Originally Posted by
stilton
Are the economics really worth a narrowbody clean sheet design using composites ?
I would have thought a new Boeing product range based on the 787 design would be the way to go
Then I looked up the empty weight on the 787-9, it’s very similar to the much older three engine DC10
This was a big surprise, I thought the main reason to build with composites is to save weight and that just doesn’t appear to be the case with the 787
It seems most of the efficiency comes from the advanced engines, systems and wing
I imagine an all new composite design could be ‘over built’ less and have a lower empty weight but it makes you wonder whether it’s worth it
That is very surprising, especially as the MDs had a reputation of being built like tanks.