In a scene that looks straight out of Top Gun, the new Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner shows off some remarkable aerial agility for a passenger plane in a video of the plane executing a near-vertical takeoff, followed by several steeply-banked turns:
The video, posted to YouTube by Boeing and featuring a Vietnam Airlines-branded plane, is a demonstration of the jetliner’s capabilities in advance of the Paris Air Show next week.
The stomach-dropping takeoff is only the first in a series of smooth maneuvers executed by the plane in a video, as the company tries to flex its muscles ahead of the Paris Air Show next week.
Boeing is trying to bounce back after a series of much-publicized technical faults and delays to the airplane’s commercial debut. The new 787-9 Dreamliner is 20 feet longer and 20% more energy efficient than its predecessor, the 787-8.
And if watching the 787-9 Dreamliner’s vertical takeoff leaves you queasy, there is no need to worry that your next flight will be like a rollercoaster ride: The company promises that commercial takeoffs in the 787 will not usually feature such antics.