of the two engines were to break down in flight,

the other one would be able to power the aircraft

all alone for more than five hours.

Even though Boeing is the constructor,

the French company plays a determining role

in the choice of engines.

- Add-on companies have a choice

between two types of engine, either the General Electric

or Rolls-Royce.

Air France and KLM have chosen General Electric

for their aircraft purchases.

- The two engines are the GEnx models

built by General Electric.

These engines are equipped with 18 carbon-fiber blades.

Over a period of 20 years, these GEnx should be able

to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 77 million tons.

These engines are more powerful and yet lighter

than the old generation.

Aluminum has been replaced

by more resistant composite materials.

- These engines consume much less fuel,

thanks to new technology, and particularity by the use

of new composite materials.

- The work carried out in the General Electric

factories is gigantic.

Each engine requires thousands of parts to be assembled.

One of the characteristics of this engine,

far fewer hydraulic and pneumatic systems,

and far more electrical systems.

Composite materials make it lighter,

100 kilograms less per engine.

And each kilo less represents a saving

of hundreds of liters of fuel.

These engines undergo a vast range of tests.

One very impressive example, thousands of liters of water

injected to simulate a storm or a saturated runway.

These GEnx engines are more robust and easier to maintain.

In contrast to aluminum, these composite materials

do not corrode.

Another advantage, this engine gives off 15% less CO2

than it's predecessor.

- Added to this, of course,

is the environmental aspect which is considerable

because this engine makes much less noise.

You can see at the back of the engine these tooth-shaped

chevrons which reduce noise emission,

which is very important for people living near airports.

- Another strong point of the Dreamliner

is it's aerodynamics.

One of the striking things when you see this aircraft

for the first time is its extremely elegant design,

particularly regarding the wings.

- Obviously this particularly fluid

wing shape, combined with curves which we're not used to

seeing in an aircraft wing, is not purely decorative.

It also represents a marked improvement

in aerodynamic performance.

- At Air France, they use the word

to designate everything

pertaining to the wings of an aircraft, wings which improve

the way of sliding through the atmosphere and pilots

are first in line to recognize this progress.

- One particularity is the wing design

of this 787, which looks a bit like a feather.

The wing tips make you think of an eagle.

This element represents a great improvement

in terms of lift.

I'm tempted to say it's like a glider.

- One revolutionary element of these wings

is the tips,

this upward curve at the extremity.

- What you'll see is the wing tips,

they start to bend right at takeoff.

And then you will see the tip of the wing that bends

almost 10 feet above the horizontal line of the wing.

And that is by design.

- These new materials make the wings

amazingly supple.

The design engineers took inspiration

from the morphology of the eagle.

During the Seattle to Paris flight,

we meet up with one of the new aircraft's key engineers.

For three years, she has concentrated on every detail

of the cabin.

- I've worked with maintenance,

the supplier, with an agronomist, to achieve result

where we offer one of the best seats on the market

in terms of comfort.

The shell is fixed, as you can see.

When I recline, I don't encroach on the space

of the person seated behind me.

- This is primarily for premium economy class,

an intermediary class between economy and business,

which has been rethought.

The seats can be reclined further

and are wider, 51 centimeters.

The space between the rows has been increased.

- We've added seven degrees of rake.

It's also much wider by two and a half centimeters.

There's about five centimeters more leg room

to allow you to stretch your legs out.

- Thousands of man hours

went into developing this cabin.

While the company personnel relaxed for a while,

the pilot in command offers to take us

through the cockpit innovations.

In the cockpit, the major newcomer is the HUD,

which is short for head-up display,

technology straight out of fighter aircraft,

an interactive transparent screen.

- The HUD has been around for a few years now.

It allows you without lowering your head

to have within your field of vision a vast majority

of information necessary for flying.

In particular, your current latitude, your trajectory,

your altitude, speed and direction.

It's something really agreeable because it allows you

to be visually on the exterior,

but still with your flight details.

- The HUD isn't the only innovation

in the cockpit.

All the screens and communication and surveillance systems

have been rethought.

Electronics allow the position of the aircraft

to be pinpointed in real time.

- In the past you had huge paper maps.

The world was divided into a certain number of sectors

and you cut all your map and drew out the route

so you could follow it.

With electronics, it's much simpler.

So here, for example, you have a cardiographic

representation of the route being followed.

You can see that we're over Greenland.

You can swipe through.

All this is the route that we'll be following

up to our arrival in Paris.

- The days of mechanical on-board instruments,

altimeters, compasses, are now behind us.

Finance and ecology are other major considerations.

Fuel economy.

Never has a long-haul aircraft had lower fuel consumption.

