History of the Boeing Aerospace Corporation. The Boeing Corporation Success Story

Boeing history:

In 1903, an important event in the history of world aviation took place in the United States: on Kitty Hawk Beach in North Carolina The Wright brothers' airplane made the first flight in history. Meanwhile in New Haven, Connecticut, 22-year-old William Boeing, future founder Boeing Corporation, left the walls of Yale University and decided to go into business.

From the university, William Boeing headed "into the thicket of the forest." At the beginning of the 20th century, the timber trade was the second most profitable business in the United States after gold mining. The timber trade allowed William Boeing to quickly make a decent fortune, and in 1909 he was already one of the most respected citizens of Seattle. At the end of 1909, the Alaska-Yukon-Pacific trade show was held in Seattle, during which the inhabitants of the west coast saw for the first time a flying machine - a small airship. It was then that William Boeing realized that his heart belonged to aviation.

When a few months later, in the nearby town of Georgetown, demonstration flights took place on the new Curtiss Reims Racer airplane of the famous American aviation pioneer Charles Hamilton, Boeing specially went to see him perform. Hamilton's flights ended in an accident - on March 13, 1910, Hamilton's airplane crashed into a pond. The pilot did not die only by a miracle. What he saw did not cool the ardor of William Boeing, and he spent the next few years persuading one of the aviators to take him on a flight.

The dream remained unfulfilled until 1915, when fate brought Boeing together with kindred spirits - air flight enthusiasts Fleet Lieutenant Konrad Westervelt and pilot Tira Maroni. On a two-seat Maroni airplane, Boeing took to the air for the first time, and upon landing, he already knew for sure that he needed his own plane.

Boeing went to Los Angeles to study aircraft piloting with Glenn Martin, the unsurpassed authority of those years. He returned from Los Angeles in his own seaplane.

On the shores of Lake Union, Boeing rebuilt an old boat hangar for airplanes and organized the Pacific Aero Club, which gave everyone the opportunity to take an airplane ride for little money.

The design of Martin's hydroplane did not suit Boeing, and William decided to create his own aircraft.
Together with Westervelt, they found the self-taught engineer Herb Munter, who was experimenting with airplanes in his barn near Seattle, on the island of Duhemish. He helped develop the design of a new seaplane (named B&W after the first letters of the names of customers) and built the first two aircraft.

On July 15, 1916, William Boeing took to the air for the first time in his aircraft, and just a month later he registered the Pacific Aero Products Co. (subsequently the company was renamed to boeing air plane), which was supposed to build seaplanes for the US Navy. Boeing invested almost $ 100,000 in this company - gigantic money at that time.

With a diversification strategy manufactured by Boeing Airplane has mastered the postal market. And in 1927, having won the contract of the US Federal Post Office (the model 40-A aircraft won), Boeing became the world's first air mail carrier. To implement the project of postal and other transportation, the head of the company created the first service division - Boeing Air Transport. The first San Francisco-Chicago air transport route also began to function. But even this was not enough for the innovator. In 1929, a new three-engine model 80As aircraft for 12 passengers took to the skies. Flight attendants boarded the plane for the first time.

In 1930, William Boeing introduced the Monomail cargo-passenger car to the public (with streamlined shapes reminiscent of modern Boeings). Soon, the Boeing Airplane Company became the Boeing Airplane & Transport Corporation. New divisions also appeared: Boeing School of Aeronautics in Oakland, Boeing Aircraft of Canada, etc. The company assembled aircraft, built airfields, produced engines and propellers, trained pilots and aircraft technicians, and provided air transport services.

And on February 1, 1929, a real colossus was born - the United Aircraft & Transportation Corporation. The Boeing Corporation has become a powerful aircraft and transport empire, and its head is one of the richest and most successful businessmen in America.

In order to prevent autocracy in the air transport sector, the US Parliament passed a law in 1934 that destroyed the Boeing empire. new document forbade aircraft manufacturing firms to simultaneously be owners of both transport and postal companies. The huge holding broke up into:

• United Air Lines (air transportation)
• United Aircraft;
• Boeing Aircraft Company (construction of aircraft on the east and west coasts of America).

