Originally published March 15, 2007 at 12:00 AM | Page modified March 15, 2007 at 2:01 AM

Tail is just the beginning for Boeing's new 787

To the sound of a homegrown employee band called The Composites, Boeing unveiled Wednesday the 33-foot tailfin that will be the endpiece...

By Kirsten Orsini-Meinhard

Seattle Times business reporter

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GREG GILBERT / THE SEATTLE TIMES

The Boeing 787 Dreamliner's vertical fin is displayed for the first time Wednesday at Boeing's Composites Manufacturing Center in Frederickson, Pierce County. The plane will be rolled out this summer.

GREG GILBERT / THE SEATTLE TIMES

Boeing vertical fin designers Michael Cristobal, left, and Franklin Martin get their first look Wednesday at what they helped design.

To the sound of a homegrown employee band called The Composites, Boeing unveiled Wednesday the 33-foot tailfin that will be the endpiece of its first 787 Dreamliner.

The tail is made of composite plastic, like most of the airframe of the new Dreamliner. The first plane is set to test fly in August.

The tail was built at Boeing's Composites Manufacturing Center in Frederickson, Pierce County. About 1,000 people — employees, suppliers and the media — gathered there to check out the tailfin before it is sent to the company's Everett plant, within the next few days.

Except for the tailfin, all the other major structural parts of the Dreamliner will be built by outside partners and then sent to Everett to be put together.

"This is the beginning of the journey as we bring parts into the final assembly line," said Pat McKenna, vice president and general manager of Boeing Fabrication.

After the first tailfin is sent to Everett, Boeing will ramp up production. Already it has four additional tailfins in some stage of manufacturing.

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