- Here you can see our average consumption,

the fuel flow.

This is our fuel gage.

You can see we're using 2. tons per engine per hour,

giving us a total of 4.4 tons per hour.

By comparison, a 777 consumes about seven tons per hour.

- This represents a considerable saving in fuel.

The lower consumption is partly explained

by the weight of the aircraft.

The Dreamliner is much lighter than it's predecessors.

This is due to the extensive use of composite materials,

principally carbon, which is notably used

throughout the aircraft's fuselage.

- This is the major innovation

in new generation aircraft, the extensive use of materials

such as carbon.

With this aircraft, you have more than 50% carbon,

20% aluminum and 15% titanium.

This combination has made it possible

to considerably reduce the mass of the aircraft

and thereby reduce fuel consumption.

- For example, the jets engines.

The central cylinder is made of carbon.

This is also the case with the wings and el-rons,

as well as the central structure of the aircraft.

Being much lighter, these materials make it possible

to reduce fuel consumption considerably.

No aircraft has ever been made up

of so much composite material.

- It's really quite something

in terms of economy.

Because of it's weight, with more or less the same

passenger and baggage load, it consumes 20% less

than the Airbus 340 with a similar cabin capacity.

- Another major advantage with carbon

is that wear and tear is much less than with aluminum.

With aircrafts of earlier generations,

amongst the worst enemies are humidity and corrosion.

- Composites also don't corrode, so the fuselage

being the primary structure made out of composites,

does not corrode, which lowers the maintenance cost

of the airplane and extends the life of the airplane.

A metal airplane typically has a lifecycle

of 25 to 30 years.

When you look at the basic structure,

it could easily run 50, 60, 70, 80 years.

- Much cheaper maintenance.

A total overhaul of a 747 requires 40 thousand man hours.

A Dreamliner inspection needs only three thousand.

The Dreamliner is the most electric aircraft ever built.

That's what makes it so light and environment friendly.

Electrical systems are replacing more and more

of the old mechanical and hydraulic systems,

pumps, piping.

- Technologically, the evolution is huge

because the 787 makes great use of electricity

for all its systems.

For example, the starter is electric

and the brakes are electric.

In the past, brakes were hydraulic,

starters were pneumatic.

The extensive use of electricity

means there are a lot of generators.

Why so many on-board generators and electrical systems?

Because it saves on weight.

- Another innovation, each engine

incorporates two generators.

These generators supply electrical distribution units,

shown her in yellow.

Electricity is thereby used for the radars,

deicing the wings, pressurizing the cabin,

and innumerous other functions.

The systems being electric, are making the airplane

again very efficient, and they're making the airplane

very environmentally friendly.

- And for security reasons,

all the Dreamliner's electrical systems have a backup.

Another challenge, passenger experience.

What could be more important for you on-board

than WiFi access, being able to watch films

in the best conditions.

Today the head of these new systems

is carrying out in-flight tests.

- Our Boeing 777's were fitted

with 9" screens.

Here would have an 11" for all economy-class passengers.

Everything is touch screen so passengers can browse,

just as they would with a tablet or telephone.

All sorts of entertainment is available,

including a messaging application for chatting with people

in other parts of the plane.

- But how can you achieve an ultra-fast

Internet connection in mid-flight?

It has taken the latest technology.

The central element of the aircraft's connectivity

is this hump in the shape of a rugby ball.

It takes several mechanics to install it,

engineers who climb on the roof of the plane.

It's this antenna which relays all the passenger

connections, television, email.

During flight, it transmits hundreds of megaoctets,

of all types of data every minute.

- One new thing in our fleet

is the provision of WiFi onboard.

All the -9's will be equipped with WiFi so you

can stay connected during flight, send email.

You can see on top of the plane the antenna

which provides satellite connection.

- Through this antenna situated on top

of the fuselage, the 787 receives satellite signals.

Satellites which relay data,

send from antenna on the ground.

This apparatus provides unbroken connection

for Dreamliner passengers.

- Today we offer the possibility to clients

who say wish to remain connected, the continue to work

onboard the aircraft, to send email,

to converse with friends and family on the ground.

It's been long-awaited and it's just the first step

because by 2020, the entire Air France long-haul fleet

will have on-board WiFi.

- Internet access will cost you

between five and 20 Euros because this technology

requires considerable investment in the space industry,

the equivalent of 500 thousand Euros per aircraft.

- Five, four, three, two, one.

We have main engines--

- Rockets are needed to place satellites

at 36 thousand kilometers from Earth.

It's no coincidence that Boeing

is strongly developing its space sector.

They're investing billions of dollars.

The ferry flight is coming to an end.