William Boeing for a long time could not recover from the blow: everything that was created with such difficulty was destroyed with one stroke of the pen. Broken and tired, the tycoon retired, deciding to watch his aviation offspring from the sidelines. The reins of government were handed over to friends and colleagues - Philip Johnson and Claremont Egtvedt. However, the life of a rentier did not correspond to the restless nature of Boeing. At the age of 53, he opened a new business. Thoroughbred breeding horses became his new passion.

After 1934, Boeing focused all its efforts on the development of new aircraft models. In 1935, the Kaydet fighter was born, which became the main training aircraft of the US aviation. More than 10,000 of these machines were built. In 1936, Boeing entered into a contract with the PanAmerican airline and for many years became its main partner. In 1938, the passenger model 307 Stratoliner saw the light, which became the model aircraft for passenger lines for the next 10 years.

At the same time, the B-17 and B-29 bombers were developed, as well as the XPBB-1 Sea Ranger naval bomber.

During World War II, Boeing became the largest manufacturer of military aircraft in the world. At its facilities, not only B-17 and B-29 were assembled, but also aircraft developed by competitors - Douglas DC-7B attack aircraft. Air Fleet Allies, which dropped thousands of tons of bombs on Germany at the end of the war, was almost completely assembled at Boeing factories. The bomber that dropped the atomic bomb on Hiroshima is also the brainchild of Boeing.
The year 1944 entered the history of the company under the name "Battle of Kansas". This year, the Wichita assembly plant broke every conceivable performance record. Working in emergency mode, the plant produced up to 16 aircraft per day - a record that has not been broken so far.

After the war, orders dried up, for Boeing, hard times began again. In 1946, the company had to lay off 70,000 people. To the post CEO William Allen had to urgently look for ways out of the crisis. The company began work on new passenger aircraft, presented models of new bombers to the US government, and for the first time engaged in the production of ballistic missiles and surface-to-air interceptor missiles. Under Allen's leadership, the company began to produce the legendary B-52 "flying fortresses", KS-135 aerial tankers and the first American jet passenger aircraft model 707.

In 1958, three 707-120 aircraft were purchased by the US Air Force for the President of the country and his inner circle. This convoy was given the call sign Air Force One. Since then, in most countries of the world, the plane of the president of the country is called "flight number one."

In 1960, the Boeing Corporation began to develop the space direction. The first designs for the Dyna-Soar manned orbital station and the Saturn V launch vehicle for the Apollo program have emerged. In 1963, NASA chose Boeing to fly into lunar orbit and photograph the lunar surface from close range. This project was implemented in 1966, and in 1969 the Apollo 11 spacecraft, launched into orbit using the Saturn carrier, delivered astronauts to the moon.

In the early 60s, several major airlines turned to Boeing with a proposal to develop a mass-produced model of a jet aircraft capable of using the runways of small airports, performing a flight even if one engine failed, being more economical than the B-707, and easy to operate and maintain.

Thus, the Boeing 727 was created - a narrow-body medium-haul passenger aircraft. He made his first flight on February 9, 1963.

In 1967, the 737 liner went on its first flight, which was destined to become one of the best-selling aircraft in aviation history. Total number cars sold exceeded 2000 pieces.

In 1968, Boeing developed the largest, at that time, passenger liner 747. The world's first double-deck giant, which the company good-naturedly nicknamed the Jumbo Jet (Jumbo Jet).

With the 737 and 747, Boeing cemented its leadership in the aircraft manufacturing market and literally turned the airline industry around.

In the early 80s, two new Boeing models were born - the 757 and 767. The narrow-body 757 was created as a replacement for the aging 727. As for the Boeing 767, it was designed for medium and long-haul airlines. In addition, this aircraft has become a serious competitor to the Airbus A300, which is gaining popularity in Europe.

