Just in case you didn't hear about it yesterday, we had another major milestone in the development of the 787 Dreamliner.

In Wichita, Kansas, Boeing and our 787 partner, Spirit AeroSystems, unveiled the first all-composite "nose" section for the airplane.

This one-piece nose section for the 787 unveiled yesterday in Wichita measures about 19 feet in diameter and 24 feet in length.

You can see in the photograph of this full-scale section that it retains the sleek look some have compared with a bullet train. This is an advanced and highly contoured piece of the airplane. And what it does is demonstrate the capabilities of the facility that will actually be manufacturing this section of the Dreamliner.

The 787 will take shape over the next couple of years, going into flight testing in 2007. The first Dreamliners will be in commercial service in 2008.

But for now, this is a red-letter occasion for our employees, and in particular, our partners at Spirit, who, at facilities in Kansas and Oklahoma, will design and build the forward section, pylons, and fixed and moveable wing components for the 787.

Seeing progress like this really makes you look forward to the day when you first see this new airplane, maybe while pressing your own nose against the window of your airport gate to catch a glimpse.