At daybreak, the passengers take advantage

of one of the new features which Boeing

is most proud of, the Dreamliner's revolutionary windows.

- It's great.

The windows are very large,

giving you a wide view on the exterior.

- Big windows, bigger like anything you've ever seen.

No other airplane has windows that big that are low

so when you sit in your seat, you can actually view

the horizon and it gives you this sense of openness.

Particular care has been taken

over the size of these windows.

They've been enlarged by 30%.

But these windows are equipped with a technological first.

A so-called electrochromic system makes it possible

to vary the opacity of the plexiglass.

The result is that luminosity of the cabin

can be changed at the push of a button.

- Even the windows include new technology.

On this aircraft, the traditional window blinds

have been removed.

With the help of a small button, an electrical system

varies the color of the crystals and reduces window

transparency to provide a nighttime effect in the cabin.

- How can seemingly ordinary glass

provide variable luminosity?

These windows of the future are manufactured

in this American factory.

First stage, coat the windows with a special gel,

gel which is an electrical conductor.

These windows are then inspected manually to make sure

the conducting gel has been perfectly applied.

They are then cut into an oval shape.

They then pass through lasers to ensure

there are no defects.

Last stage, two panes are put together.

Electrochromic fluid is inserted between them,

a liquid which darkens depending on the electric impulses.

- In the past, to create complete darkness

in the aircraft, the window blinds had to be lowered,

which appears obsolete when you look at the windows

of the 787, which have chromatic variation.

The passengers have five chromatic variations.

You can pass from day to night.

- It's a revolution.

The customer is finally master of the light intensity

he wishes to have in the cabin, which is a technological

revolution and also in customer experience.

- Another advantage of this new system,

cabin staff will no longer need to bother you

to open the blinds during flight.

The crew can decide upon the amount of light

entering the cabin.

- The flight attendants can also control

all the cabin windows from their command post.

The aircraft is divided into three left and right zones,

making six independent zones.

They can choose these zones or the whole cabin

and on this side choose the level of window luminosity.

Five for totally opaque and one for totally clear.

- After nine hours of flight,

the first 787 bought by the French company

will land at .

- Hello, everyone.

I hope you've all managed to get some rest.

We are about to begin our descent.

I would just like to say what a pleasure it's been for us

to share this homeward flight with all of you.

Please fly with us again.

- On the ground, on the concourses

facing the runway, dozens of airport employees, journalists,

and aeronautic fans discover the Dreamliner.

- This is the first time

that an Air France 787 has landed in Paris.

Yes, it's a very emotional first for everyone,

for all the employees.

It's quite a rare event.

It's going to come in from this direction.

Touchdown will be on this runway.

This must be it.

That's it.

- It is 9:10 local time.

The temperature is four degrees.

Thank you for this beautiful journey

and this great experience.

- One of the pilots in command

who has trained for months to be able to pilot

the new aircraft has the privilege of raising

the French Colors.

- Here we go.

- In keeping with tradition,

when a new aircraft enters the fleet,

it is baptized by the fire department.

- The weather's not great,

but this is magnificent, all the same.

- It took hundreds, if not thousands,

of hours of meetings over the years with KLM

and the different suppliers to prepare the arrival

of this aircraft and the fleet.

Naturally, all our procedures have to be adapted

to this technology.

- No sooner has this very flight landed

that a new challenge awaits the Dreamliner.

It must be ready to take off for Cairo in 15 days time,

not one day longer.

Each day's immobility costs tens of thousands of Euros.

Over these two weeks, we will show you how the new

Dreamliner is taken in-hand at the immense

airport.

We will follow the mechanics and the pilots,

but also the aeronautic specialists, the VIPs,

as they gradually come to grips with this new Boeing.

The next day, the 787 is taken to the airport's

maintenance hangers.

For the few mechanics who've been privileged

with initiation into this new aircraft,

it's a day to remember.

- They're all gonna see the plane, I told you.

- is a mechanic.

He's been following special training for several months

to learn the maintenance techniques for Dreamliner.

- The time comes when you say,

I need something tangible.

I need to get my hands on it,

to see what it actually looks like.

Because pictures are fine, it's good to see it

on the screen, but now let's see it in the flesh.

Let's listen to it, touch it.

- In two weeks, this 787 is down

for its first commercial flight.

But what if there's a problem?

Engine failure.

The mechanics have only a few days

in which to perfectly master the new machine.

But also to adapt this Boeing to Air France

specific standards, particularly concerning safety.

- Since the plane's arrival,

we've been adapting it to our standards,

what is know as PDM, post-delivery modification.

It needs to be brought in line with the rest

of the Air France fleet.