Almost until the mid-90s, Boeing improved its lineup, while the market situation, as well as competition with Airbus, McDonnell Douglas and Lockheed did not force the company to start developing a long-haul wide-body airliner with 400-500 seats.

So, in 1994, the Boeing 777 was born. For the first time, airlines and passengers took an active part in the development of this machine. Their opinion had the highest priority, and as a result, the resulting car, according to Boeing, became the most consumer-oriented car in the world.

By the end of the 1990s, it became clear that the Boeing 767 was outdated and could not compete with the new developments of rival Airbus, such as the Airbus A330. In 2001, Boeing announced the start of development of a new project, the Boeing Sonic Cruiser. The company promised that the new aircraft would be able to fly at near-sonic speeds while consuming no more fuel on average (due to shorter flight times) than a 767 or an A330. With the 9/11 terrorist attacks and rising oil prices, it became clear that airlines were more interested in fuel efficiency than speed, and the Sonic Cruiser project, which was also expensive and technologically complex, was put on hold.

Nevertheless, on January 28, 2005, Boeing presented its new project, the 787 Dreamliner, to the world. The aircraft replaced the Sonic Cruiser concept, inheriting many of the ideas and technologies of its predecessor.

The Boeing 787 is a wide-body airliner designed to carry from 296 to 350 passengers over a distance of up to 15,700 km. 787 was the first passenger aircraft to have a fuselage made entirely of composite materials. It first took to the air on December 15, 2009.

There are about 12,000 in operation around the world today. jet liners Boeing, which is approximately 75% of the world's fleet

Slogan: One destination. A world of solutions.

Perhaps the world's most famous manufacturer of aviation, military and space technology. But the corporation started Boeing from a tiny factory where small planes collected entirely by hand.

The history of the company began back in 1916, when the company was founded on July 15 The Pacific Aero Products Company, a year later renamed to Boeing Airplane Company. It was founded by William Boeing, who built a seaplane with the help of George Conrad Westervelt B&W. It was a fabric-lined wooden structure that nevertheless flew well.

The company especially distinguished itself in 1933, when the Boeing 247 passenger aircraft was developed. The model turned out to be reliable, simple and safe, although not without a number of shortcomings. It was a ten-seat twin-engine all-metal aircraft with retractable landing gear. Aircraft of this model were destined to discover sad statistics - October 10, 1933 on board one of them ( regular flight Chicago-Cleveland) there was an explosion. This was the first terrorist act in the history of aeronautics.

In June 1938, the Boeing 314 Clipper was created, a seaplane designed specifically for transatlantic transportation. This plane could carry 90 passengers. It was developed by order of the company pan am (Pan American World Airways). The time is gradually approaching when aircraft will completely replace ships in the business of passenger transatlantic transportation. In the same year, the company's all-weather aircraft appeared - the Model 307 Stratoliner "truck".

Like many other companies, during the Second World War, Boeing not only did not reduce production, but on the contrary - expanded it. That's just, instead of civil aviation, military aircraft were assembled at the factories, up to 350 units per month. Basically, these were B-17 bombers (known as the "Flying Fortress" - they were actively used for patrolling, bombing, and also to fight German submarines) and B-29 (these aircraft were used in the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki).

After the end of the war, production had to be drastically reduced by closing factories and laying off staff. On the basis of the same B-29, a passenger aircraft was hastily created. However, since then, military orders have become commonplace for Boeing.

The further history of the company is the history of many successful and not so successful developments. Both military and civilian. Light stripes replaced dark ones, but in general, things are Boeing formed well. The company's developments were actively used in space projects, such as Apollo And space shuttle. In the period from the 60s to the 90s, such legendary aircraft models as the Boeing 737, 747, 757 ...

In 1997 Boeing takes over another aircraft manufacturer Douglas Aircraft Company- its sworn competitor. What was immediately displayed in the logo, in which a “piece” from a competitor appeared.

Despite the constant competition from another aircraft manufacturer - Airbus, aircraft sales Boeing impress. Orders run into hundreds or even thousands of pieces. For example, on April 10, 2009, a significant event took place: the air carrier Air France, longtime partner Boeing purchased the 777th Boeing 777 twin-engine aircraft.

