At long last, Boeing's 787 takes flight (photos)

Two years after the official rollout of Boeing's 787 Dreamliner--and a seemingly endless series of delays--the plane finally made its first flight Tuesday in Everett, Wash. Before Boeing employees, press, and aviation fans, the plane took to the air at 10:28 a.m., soaring into the sky while thousands cheered.

The plane is vital to Boeing's plans to keep ahead of its archrival, Airbus, which had its first commercial flight in 2008. Boeing must now put the 787 through about nine months of tests--assuming there are no more delays--before delivering the first plane to a customer--expected to be All Nippon Airways--in 2010.

The 787 takes off, accompanied by a trail plane.

The 787 Dreamliner taxiing to the end of the runway at Paine Field in Everett, Wash. Takeoff was scheduled for 10 a.m., but was delayed until 10:28 a.m.

The 787 Dreamliner in the background, as thousands of enthusiastic Boeing employees look on.

The 787's engines moves to full power and the plane begins to move down the runway.

The 787 Dreamliner taxis to the end of the runway, allowing the gathered crowd of press and employees to view it from behind.

The 787 Dreamliner, aloft for the first time. Now comes at least nine months of further tests with six 787s and 34 test pilots.

One of the last tests that had to be completed before the first flight was the so-called taxi test, in which the 787 Dreamliner taxied down the runway at high speed, lifting its nose into the air, before hitting the brakes.

The first 787, as seen at the official rollout event for the Dreamliner, on July 8, 2007 (07/08/07). Thousands were on hand for the event. But while the first flight was originally supposed to take place later in 2007, the program has suffered two years of frustrating delays.

Another test Boeing completed recently was to try out the hydraulics of the landing gear, ensuring that it would go up and down properly.

A rear view of one of the Rolls-Royce engines that will power the 787 Dreamliner.

A look at a 787 Dreamliner in the Everett assembly facility. The planes will be built both in Everett, and at a new factory in Charleston, S.C.

In 2007, the 787 Dreamliner was said to have received more pre-orders--677 from 47 carriers--than any other plane in history. Now, that number is 840.

Because of the plane's construction from composite materials, the 787 has curved wings rather than the flat ones seen on all other commercial airliners.

A mockup of the 787's interior, as seen in its nighttime configuration, when its LED lights are made to mimic the night sky.

A mockup of the plane's interior in its daytime configuration.

The first 787 Dreamliner gets ready to head to the flight line last May for one its most important pre-first flight tests.

Before the official 787 rollout event on July 8, 2007, Boeing staged a unique photo opportunity, lining up one of each of its existing 7-series planes, the 707, the 717, the 727, the 737, the 747, the 757, the 767, and the 777. There are, as yet, no public plans for a 797.

At an event to announce that Boeing would be building the 787 at a new factory in Charleston, S.C., the company brought along its Dreamlifter, a modified 747 that is designed to carry 787 fuselages.

A view of one side of a mockup of a 787 crew quarters, as seen at the Dreamliner Gallery, in Everett, Wash.

A view of the other side of the mockup 787 crew quarters, where six crew can rest during flight, as seen at the Dreamliner Gallery, in Everett, Wash., where Boeing shows customers the different options they can choose for their 787s.

A mockup of the 787 Dreamliner's cockpit, as seen at the Dreamliner Gallery, in Everett, Wash.