A look at why Boeing built the Dreamlifter using ex-passenger 747s.

Exactly 16 years ago today, on September 9, 2006, the Boeing Dreamlifter made its maiden flight from Taiwan's Taoyuan International Airport (TPE). Previously, in 2003, Boeing Commercial Airplanes decided to develop a large freighter to carry parts for its new Boeing 787 Dreamliner. At the time, the primary method of transportation was by road and sea, but this was cumbersome and took a long time.

The Dreamliner parts were also too large to be transported by existing cargo aircraft. To remedy the situation and cut down on the project's time and cost, it was decided that the best option would be to convert four used passenger 747-400s. When configured to Boeing's specific requirements, the planes would be used to transport Dreamliner parts from Japan and Italy to Boeing's facility at Charlestown, South Carolina, and then on to the final assembly plant in Everett, Washington.

Designed by Boeing's Moscow bureau and Boeing Rocketdyne, in partnership with Gamesa Aeronáutica of Spain, the four used 747s were bought from Malaysia Airlines, Air China, and two from China Airlines. The aircraft were then all flown to Taiwan, where they would be modified by Evergreen Aviation Technologies Corporation, a joint venture between EVA Air and General Electric.

With the oversized Boeing 747 resembling the Oscar Mayer Wienermobile, the first modified aircraft remained unpainted to speed up the testing process. At the time, Boeing Commercial Airplanes president Scott Carson jokingly apologized to Joe Sutter, a designer of the Boeing 747, saying, "sorry for what we did to your plane."

A week after its first test flight in Taiwan, the first Dreamlifter arrived at King County International Airport (BFI), more commonly known as Boeing Field, to complete its flight tests in Seattle. The second Dreamlifter took to the skies on February 16, 2007, with the first two entering service the same year.

Using the Dreamlifter, Boeing delivered the 787s wings, built in Japan by Mitsubishi, in just over eight hours as opposed to the 30 days it took to transport than by road and sea. Originally Evergreen International Airlines (no relation to EVA), a US cargo operator based in McMinnville, Oregon, was given the contract to fly the Dreamlifters. In 2010, the contract went to New York's Atlas Air.

Journalist - Mark is an experienced travel journalist having published work in the industry for more than seven years. His enthusiasm for aviation news and wealth of experience lends itself to some excellent insight, with his work cited in Forbes amongst other publications. Based in Alicante, Spain.