To date, the corporation includes two divisions. This Boeing Commercial Airplanes dealing with civil aviation And Integrated Defense Systems in charge of the military and space sectors. In addition to these, there are organizations such as Boeing Capital Corporation- financing issues, Shared Services Group- infrastructure support, and Boeing Engineering, Operations & Technology engaged in research, technology and their implementation.

The company's headquarters is located in Chicago, Illinois, USA (Chicago, Illinois, USA). The company's factories are scattered all over the world. The number of employees has already exceeded 150 thousand people. Aircraft production Boeing can be found in any more or less major airport worldwide.

The fuselage of the future aircraft is brought to the plant, and after nine days the finished winged machine leaves the workshop - directly to the picturesque Lake Washington. We are at the Boeing plant in Renton, USA. These workshops are home to the 737 family, the world's most popular single-aisle aircraft. It was here that they did it for Belavia. TUT.BY report - from where airplanes are born.

Rooting for the Sea Hawks here

Around Seattle, which stands on the Pacific Bay, there are several factories of the Boeing Corporation at once. The largest of them is in the city of Everett, the smaller one is in Renton. We are in the second. It is from here that the Boeing 737-800 comes from, which are already flying in Belarus, and those that are still going to buy.

Representative of Boeing Adam Tischler meets at the entrance to the factory and explains: not everything can be filmed. Most of all, the Boeing 737-MAX is protected from prying eyes (or rather, lenses) - this modification of the 737 will be officially presented next year.

The plant has two huge final assembly shops. So far, one has been used under the MAX program, and the second was able to fit two aircraft production lines at once.

An airplane spreading its wings is depicted on the doors of a huge workshop.

“A competition is organized at the plant, and employees choose the picture that will be hung on the gate,” says Adam Tishler. “Almost always it’s a plane that we make, but sometimes we hang flags and emblems of the American football club here. If you suddenly see an emblem in the form of a hawk on people's clothes here, don't be surprised. We patronize the Seattle Seahawks team (English Seattle Seahawks translates as "Seattle Seahawks." - TUT.BY), here many are rooting for them.

But we get to the plant not through these huge gates, but through the main entrance and foyer. The tour begins already with photographs in the lobby: in one picture, a view of the Boeing workshops in the past, in the second - now. Since the late nineties, the plant has been operating a lean manufacturing system.

- This is how the 737th aircraft was produced before. Everything in the shop was mixed... When it was necessary to move the plane, it took a lot of time, and stopped production near it. Then we decided to radically change the production system. Now everything is different in the workshops: the planes are moving along the line, the logistics are very well thought out. This saves a lot of time.

Adam leads us to the second level of the workshop, the planes are shown from the balcony. At this time, he honestly instructs us, the guests, how to behave in case of natural disaster, if it suddenly finds itself right here.

From the balconies you can get into the offices of engineers, plant management. They were deliberately raised higher so that the entire first level could be used for actual production. Here the corridors to the offices diverge, signs with funny pointers are visible. If you believe them - somewhere around the corner of Cairo and Nairobi. They explain to us that there are a lot of rooms and, in order to make it easier to remember, they were given the names of cities, lakes, mountains ...

Every 1.7 seconds a Boeing 737 takes off or lands in the world

• All models of the 737 family together are the best-selling civil jet aircraft in history.
• Approximately 6,480 737s (early 737s, Classic and Next-Generation) are in service today, a quarter of the world's fleet of large civil aircraft.
• More than 480 airlines in 127 countries operate the Boeing 737.

On average, there are more than 2,400 Boeing 737s in the sky at any given time. Such an aircraft takes off or lands in the world every 1.7 seconds.

• The total flight time of the 737 family aircraft is more than 299 million hours. How many hours would one plane fly if it flew 34,202 years without stopping.

From wire installation to test flight

The Renton plant is a large assembly facility. Fuselages and winglets for future Boeings are being brought from other regions of the United States. Elevators and some other parts are made in China and Korea. Engines are in France.

