My extended stay at home in Washington, DC was cut a bit short after a last-minute 787 supplier tour was firmed up. For the next week I’ll be on the road in Asia, starting in Tokyo then transferring through to Busan, South Korea where the 787’s winglets, flap fairings, Section 48 aft tail cone and forward fuselage nose gear wheel well structure are made by KAL-ASD. Later in the week I’ll transition back to Japan for a visit to the Japanese heavies in Nagoya where the wings, Section 45/11 center wingbox, and fuselage Section 43 are manufactured by Mitsubishi, Fuji and Kawasaki, respectively. This should prove to be a fascinating week as this the first time the Asian supply base for 787 has invited media to visit since 2006. I’ll have updates throughout the week.
In the meantime, I’ve got my real estate carved out in seat 36K on All Nippon Airways Flight 1 from Dulles to Tokyo.
This 777-300ER, JA801A, is not a new airframe for me. I flew this particular aircraft on my way back from the 2008 Singapore Air Show.
Time to fly. Next to Tokyo!
This post was originally published to the internet between 2007 and 2012. Links, images, and embedded media from that era may no longer function as intended.
This post originally appeared at Flightglobal.com from 2007 to 2012.