boeing

EVERETT, Wash.--If you've never partied underneath a jumbo jet, you should.

And that's what thousands of Boeing employees are doing right now, as the launch of the 787 Dreamliner concludes at the company's mammoth facility here--the world's largest building, by volume.

It's a pretty cool thing, I must say. After 45 minutes of obligatory celeb-speak--Tom Brokaw MC'd the launch event--the doors to the facility rolled open and there was the new plane, sparkling in the glorious sunlight.

And it took some time for the thousands of people here to make their way up … Read more

EVERETT, Wash.--How else to say it?

The 787 Dreamliner is here.

At just a couple minutes before 4:30 p.m. Sunday, Boeing cracked the doors open to its mammoth facility here, and up rolled the world's first 787.

Looking resplendent in the afternoon sunshine on a beautiful day, the 787 is a lovely plane.

It is both modern looking and reminiscent of the traditional Boeing style.

How well does it fly? Well, Boeing says it is energy efficient, profitable, and all kinds of other other great things. That will take some time to know for sure, since … Read more

EVERETT, Wash.--"This will make some rock concerts pale by comparison," Boeing spokesman Tim Bader told me with a smile as we rode a company-hired bus to the long-awaited 787 Dreamliner launch event.

I knew this was a big event since, after all, the 787 is Boeing's biggest plane launch in years. But how big? I had no idea.

Well, let's just say that the event looks primed to do justice to the building it's being held in--the company's factory here, which is the world's largest building by volume.

Indeed, thousands and … Read more

SEATTLE--I was driving into Seattle from the airport today, on my way up to Boeing's Everett, Wash., factory--the world's largest building by volume--for the official launch of its brand-new 787 Dreamliner, when I saw something interesting off to the side of the highway.

For anyone who's driven in from Sea-Tac airport, the sight of Boeing Field on the west side of Interstate 5 is very familiar. But today, I noticed that the "Dreamlifter" was parked on the tarmac there. The Dreamlifter is the mammoth plane--it's a modified 747-400 with a huge hump--that flies in … Read more

If you're like me and you're a fan of airplane porn--and who isn't?--then this weekend is a "dream" come true.

On Sunday, which is July 8, or 07/08/07, Boeing will formally unveil its newest uber-plane, the aptly named 787 Dreamliner.

This new plane, which seems to be selling like hotcakes, and which is stealing a lot of thunder from Airbus and its A380, will be able to ferry 210 to 250 passengers as far as 8,200 nautical miles.

The Dreamliner rollout will be a big, fancy shindig at Boeing's Everett, … Read more

There have been several stories in the news this week about airplanes and spacecraft. I'm an Air Force veteran myself, and I've been an Aviation Week subscriber for over 20 years, but you don't have to be in the industry to keep up with the latest in aerospace technology. Even CNET covers this kind of thing today, and some of the stories I've seen this week have gotten me thinking about buying a private jet.

I think Esther Dyson deserves a lot of credit for bridging the computer and aerospace industries. In 2005, Esther inaugurated her … Read more

Boeing has commissioned DesignworksUSA, a subsidiary of BMW, to design the interiors for its wide-bodied fleet of corporate jets.

DesignworksUSA has released drawings (below) of what a Boeing Business Jet 787, also known as the Dreamliner, could look like for its owner, or group of owners.

Is this a hint that we may be going back to the Pan Am glory days of old?

Only for the lucky few.

The Boeing Business Jet 787 holds even fewer people than its 747-8 VIP.

The intimate design reflects the changing needs of frequent corporate fliers who use their jets as a second … Read more

The 2007 biennial International Paris Air Show got under way Monday with a flurry of announcements, press conferences and flybys from some of the biggest names in the aviation business. The tarmac at Le Bourget Airport outside the French capital was crowded with aircraft of all sizes.

Much of the early buzz at the show went to the commercial rivalry between Boeing and Airbus, both of which have been heavily promoting two marquee aircraft. For Airbus, it's the A380 superjumbo; it's due to go into service with Singapore Airlines in October.

Take that, Airbus.

That's what Boeing said Tuesday at the Paris Air Show, when it announced an $8.8 billion, 60-plane sale of its forthcoming and much-anticipated 787 Dreamliner to the leasing company ILFC, according to Reuters.

The deal comes on the heels of Airbus announcing Monday more than $30 billion in orders, a move much needed by the beleaguered British/French plane consortium. Its hugely hyped A380 super-airplane has disappointed critics because it was very late to market and incredibly over budget.

But none of that mattered to Boeing, which happily showed that the 787 Dreamliner has some … Read more