Wings for 737 are produced here, right at this plant.

Adam Tischler explains in detail how the plane is built step by step. First, the fuselage of the aircraft is brought to the shop. By the way, they are working on several fuselages at once. The "body" of the future aircraft is being lifted - the work is going on at a height. So Boeing frees again useful place at the bottom for other features.

In the first three days, the fuselages are filled with complex wire systems - their total length is almost 70 kilometers.

- All the tools needed by mechanics are in special boxes. As in the operating room, when the doctor says “tampon, scalpel,” so here the mechanic says “screwdriver, wrench,” Adam Tischler describes the process. “They raise the necessary tools for him. It is important that the mechanic does not go to the warehouse for some tool, does not look for them. This approach greatly speeds up the production process, eliminating inefficient movements.

On the fourth day, the future plane is lowered "from heaven to earth." The most difficult operation begins - attaching the wing, then the landing gear. Then the Boeings line up, the one in front is more ready. Aircraft are transported to a new position at night. A line with the necessary devices and tools also moves along the line with aircraft.

- Here in this position the plane has already passed through five cycles. They are testing the chassis, electricity, - Adam Tishler points to one of the Boeings.

We walk along the balcony just along the production line. On each important segment of the path that the plane passes, there are lights. In some places the lights are red, in some places they are green.

- If the flashlight turns purple, it means that the help of a specialist is needed. The yellow light is on - the problem is not very serious, which can be solved by the supervisor, the green color means everything is fine, - explains the Boeing representative.

- What about red?

Red calls for caution. This is a message that there is electricity on the plane and in general you are near the area where it is carried out.

It takes 9-10 days to assemble the aircraft. There are two production lines in this workshop, now Boeing makes 42 aircraft a month on them. In 2018, they plan to increase the volumes - due to the work of the third line, the place for which has been vacated. They plan to first make 47 aircraft in a month, and 57 in 2019.

About 12,000 people work in Renton, including office workers, builders and engineers. By the way, the delivery of the aircraft for the Belavia airline was filmed by representatives of the Boeing television - colleagues said that their audience was 80 thousand employees of the plant.

- And how many people are working on the construction of one aircraft?

“We don't disclose that figure,” Adam replies. — The fact is that in our production system we have an advantage over competitors.

“This is such an “old school” production against the backdrop of high technology,” Adam Tishler laughs, looking down.

We also lower our eyes. Directly in front of the balcony we are walking on, there is a table with a sewing machine. A woman sews airplane mats.

TO When the plane is ready, it is tested. The first B1 test is a flight performed by Boeing pilots. Specialists check how the systems work, whether everything is debugged. After the first test flight, the aircraft is sent for painting. They either paint here (there are two paint hangars in Renton) or at a plant in Seattle (there are four special hangars). They say it takes 189 liters of paint to paint one 737. After drying, the weight of the paint on one plane is about 113 kilograms.

- After painting - C1 flight, when the customer flies himself and checks if everything is in order with the plane. Southwest Airlines (the largest American low-cost airline. - TUT.BY) is a customer with whom relations have been developed so much that they themselves do not come here for the last test. Boeing does the test itself and releases the aircraft,” says Adam.

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Assemble the plane in two minutes.

The Boeing video shows the entire construction process in a very accelerated mode.

Customer Service Center. Choose seats for the aircraft and land on the Boeing-787 runway

In order for your aircraft to one day leave the factory floor ready for, say, picturesque Lake Washington, there is a lot of preliminary work with customers. At the customer service center located near Seattle, you can select and order a specific aircraft.

“Compared to relationships, this is the part when certainty sets in and you not only fall in love, but also enter into a legal marriage,” a Boeing representative explains working moments using metaphors. Jim Pru. - These relations are extended for 10, 20, 30 years.

Boeing experts say that often, after a long operation and numerous improvements, airlines convert passenger aircraft into cargo ones.

“There are planes that we stopped making thirty years ago, and they still fly,” says Jim.

