Friday(Dec.
13, 2013) we went to Seattle to the Boeing Manufacturing Facility.
There we got a 90 minutes tour through the whole really big
manufacturing hall. We got shown the different production lines of
the different plane types. What surprised me, was once that they not
only brought the aircraft pieces from station to station, but
sometimes moved the whole station with the aircraft piece along the
production line, and then that they were able to build 10
"Dreamliners" per month. also this number doesn't seem that
big and is compered to the 1000 they have to build quite small but
when I was standing in the hall in front of the production line, it
seemed incredible high.
The manufacturing hall itself was already impressive enough. With it covered area comparable to 75 football fields, it is big enough to fit Disney Land with parking into the hall. We got told that this building has it's own weather system, and we even saw birds flying in it.
The next interesting thing was the "Dreamliner" itself: It wasn't only, as I thought, that they build the plane out of carbon fiber, what made the plane kind of a revolution in plane manufacturing. There were also that they modified the cabin, to make it a better flight for the customer, and used other, more fuel-efficient, wing designs.
After this trip I now really want to go to an Airbus tour back in Europe, if that is possible. Also on the tour I got curious if Boeing is leading the market and is kind of dictating Airbus' planning, or if not. That's because the last Airbus planes were or are always answers to Boeing planes(A-380 -> B-747/A-350 -> B-787). Boeing presented itself as the market leader, or at least I thought so, so I would like to see/hear what Airbus has to say.
Also great was then there gift-shop. I could easily spend a few hundred dollars in there and final left it with some presents for home.
Compared with our model plane we're building for class was interesting to see that what similarities there were. For example the building of the "Dreamliner": They are building the different part at other places and then just fly them in for the final assemblage. While at our model plane we're gluing one piece, the fuselage for example, and then have to wait for the glue to dry. And while that were are building on other part like the wings and the tail section and then put everything together in the end.
The manufacturing hall itself was already impressive enough. With it covered area comparable to 75 football fields, it is big enough to fit Disney Land with parking into the hall. We got told that this building has it's own weather system, and we even saw birds flying in it.
The next interesting thing was the "Dreamliner" itself: It wasn't only, as I thought, that they build the plane out of carbon fiber, what made the plane kind of a revolution in plane manufacturing. There were also that they modified the cabin, to make it a better flight for the customer, and used other, more fuel-efficient, wing designs.
After this trip I now really want to go to an Airbus tour back in Europe, if that is possible. Also on the tour I got curious if Boeing is leading the market and is kind of dictating Airbus' planning, or if not. That's because the last Airbus planes were or are always answers to Boeing planes(A-380 -> B-747/A-350 -> B-787). Boeing presented itself as the market leader, or at least I thought so, so I would like to see/hear what Airbus has to say.
Also great was then there gift-shop. I could easily spend a few hundred dollars in there and final left it with some presents for home.
Compared with our model plane we're building for class was interesting to see that what similarities there were. For example the building of the "Dreamliner": They are building the different part at other places and then just fly them in for the final assemblage. While at our model plane we're gluing one piece, the fuselage for example, and then have to wait for the glue to dry. And while that were are building on other part like the wings and the tail section and then put everything together in the end.
