Boeing to take

Boeing to take on Airbus with (1000 seat) giant 797 Blended Wing plane

Boeing is preparing a 1000 passenger jet that could reshape the Air travel industry for the next 100 years.The radical Blended Wing design has been developed by Boeing in cooperation with the NASA Langley Research Centre.The mammoth plane will have a wing span of 265 feet compared to the 747's 211 feet, and is designed to fit within the newly created terminals used for the 555 seat Airbus A380, which is 262 feet wide.The new 797 is in direct response to the Airbus A380 which has racked up 159 orders, but has not yet flown any passengers.Boeing decide to kill its 747X stretched super jumbo in 2003 after little interest was shown by airline companies, but has continued to develop the ultimate Airbus crusher 797 for years at its Phantom Works
research facility in Long Beach, Calif.

The Airbus A380 has been in the works since 1999 and has accumulated $13 billion in development costs, which gives Boeing a huge advantage now that Airbus has committed to the older style tubular aircraft for decades to come.There are several big advantages to the blended wing design, the most important being the lift to drag ratio which is expected to increase by an amazing 50%, with overall weight reduced by 25%, making it an
estimated 33% more efficient than the A380, and making Airbus's $13 billion dollar investment look pretty shaky.

High body rigidity is another key factor in blended wing aircraft, It reduces turbu lence and creates less stress on the air frame which adds to efficiency, giving the 797 a tremendous 8800 nautical mile
range with its 1000 passengers flying comfortably at mach .88 or 654 mph (+-1046km/h) cruising speed another advantage over the Airbus tube-and-wing designed A380's 570 mph (912 km/h) The exact date for
introduction is unclear, yet the battle lines are clearly drawn in the high-stakes war for civilian air supremacy.

boeing in 1970s

In the beginning of the 1970s, Boeing faced a new crisis. The Apollo program, in which Boeing had participated significantly during the preceding decade, was almost entirely canceled. Once more, Boeing hoped to compensate with sales of its commercial airliners. At that time, however, there was a heavy recession in the airlines industry so that Boeing did not receive any orders for more than a year. Boeing's bet for the future, the new 747, while delayed in production by three months because of problems with its Pratt & Whitney engines. Another problem was that in 1971, the U.S. Congress decided to stop the financial support for the development of the supersonic 2707, Boeing's answer to the British-French Concorde, forcing the company to discontinue the project. The company had to reduce the number of employees from over 80,000 to almost half, only in the Seattle area.

In January 1970, the first 747, a four-engine long-range airliner, flew its first commercial flight. This famous aircraft completely changed the way of flying, with its 450-passenger seating capacity and its upper deck. Boeing has delivered nearly 1,400 747s. The 747 has undergone continuous improvements to keep it technologically up-to-date. Larger versions have also been developed by stretching the upper deck.

During the 1970s, Boeing also developed the US Standard Light Rail Vehicle which was used in San Francisco, Boston and Morgantown, WV.

Boeing Co.

Major U.S. firm that is the world's largest aerospace company and foremost maker of commercial jet transports. It was founded by William E. Boeing (1881 – 1956) in 1916 (as Aero Products Company). In the late 1920s it became part of United Aircraft and Transport Corp., but it reemerged as an independent entity in 1934 when that company was broken up to comply with antitrust legislation. Boeing pioneered the development of single-wing planes in the 1930s; its B-17 Flying Fortress (first flown 1935) and B-29 Superfortress (1942) played prominent roles in World War II. After the war the company developed the B-52 jet bomber, long a mainstay of U.S. strategic forces. It produced the first U.S. jetliner, the Boeing 707 (in service 1958), and went on to develop a highly successful series of commercial jet transports. By the start of the 21st century these formed seven families — the narrow-body 737 and 757; wide-body 747, 767, and 777; 717 (formerly McDonnell Douglas MD-95); and MD-11. In the 1960s Boeing built the Lunar Orbiters, Lunar Roving Vehicles, and the first stage of the Saturn V rockets (see Saturn) for the U.S. Apollo program. Beginning in 1993, it served as NASA's prime contractor for the International Space Station. In 1996 it purchased the aerospace and defense units of Rockwell International Corp., and a year later it bought McDonnell Douglas Corp. It acquired the satellite business of Hughes Electronics in 2000. See also Lockheed Martin Corp.

The Boeing 707 was

The Boeing 707 was the United States' first production jet airliner, and the aircraft with which the US first gained the lead in commercial jet manufacture.

It has remained in continuous production since the mid-1950s until 1977. It was not the first US transport aircraft to be jet-powered; that distinction belonged to the experimental military XC-123A powered assault glider.

A TWA Boeing 707-331B ready to taxi.

From the start the 707 had accommodation for approximately four times as many passengers as the original British de Havilland Comet I, as well as a considerably higher maximum speed. This, combined with a temporary setback to the British aircraft, helped establish the 707 in World-Wide service. The developed Comet 4 was first to open a transatlantic passenger jet service, on October 4,1958, but the 707s of Pan American followed from October 26,1958 and went on to inaugurate the first round the world jet passenger service on October 10,1959. The prototype first (Boeing Model 367-80) flew on 15 July 1954, and the initial aircraft off the production line were military KC-135A flight refueling tanker/transports.