Because of a large number Boeing aircraft service centers are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, in many parts of the world.

“The life cycle of an aircraft is not easy - they came and bought a plane,” says Jim.

The Boeing Customer Service Center has huge rooms that seem almost empty. But everything is not so simple. Behind walls with similar inscriptions, as in this photo, are mock-ups of aircraft cabins. The customer can walk through the salon, which is "exactly the same", as in the present aircraft, and choose the desired interior, up to the upholstery of the chairs.
The representative of "Boeing" conducts a tour of the interior layout.
This is the standard equipment for the Boeing 737-800 cabin, which was ordered by the Belavia airline.
Business class is like that. An offer for customers on the business class of the Boeing 747 aircraft, which has a two-story cabin.
On the second floor of the business class of the Boeing 747 aircraft.

- Prepare aircraft for regular transportation means to train all your crews, including pilots and personnel who serve passengers in the cabin. Get all the operating instructions, all the necessary spare parts that you will need in the first phase of operating the aircraft, Jim explains. — And when you start to operate the aircraft, you should not just follow the instructions. We need to analyze, constantly analyze the situation, use different computer programs to improve the efficiency of flights.

Here they remind: the industry itself is changing.

- Traditionally, if something happens on the plane, some kind of breakdown - the pilot makes a note, after landing he passes his note to the technical staff, who understands what happened to the plane. The technical staff is already deciding: to fix it right away, or it can wait until the evening, or even until the next big technical repair. Are the right parts available, are there the right personnel? In this case, the passenger suffers, there is a delay in flights.

Today, says Jim Proulx, there is a very different system at work.

- When there is some kind of error on the plane, the computer transmits to the ground what is happening, and already on the ground people decide what to do with this problem. Even before the plane has landed, the necessary spare parts are ordered, people are found who can install them. At the same time, the plane does not get out of the schedule. Now the planes are so "smart" that the pilots and technical staff are not included in the process - the problems that have arisen are solved by computers and ground services.

But to think that because of this technical progress the pilots on board have nothing to do - a big mistake. As if trying to show us this in action, Jim Prow ends his tour near the flight simulator.

- There are volunteers ready to land on runway 787th?

, aerospace industry

The Boeing Company is an American corporation. One of the world's largest manufacturers of aviation, space and military equipment. The headquarters is located in Chicago (Illinois, USA). The location of the main production facilities and at the same time the birthplace of the corporation is Seattle (Washington). Boeing has been the largest aerospace company in the United States for many decades, the nation's largest exporter, and the largest employer in the Seattle Industrial Region and the US Northwest as a whole in terms of the number of employees employed (the combined salary of Boeing employees is 1 ⁄ 4 from the payroll of the entire industrial workforce of the state), is one of the twelve largest industrial corporations in the country and the "big three" manufacturers of weapons and military equipment (together with Lockheed Martin and Raytheon) of the leading contractors of the US military-industrial complex in terms of annual volume of orders. About half of the income from sales of products and services is provided by the federal client sector for servicing military orders (excluding foreign customers of American weapons and military equipment). The company's activities in the military-industrial complex segment range from the production of weapons and military equipment, to nuclear testing, inclusive.

The corporation consists of two main production divisions: Boeing Commercial Airplanes (civilian products) and Boeing Integrated Defense Systems (military products and space technology). In addition, the corporation includes Boeing Capital Corporation(issues of project financing), Shared Services Group(infrastructure support) and Boeing Engineering, Operations & Technology(development, acquisition and implementation of innovative technologies and processes).

In addition to the above, production capacity companies are dispersed throughout the country: in the state of California, as well as in the cities of Everett (Washington, 47°55′30″ N. sh. 122°16′21″ W d. HGIO) and St. Louis, Missouri and other regions.

Story [ | ]

Before 1930s [ | ]

1930s and 1940s [ | ]

1970s and 1980s [ | ]

1990s and 2000s [ | ]

In 2000, Boeing expanded its aerospace presence through the acquisition of Hughes Electronics, Hughes Space and Communications Company.