This morning,

has to replace the oxygen cylinders supplied by Boeing

with the Air France ones.

With this key safety element, nothing can be left to chance.

- So we check the conformity,

make sure it's the right one.

Okay, I can fit it.

There.

It's for the O2 masks.

They're connected directly to the bottle,

so the passengers can breathe.

We take it, we connect it to the bottle and there you are.

The person can breathe through it as soon as it's connected

and the bottle is turned on.

Right now they're turned off, of course.

- In accordance with the rules,

every operation is written down and verified twice.

In aeronautics, this is known as reiteration.

- It's a beautiful bird and we're fond of it.

We're proud to work on it.

- Even with a new aircraft, anything can happen.

This type of machine is a high-precision jigsaw puzzle,

which is incredibly complex mechanically.

In the later stages of development, the first 787s

came up again numerous complications.

When they first came into service in 2011,

Boeing had to recall and ground several of these aircrafts.

This inactivity cost the company dearly.

Engineers had to solve a number of technical difficulties.

Issues with the electric brakes, with the new landing gear,

with the engine starters,

and major difficulties with the aircraft's

batteries which overheated.

Between 2011 and 2013, teams from all around the world

collaborated to solve these problems in a year.

To show you another aspect of preparation,

we received special authorization to enter this part

of .

How do crews prepare for emergency situations

on the new aircraft?

How can accidents be anticipated?

This is where the crews train.

A cabin, identical to that of a Boeing,

is mounted on huge hydraulic pumps.

This turbulence simulator emulates possible accidents.

Storms, violent air pockets, water landing in rough seas.

All these scenarios are experienced by the pilots.

Today, it's Captain Serge Vito

who has come to supervise crew training for the new Boeing.

- Today we're lucky enough to have to first

787 pilots, whose currently being trained.

This is initial ground training before going to London.

They leave for London next week to complete

their training on a simulator.

- Although not frequent, fire is the number one

enemy aborad an aircraft.

So the first exercise is to enter this cabin

where a fire is being simulated.

The second stage, after quickly putting on a mask

and gloves, is to bring the fire under control

in a few seconds.

- Look to make sure.

Okay, we're good.

Make sure there's no re-ignition.

- There's something relatively recent.

There is now more and more electrical material aboard,

and particularly lithium batteries.

And spontaneous combustion has been seen,

particularity in cases where there's impact.

Extinguishing a lithium battery fire is very specific,

with a special procedure which includes cooling down

the object once the fire it out.

- The next step is crucial.

- After the pilots, it's the turn

of the cabin crew to go through fire training.

- This is control, over.

What type of fire are you dealing with?

A device on fire?

- Yes, an electronic device on fire.

Understood, make your way back.

- On the 787, on-board WiFi access

favors the use of laptops and smartphones.

And, as we have seen, with certain models,

the risks are very real.

Air hostesses, stewards, no one flies without succeeding

in these exercises and obtaining a certificate.

- Training is what our knowledge

is based on.

The more you go through the procedures in the theoretical

and also a practical way, the more you integrate

the appropriate action to take in the event

of a problem aboard.

- In the meantime, the Dreamliner pilots

move on to the next stage.

The trainer goes through the use of emergency kits,

in particular this new distress beacons.

- You pull on the button,

now it's on auto-test mode,

and take it for positioning.

- It's precisely in this new safety

equipment that the specificity of the 787 can be seen.

And this is an opportunity for the pilots and cabin crew

to see it for the first time.

- So, one step forward.

That's it, well forward.

One foot well forward.

Okay.

- 5:00 a.m., Airport.

One week from the first commercial flight to Egypt.

Captain Serge Vito and his team

carry out the ritual tour of the aircraft.

It's the rule before each takeoff, one last verification.

- There are two forward ones,

one electronic and the other...

No, no, it's this one.

- Serge Vito is going to supervise

the first flight in real conditions

for the new 787 pilots.

During the course of the day, five teams of pilots

will relay each other at the controls of the Boeing.

For this, the aircraft will carry out successive

shuttle flights between the airports

of Chateauroux and Vatry.

Aboard, we naturally find

once again, the 787 trained mechanic.

- As a rule, you activate it.

You see here, this one here is for maintenance

and this is normal one.

This one's for us.

- Serge Vito gives the pilots in training

the final explanation of the flight plan.

For the last few months, the training has been theoretical.

Today for the first time,

they will really be at the controls of a Dreamliner.

How will they react?

Will they have the right reflexes?

Is it easy to go from one aircraft to another?

- Each machine is different.

You need to be trained for each of them.

Each training session lasts two months.

You can't simply go from one to another.

You need to be qualified.

