Behind the scenes of Boeing's Dreamliner project (photos)

If you've got an aviation fan in the family, or anyone who is particularly interested in Boeing's 787 Dreamliner, a new book by Edgar Turner, in my opinion, is a must-get this holiday season. Turner, a Boeing photographer, spent several years meticulously documenting the making of the 787, and his new book, "The Birth of the 787 Dreamliner" is a candy store's worth of stunning images from throughout the new airplane's long--and admittedly, much delayed-development process. Filled with hundreds of fantastic never seen images and which could only be taken by someone on the inside, the book illustrates the process as never before.

Seen here are four 787s on the assembly line at Boeing's Everett, Wash., plant.

Boeing's 787 Dreamliner flying a test flight. The airplane--which is expected to be delivered commercially in 2011--is made from 50 percent composites, 20 percent aluminum, 15 percent titanium, 10 percent steel, and 5 percent other materials. It is expected to offer airlines up to a 20 percent reduction in fuel burn thanks to the composite materials.

The slipcase design for "The Birth of the 787 Dreamliner" features this stylized photograph of the airplane's engine.

The cover of Edgar Turner's "The Birth of the 787 Dreamliner," which calls to mind the weaving of the composite material used in the airplane.

In this image, a 787 Dreamliner flies for the first time with a General Electric GEnx engine, on June 16, 2010. According to Boeing, "The GEnx engine is the second of two engine types offered to customers on the 787 Dreamliner. [Other 787s] already in the flight test fleet are powered by Rolls-Royce Trent 1000 engines."

According to the book, the "radome of the 787 is intricately designed to protect the radar while allowing the radar to operate at maximum capability."

The 787's nose section, as seen on one of the airplanes at Boeing's Everett, Wash. assembly facility.

A look from below into the interior of the nose construction of a Boeing 787 Dreamliner.

On Dec. 15, 2009, after several years of delays, Boeing's 787 Dreamliner finally made its first flight. Thousands of Boeing employees, aviation fans, and members of the media, attended the event at Paine Field in Everett, Wash.

As Boeing's first 787 Dreamliner takes off for the first time, its trail plane streaks by.

A look inside the interior of an under-construction Boeing 787 Dreamliner.

Boeing's first 787 Dreamliner rolls along the tarmac at the company's Everett, Wash., assembly facility.

According to the book, "the horizontal stabilizers and tail cone are joined in the pre-integration so that when they arrive at the next position, they can be joined efficiently to the aft section of the airplane."

A look down the 787 assembly line from above.

In this image from the book, "A Rolls-Royce Trent 1000 engine is the first to power a 787 Dreamliner flight test over the Cascade Mountain Range in Washington State."

Here, Turner offers a look at the 787's raked wing tip.

As Turner wrote in the book, "With its spacious entryway, newly designed bin latches, and bigger overhead bins, the 787's design will improve passengers' comfort significantly."

A view of the 787's left engine from behind.

At its official roll-out event, the 787's engine is admired by Boeing employees and other aviation fans alike.

At the 787's official public roll-out, on July 8, 2007 (07/08/07), the plane's signature curved wing is visible from below.

A mock-up of the interior of the 787 Dreamliner.

A view of a mock-up 787 crew quarters, where six crew can rest during flight, as seen at the Dreamliner Gallery, where Boeing shows customers the different options they can choose for their 787s.

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

To transport sections of the 787's fuselage, Boeing built a series of specially-designed 747-400s. The huge airplanes are known as the Dreamlifters, and here, we see sections of 787 fuselage being loaded onto a Dreamlifter.

Here, we see one of the specially made Dreamlifter 747s under construction. All told, Boeing has five of the planes, which were designed to transport large sections of the 787's fuselage.

According to Boeing, the aviation giant's Training & Flight Services "has started 787 Dreamliner flight certification training following the provisional approval from the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration for Boeing's Seattle-based 787 flight training devices. As part of flight training, pilots train on a 787 flat panel training device and a 787 full-flight simulator."

A 787 full-flight simulator, manufactured by Thales.

Seen here, a Boeing 787 Dreamliner "is in Valparaiso, Fla., at the McKinley Climatic Laboratory at Eglin Air Force Base for a series of extreme-weather tests. The airplane is in a special hangar where it is being tested in extreme-cold temperatures, minus 45 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 43 Celsius). Hot-weather testing at 115 degrees Fahrenheit (46 Celsius) will be conducted in the same facility in the days ahead."

This Boeing image shows what a stretch version of the 787 Dreamliner, known as the 787-9, will look like.

A Boeing 787 Dreamliner flying into the sunset on a test flight.