Owners and management[ | ]

Denis Muilenburg (Dennis Muilenburg)- President, Chief Executive Officer, Chief Operating Officer and Vice Chairman of the Board of Directors since July 1, 2015. With Boeing since 1985. He graduated from the University of Iowa (bachelor) and the University of Washington (master).

Activity [ | ]

The company produces a wide range of civil and military aviation equipment, being, along with Airbus, the largest aircraft manufacturer in the world. In addition, Boeing produces a wide range of military aerospace equipment (including helicopters), conducts large-scale space programs (for example, the CST-100 spacecraft).

Boeing has two major divisions:

• Boeing Commercial Airplanes, which builds civil aircraft;
• Integrated Defense Systems, carrying out space and military programs.

The company's factories are located in 67 countries around the world. The company supplies its products to 145 countries of the world. Boeing works with more than 5,200 suppliers in 100 countries.

Competition with Airbus[ | ]

Boeing in the USSR [ | ]

In 1978, negotiations were underway on the supply of Boeing 747 aircraft to the USSR. Aeroflot planned to operate the aircraft first on the New York - Moscow line, and then on other intercontinental routes. However, after the USSR sent troops to Afghanistan in December 1979, Soviet-American relations deteriorated sharply. In addition, at that time, the development of domestic wide-body aircraft Il-86 was already underway. As a result, the project was not developed. Only one drawing from a promotional booklet prepared by Boeing has survived. (link not valid)

Boeing in Russia [ | ]

The company has participated in early stages development program for the regional aircraft Sukhoi Superjet 100.

Products [ | ]

Aircraft [ | ]

• Reconnaissance and strike UAVs
• UAV reconnaissance, surveillance and target designation

military products[ | ]

Military products of the company, in addition to military aircraft of its own design and production, as well as aircraft engines and on-board radio-electronic equipment for them and for aircraft other manufacturers, includes a wide range of weapons and military equipment, from land combat vehicles (as well as engines for tracked armored vehicles from other manufacturers), military robotics to software and hardware systems, combat information and control systems, automated command and control systems for troops and weapons and military equipment, reconnaissance satellites, satellite communication systems, reconnaissance and target designation, as well as

11 days - that's how long it takes to assemble one brand new and sparkling Boeing 737, the world's most popular passenger aircraft! In total, 38 aircraft per month are assembled at the Renton plant, and the 737 line itself has been produced since 1967! More than 7,600 aircraft have already been delivered to customers... And another 3,000 aircraft have been ordered and are awaiting assembly and delivery! At the same time, the atmosphere on the assembly line itself is more than imposingly relaxed. Visually, no one is in a hurry, because the most important thing is safety, this is where the price of a mistake is very high. Therefore, each employee of the assembly line works at a very comfortable pace without haste and fatigue.

In this report, I invite you to the factory where Boeing-737s are assembled, because all of you, almost certainly, have flown this plane at least once in your life! So, with this type I will begin a large series of reports from the Boeing factories in Seattle.

But first, the layout of the plants around Seattle. The 737 is assembled in Renton, then the aircraft flies to Boeing Field Airport, where, after a series of test flights, it is handed over to the customer. Long-haul aircraft are assembled and handed over to the customer in Everett, there is also a center for visiting tourists, you can go to the factory as part of an excursion.

The production complex in Renton includes production lines engaged in the assembly narrow-body aircraft Boeing 737 NG and modifications. Production in Renton was launched on the eve of the Second World War. The famous Boeing B-17 flying fortresses were created here.

After the war, in 1952, the first jet passenger aircraft Boeing 707 left the stocks of the plant. All subsequent series and modifications of Boeing narrow-body aircraft were developed here: -707, -727, -737 and -757. Today, 4 modifications remain in Renton's production program Boeing aircraft 737NG. This is where the build will start. latest version aircraft Boeing - 737, - modification 737 - MAX.

