Boeing - Seattle

Inside the Boeing Factory

Here are some more pictures of our trip to Seattle. One day, we went and toured the Boeing facility which was very interesting. I had no idea that it was the biggest building in the nation. Here are some of the things we learned:

• The factory covers 98.3 acres under one roof which is big enough to fit 911 basketball courts and is nearly 9 stories high. Each of the hangar doors is nearly the size of a U.S. football field.
  
• The building is so large that the factory once created its own weather - warm air and moisture accumulated near the ceiling, forming clouds.
  
• Boeing has 1,300 bicycles on the factory floor so that employees can get around.
  
• Employees work 24/7 and the moving of the airplanes from the hangar to the runway is done at night since they have to go over a bridge over the highway and it used to cause accidents when it was done during the day since a large majority of the wings hang out from over the bridge.
  
• Most of the parts and components for the airplane are manufactured elsewhere but everything is assembled at the plant. Once the parts have arrived, assembly requires about four months for one airplane. In the early stages of assembly, the sections are moved by overhead cranes. Once most of the plane is assembled and is too heavy for the cranes, the airplane is then towed on its landing gear to the final assembly station.
  
• The engines are installed last and then painting is done before it is tested. Paint can add more than 600 lbs.
  
• More than 12,000 Boeing airplanes (nearly 3/4 of all those flying) are in service around the world.
  

We also got to see the first 787-8 Dreamliner being made in the factory. The 787 Dreamliner, Boeing's newest airplane, is a super-efficient jetliner and will enter service in 2008. About half the 787, including its fuselage and wings, is constructed of composite materials, making the airplane about 40,000 pounds lighter than airplanes of similar size. It will be much more comfortable for passengers since the wings are more flexible which allow for decreased turbulence and there will be more room for individual passengers. The windows, which are larger, have a light sensor on them so that you can chose how much light you want. It was pretty neat to see this new plane even though the first one will probably not be flown in the U.S. until 2009 since the people who have purchased the first ones are outside of the U.S. Okay, enough with the facts, here are our pictures from the tour:

All of us in front of an airplane wingThe demo facilityMy dad in front of the new Dreamliner model

Brandon playing with the cool Dreamliner windows

Yes, Brandon is pilot and I am co-pilot...

Almost getting sucked in!

Joy, Brandon and I with Bill Boeing

My dad and Brandon in a simulation plane that Brandon got to flyIn the upper right hand corner, you can see the picture of the two of them!The simulator rotated all the way around to simulate a real flight