I honestly have no idea how complicated building a plane can be. What I designed required zero plane building knowledge. But given how long it takes and expensive it is, I think it is more difficult than it looks. There are technical difficulties, and then there are difficulties in dealing with massive, distributed teams. The second one increased problems managing the first, which is why we read that article today.

Two of the main design constraints for planes are weight, and its close close relative, fuel efficiency. Consider those as important as actually being able to fly.

The whole reason my project existed was to reduce weight and increase fuel efficiency. What made the critical component I talked about difficult to make was that it needed to be much more efficient than any of its type ever made before. Its efficiency would allow for less operating current, which would reduce the wire gauge needed throughout the plane, reduce weight by 1000s of pounds, and therefore save many gallons of fuel.

It also allowed for another fuel efficiency gain; It reduced the number of systems operating via air or hydraulics. The air comes from the engine after the compressor stage but before fuel is added. These systems are inefficient because the air from the compressors is very hot and it must be cooled before use. That cooling operation takes electricity, and therefore wastes energy when compared to a system that just used electricity from the start.

I should add that the critical component is not a discrete one like a transistor or resistor. Rather it is a system of its own, like a power supply is a system of its own, but we can buy one and as an engineer consider it a single component.

I don't know Boeing's rationale for TV commercials either. It could be anything from putting the Boeing name in front of Americans for American pride when competing against European Airbus. Or maybe they know that the decision maker at a key potential customer loves NFL football, and Boeing blanketed his hometown team with ads during the games. Maybe the marketing department wanted to use up their yearly budget.

Whatever the reason is, when hundreds of billions of dollars in orders are at stake like this, the ads aren't directed at people who purchase plane tickets. I am guessing the ads are out there to make sure that every plane purchasing decision maker absolutely knows that the 787 exists and that they should buy it, and making sure that every member of Congress (and their constituents) absolutely knows that the 787 exists and Americans should support it, as opposed to Airbus.