An Air Zimbabwe 707 makes a low level pass at an air show.

Only a short time elapsed before commercial versions were built, a flood of orders from airlines all over the world being sparked off by a large contract placed by Pan American. Production centered on two major series, the 707-120 medium-range versions for up to 181 passengers, and 707-320 long-range versions for 189 to more than 200 passengers. By the spring of 1977 total sales of the 707 stood at 920, operating in every continent of the world. This original Boeing 707 was followed by a whole family of 707 passenger and cargo variants, with different lengths and weights, and turbofan power. The passenger carrying 707-320B and passenger/cargo 707-320C models were still in production in 1977. Also developed was the short-to-medium-range version known as the Boeing 720 or, with turbofans, 720B. By the end of October 1976, 920 Boeing 707s and 720s of all models had been ordered, and they had flown more than 30 million hours and carried just under 522 million passengers.

In 1970 it was still not unusual for passengers to disembark on the airport ramp.

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Boeing 707 Model 120 Jet Transport

The first production airplane of the Boeing 707 commercial jet series made its maiden flight December 20, 1957, with Pan American World Airways putting the airplane into transoceanic service October 26, 1958, and American Airlines following with transcontinental service January 25, 1959. The prototype jet airliner, built as a private venture by Boeing at a cost of more than $16,000,000, amassed more than 1000 hours in its four years of flight testing, while the first three of the production airplanes used for Civil Aeronautics Administration certification testing raised the overall total to more than 1650 hours. In addition, the new jet transports benefited by the thousands of hours of flight time logged by their military counterpart, the Boeing KC-135 jet multipurpose tanker-transports which went into service in 1957. Including the prototype, there are eight Boeing jet airliners; the others are the 707-120, the 707-120B, the 707-220, the 707-320, the 707-420, the 720 and the 720B. Weighing in at 248,000 pounds as compared with the prototype's 190,000, the 120 is principally intended for continental use. The 220 is identical in airframe and body size to the 120, but is powered by Pratt & Whitney JT4 turbojet engines, larger and of greater thrust than the JT3. The "B" airplanes use Pratt & Whitney JT3D turbofan engines. SPECIFICATIONS (120): Span 130 ft. 10 in.; Height 42 ft.; Length 144 ft. 6 in.; Engines Four Pratt & Whitney JT3C-6 turbojet, more than 10,000 lb. thrust; Gear tricycle, main undercarriage units, four-wheel trucks, dual nose wheels. PERFORMANCE: Cruise Speed 591 mph; Cruising Altitude 25,000 to 40,000 ft.

Boeing 707 Intercontinental Jet Transport

The 320 and the 420 are the Intercontinental 707s, which partially fulfill the growth potential Boeing designed into the basic 707 series. Weighing more than 295,000 pounds, they are 8 feet, 5 inches longer overall than the 120, 220, and 720, have 11 feet 7 inches more wingspan, and 500 square feet of additional wing area. Fuselage diameter, 148 inches, is the same in all models. Only difference between the 320 and 420 is the engines, the former using Pratt & Whitney JT4s and the latter Rolls-Royce "Conways." SPECIFICATIONS INTERCONTINENTAL: Span 142 ft. 5 in.; Height 42 ft.; Length 152 ft. 11 in.; Engines Four Pratt & Whitney JT4 or Rolls Royce Conway turbojets, more than 10,000 Lb, thrust; Gear tricycle, main undercarriage units, four-wheel trucks, dual nose wheels. PERFORMANCE: Cruise Speed 591 mph; Cruising Altitude 25,000 to 40,000 ft.

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Boeing 720 Jet Transport

Designed to operate profitably in the medium range area, the Boeing 720 combines low cost with excellent operational flexibility. Associated with its capability to operate over existing route segments is the ability of the 720 to utilize present runways and terminal facilities throughout the entire airline system. The 720 offers a high level of safety, ease of maintenance and inspection, long life, minimum structural weight and reliability based on experience and extensive test programs. The seats are mounted on continuous tracks recessed in the floor, allowing use of four, five and six-abreast seating. In less than ten minutes each row of seats and its accompanying overhead service unit can be repositioned or replaced. Windows are spaced at 20-inch intervals to insure an unobstructed view regardless of seat spacing. This flexibility permits a choice of seating combinations ranging from the luxurious four-abreast interior to the six-abreast, 149-passenger tourist arrangement.

SPECIFICATIONS: Span 130 ft. 10 in; Length 136ft. 2 in.; Height 41 ft. 6.5 in.; Empty Weight 103,145 Lb.; Engines Four Pratt & Whitney JT3C-7; Fuel Capacity 11,500 gal.; Wing Area 2433 sq. ft.

PERFORMANCE: Maximum Speed more than 600 mph; Maximum Range 3300 mi.; Cruising Altitude 15,000 to 40,000 ft.

In the UK

Boeing employs more than 600 people across the UK at numerous sites, from Almondbank to Gosport and the company is experiencing solid organic growth.