Switching from one aircraft to another would be just like

switching between two totally different cars.

- But a car which travels at an average

of 913 kilometers an hour,

and who's very particular aerodynamics

produce new sensations for the pilot in command.

- It's very agreeable to pilot, very delicate,

more so than the 777 which was a bigger machine

and a slightly older style.

Here the dosage is even more delicate,

which makes it very agreeable to pilot.

- An hour from

the pilots do a trial landing

in .

It's barely daylight, but journalists and enthusiasts

from all around the region are already there.

On the ground, Serge Vito changes the crews over.

Without even opening it's doors,

the aircraft takes off again.

In the cockpit, the new crew tests the power

and reactions of the new Boeing.

The pilots have of course come to know this cockpit.

They spent a week in London for flight practice

in a simulator.

The crews practice the most delicate maneuvers.

Flight controls, aircraft reaction,

everything just as in real life.

The pilot on the right is accompanied on the left

by ,

a pilot in command instructor.

- The simulator is still very theoretical,

even though it's highly realistic.

By being onboard the real aircraft,

surrounded by the real atmosphere of it all,

nothing beats the real world.

- At Châteauroux Airport, pilots undergo

specific training for the delicate landing phase,

a maneuver repetitively gone through

on the simulator in London.

On the simulator, although the flight is virtual,

maximum concentration is needed for this landing phase.

- Approach at Amsterdam, so we'll descend

at 2,000 feet, then we have a glide type of three degrees.

- This is the critical phase.

- 100, 50,

40, 30, 20, 10.

- Shall we stay on the runway?

- Useful exercises.

Here at Châteauroux Airport,

the landing is delicately carried out.

It's the big day here at

After two weeks preparation, everything seems in order

for the new Boeing.

The 787 takes off for Cairo in 42 minutes.

This will be its first commercial flight.

- Down a bit, down.

- These ramp agents have been briefed

on the fragility of the carbon structure.

They take every precaution.

- You need to move the safety guard

or it'll catch over there.

Okay, go on.

It absolutely mustn't touch.

If any machine comes in contact with the aircraft,

it will cause internal damage.

You won't see it with the naked eye.

The section springs back into place.

Even when we do the tour of the aircraft,

we won't see anything, but there will be damage

on the interior.

You need to leave a gap of five to 10 centimeters,

definitely no closer.

So even if the aircraft moves with the wind,

no other machine much come in contact with it.

What?

Send it in.

On the 787, every container, every pallet, must be fastened.

- Naturally, nothing goes exactly as intended.

- Take it out again, then.

It's catching on the rail.

Go on, dammit.

Okay, we're good.

- It's 20 minutes before takeoff.

The aircraft is taking on fuel.

The crew arrives, headed by Serge Vito, of course.

- The last piece of the puzzle goes in place

today because it will be on a true commercial flight.

So we're really at the pinnacle,

the culmination of the whole project.

So, once again, I'm very happy to be here today.

- For the pilot in command,

it's time for the final verification.

- It's the last technical verification

from our side of things before takeoff,

so we make sure there are no apparent impacts

anywhere on the plane.

- The aircraft is ready.

Two of the ground crew will help the aircraft leave

it's parked position.

They communicate with the pilot in command

through a headset directly linked to the cockpit.

- Up.

- The aircraft is in position.

The pushback tractor disengages.

The ground crew can unplug.

He waves a red security ribbon at the pilot,

the signal that everything is in order.

The 787 begins taxiing.

Following the arrival of this new aircraft

at the heart of the company has been

an extraordinary adventure,

a unique journey from Seattle to Paris.

- It's going to come in from this direction.

Touchdown will be on this runway.

This must be it.

- A unique moment which has left it's mark.

Engineers, mechanics, heads of projects, cabin crew,

and, of course, pilots.

- Even after a career of nearly 30 years,

taking delivery of a new model of an aircraft

is still very moving.

It's an extraordinary adventure and often only happens

once in a pilot's lifetime, so you savor every moment.

- The Boeing 787 lives up to its name,

the Dreamliner.

It's what dreams are made of.

Innovative engines,

unique aerodynamics,

smart cockpit,

a carbon-fiber fuselage, both light and resistant,

updated windows incorporating technology of the future.

The 787 is a cocktail of innovation

and everyone's snatching them up.

This model has been customized by a Japanese company

in the colors of Star Wars.

Originality, which makes the new Boeing

shine across the world.

In total, the 787 has already flown 145 million passengers.

67 companies have order 1,207 models of the Dreamliner.

So the 787 is a symbol of modernity.

It reminds us of the progress made in just a few decades.

This aircraft has become an icon

and its career has only just begun.