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Washington: Boeing Factory
Our travels often involve flying, and we sometimes take for granted the incredible machines that lift us into the air and transport us high above the earth, depositing us on the other side of the world in less than a day. Yes, we knew the 747 was "big", but we really didn't understand the differences between the plane models and how they were constructed--until today.
Just north of Seattle, Washington, we took a tour of the Boeing factory that produces some of the largest commercial airplanes in the world. Our tour began at the Future of Flight Aviation Center.
The factory is located in the world’s largest building by volume, pictured below:
Although it may not look that big from a distance, the building is 11 stories high (going underground), with 472 million cubic feet. For sports fans, that’s big enough to hold 75 football fields. For Mickey Mouse fans, you could put the world of Disneyland inside and still have 12 acres left over for parking.
A closer look at the building:
Cameras were prohibited on the tour. Indeed, nothing could be carried in our hands. It was a top-secret affair, with no backpacks, cell phones, purses, notebooks, pens, papers, or anything else allowed inside other than the clothing we wore on our bodies.
On our tour, we first saw where the massive 747’s were being created, bit by bit on a snail-paced assembly line. Then we moved on to a different part of the building, where one side of our viewing platform overlooked 777’s in various states of completion, and the other side had the latest and greatest airplane—the 787.
The 787 is called the “Dreamliner.” Boeing expects to release it into the public commercial world later this year. In this world where "bigger" is often viewed as "better," the Dreamliner bucks that trend by being smaller--in fact, it is much smaller than the 747. However, it uses innovative technology throughout. For example, the body is made with composite materials, including a shell from reinforced carbon fiber. This makes it lighter and more fuel efficient—able to travel 9000 miles without stopping. For passengers, the stronger shell allows the windows to be bigger and the cabin air to be pressurized at a more comfortable level. In addition, there is supposedly more leg-room for passengers and greater space for carry-on luggage.
The parts for the 787 are fabricated off-site, and the giant pieces are then flown to the Boeing factory in a bubble-bodied plane called the “Dream Lifter”:
The tail section of the Dream Lifter opens like a huge hinged door, so the Dreamliner sections can be easily unloaded.
Unlike the 747, which takes about 4 months to be created within the factory, all of the pre-fabricated parts of the Dreamliner can be assembled in (drum roll, please) a mere 3 days!
After our tour, we explored the exhibits within the Future of Flight Aviation Center.
Standing in front of one of the powerful jet engines definitely gave perspective on size:
An old cockpit, with hundreds of levers and buttons, provided the stage for Genevieve and Sebastian to be "pilots":
The displays allowed the children's imaginations to soar. “Run for your life! We’re going to be flattened by an airplane!”
Genevieve, on the observation deck:
It was fascinating to see the history of how the planes and technology have developed, and how the sections of a jumbo jet are pieced together. And, more important, we now have a greater understanding of the different types of planes that carry us on many of our adventures.
And we look forward to one day riding on a Dreamliner . . . to another dream destination.
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