In 2003, the consolidation of production in Renton was carried out. All design and support divisions received residence permits in the premises directly adjacent to production. This restructuring has improved the efficiency of management and interaction. At the same time, production areas were reduced by more than 40%. Production is organized as a moving assembly line, essentially the world's first conveyor assembly of passenger aircraft.

Pay attention to the next two photos, they hang at the entrance to the production. The first was made in the 80s, the second is a modern conveyor (!) scheme of work. The entire assembly line moves continuously at a speed of 5cm/min!

The fuselages for the Boeing 737 are being built in Wichita, Kansas. Delivered by rail at a distance of 3218 km. Delivery to the factory in Renton takes about 8 days.

In one of the reports earlier, someone in the comments noted why the Boeing fuselage is uniformly green, while Airbus' green has different shades. Answer: Boeing 737's entire fuselage is assembled at one plant, Airbus's different parts are produced at different enterprises. However, at big Boeings also on different ones, but more on that in one of the following reports.

The rhythmic production of aircraft was made possible by the implementation of a virtual model of each assembled aircraft. Long before the laying of the aircraft, the virtual model ensures the perfect assembly of all components and components (kitchens from Japan, armchairs from Italy), in accordance with the most diverse requirements of customers. The principles of “Lean Manufacturing” are fully implemented here. On the other hand, this made it possible to reduce the entire cycle from order to delivery from 2 and a half years to 11 months. Every month, up to 38 Boeing-737 aircraft leave the gates of the plant, and a total of 415 aircraft were delivered to customers in 2012.

Now one aircraft is being assembled for 11 days, plans are to reach the mark of 10 days! And not by increasing the number of employees or space, but by optimizing the assembly process:

New 737-800 for FlyDubai. It was for this airline on December 16, 2011 that Boeing delivered the 7000th 737th!

Almost everything is handmade!

We pass to the second line.
In general, the height of the pavilion with assembly line 737 is 33m, width 230m, dyne 340m.

In this position, the vertical and horizontal stabilizers are mounted:

The territory is huge - therefore, employees use bicycles to move around:

In the center of the hall, installation of galleries, hydraulics, chassis,

In the following position, the salon and chairs, toilets, luggage compartments are mounted:

And finally, the last position before rolling out is the installation of CFM engines:

Then the plane is rolled out and transported for painting to the next workshop, but it makes its first flight being completely unpainted! This aircraft for the Chinese returned to the assembly shop for further refinement of the components after test flights:

And near the lake, beauty!

After rolling out, the planes are towed for 5 days to the Renton airfield, which is just a couple of hundred meters from the assembly shop. This is where refueling takes place; performance of pre-flight tests, including engine testing procedures. The aircraft is on its 1st flight to the Seattle Supply Center at Boeing Field; aircraft painting is carried out in Seattle or Renton; painting takes 3 days; 1/3 of all planes are painted in Renton.

Then flight tests are carried out, which involve Boeing pilots and pilots of the customer and it takes about 7 days.

I didn’t manage to get to the paint shop either on a Boeing or an Airbus, I really wanted to, but I had to put on a lot of things, and there wasn’t enough time, as usual ... Usually, about 190 liters of paint are required to paint 737. After drying, the weight of the paint is one aircraft is approximately 113 kilograms, depending on the paint application scheme.

In the next report, I will talk about what I saw at the Boeing Field airfield.
For example, a brand new 737-900 for the Ukrainian UIA, which has just returned after its first flight from the factory in Renton to Boeing Field:

70% of all civil aircraft sold by Boeing belong to the 737 family. It was here that UTair ordered as part of the fleet renewal and replenishment program.

Thank you for the excursion! :)

More than 1,700 Boeing 737s are in the air every second in the world's sky! Monitor "live", you can view each type of aircraft from those that are in the air. At the time of my visit it was: 787 - 14: A380 - 80.

Traditionally, many thanks for the opportunity to see all this live - Lena Galanova and the Boeing press service! :)

Reports about the Boeing 737, its history and features, as well as about the new 737-800 for UTair, which flew from Moscow to Tyumen last night:

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