The company’s long-standing relationship with British industry, the armed forces and the air transport industry dates back over 70 years. Today the UK remains a critically important market, supplier base and a source of some of the world’s most inventive technology partners. Boeing’s annual spend in the aerospace industry supports up to 40,000 jobs according to the Oxford Economic Forecasting report, in the process generating intellectual property, enhancing skills and facilitating exports.

Boeing is proud of its relationships with British industry. Inventive and innovative businesses of all sizes work with Boeing over the long-term to enhance skills and play a key role in a healthy global aerospace industry.

Boeing quiet on 787 connectivity

Boeing quiet on 787 connectivity; 777 carrier readies for eXPhone

By Mary Kirby

Boeing is remaining tight-lipped about when it will make a decision about providing a standard in-flight connectivity offering for the delayed 787 twinjet.

However, the airframer is poised to make AeroMobile/Panasonic Avionics' 'eXPhone' cellular connectivity solution line-fit offerable to customers, with Boeing 777 operator V Australia slated to launch the service.

"We are studying connectivity but it has been Boeing's policy not to comment on studies that we have ongoing, so a question along the lines of the timing of completion of the study is not something that we'd comment on," director, 787 interiors Tom Galantowicz told ATI during a recent press tour of Boeing's third 787 testbed, ZA003, in Everett, Washington.

Galantowicz confirmed that ZA003, which will support cabin interiors testing, is not fitted with systems to support in-flight connectivity.

He declined to say if Boeing will equip a separate test aircraft, such as ZA006, with passenger connectivity, noting: "Really, at this point, in terms of where we're at with the study and where we might put test equipment, it's pretty premature to comment where we might be able to incorporate some of that."

Last year Boeing quietly issued a request for information for an in-flight connectivity solution for its 787 based on SwiftBroadband (SBB) - the same Inmarsat L-band satellite service that is acting as the entry point to connectivity for rival Airbus's long-haul aircraft.

In the RFI document Boeing specifically sought information about an SBB-supported satcom interface and on-board mobile telephony system (OMTS) and indicated that its preferred solution for installation of an OMTS "is to have it integrated" with the IFE system.

While Boeing continues to study its connectivity options for the 787 and other types, V Australia is readying to become the first airline to offer IFE integrated with cellular deployment when it launches eXPhone on its 777s in the second quarter.

V Australia's four 777s, which are equipped with Panasonic eX2 IFE platforms, have had full eXPhone provisions installed by Boeing from the factory (trays, wiring, cct breakers and leaky feeder cable), according to AeroMobile, a subsidiary of Norway-based telecommunications giant Telenor.

The carrier's fifth, sixth and seventh 777s will be fully type certified by Boeing from the factory. The fifth aircraft is scheduled to be delivered in the fourth quarter of this year, says AeroMobile.

Various regulatory approvals are required to operate cellular services on Australian registered aircraft.

"AeroMobile has been working closely with the Australian authorities and its stakeholders to conclude the necessary operational frameworks. This work has resulted in some level of public consultation regarding a revised regulatory class licensing regime, as led by the ACMA [Australian Communications and Media Authority]," says the firm.

Main Information

Boeing Commercial Airplanes is the division that produces Boeing's commercial jetliners. Today, the main commercial products consist of the 717, 737, 747, 757, 767, and 777 families of airplanes, and the Boeing Business Jet. New product development efforts are focused on the Boeing 7E7, a super-efficient airplane that is expected to be in service in 2008.

The founder of the Boeing company was a timberman named William Boeing who assembled his first seaplane in a Seattle boathouse in 1912. Four years later William Boeing started Pacific Aero Products, the forerunner of the Boeing Airplane Company, which came into being in 1917.

During the First World War, the Boeing Airplane company manufactured fighter aircraft but it was the bomber and commercial aircraft developed during the 1930s, such as the 247 and the B17, which were to become synomynous with the Boeing name.

During the Second World War, Boeing made only two models, the B17 Flying Fortress and the B29 Superfortress bombers; the advanced mass production techniques developed to assemble these types were to help Boeing become the world's dominant aerospace company for the next 30 years.

In 1947 Boeing used captured Nazi research data to build its first swept-wing jet bomber, the B47. This in turn laid the groundwork for the advanced Dash 80 of 1954, which formed the basis of the KC-135 tanker and, eventually, the 707 airliner that began Boeing's dominance in commercial air transports. The 707 was the foundation of an entire family of Boeing airliners and its fuselage cross-section was subsequently used for the 727, 737 and 757 families.

In 1969 Boeing introduced the 747, the so-called 'jumbo jet' and possibly the world's best known airliner. The next few years were a period of consolidation for the company. However, in the 1980s Boeing faced a serious challenge from a new competitor, the European Airbus Industrie consortium, and launched the 777 in 1994 to combat the Airbus A330/340. The 777 was the first completely new Boeing airliner for many years. Two years later, the Boeing company tookover its longtime US rival McDonnell Douglas (MDC). The latest addition to the Boeing airliner family is the 717, based on the MDC MD-95 and the only MDC-derived model still in production today.

2001 saw Boeing announce the "Sonic Cruiser", a high-subsonic aircraft production plans were subsequently abandoned in favour of the 7E7.