American Boeing will build a new plant in the Urals. How it works. Boeing aircraft manufacturing

In 1903, an important event in the history of world aviation took place in the United States: on Kitty Hawk Beach in North Carolina airplane Wright brothers committed first ever flight. Meanwhile in New Haven, Connecticut, the 22-year-old the future founder of the corporation, left the walls of Yale University and decided to take up 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. 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 with kindred spirits - enthusiasts air flights Fleet Lieutenant Konrad Westervelt and Pilot Tyra 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 boathouse for aircraft and organized pacific Aero Club, which gave everyone the opportunity to take a ride on an airplane 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 design 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 plane, and just a month later he registered a corporation. 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.

Thanks to the strategy of diversification of production Boeing Airplane mastered postage market. And in 1927, having won the contract of the US Federal Post Office (the model 40-A aircraft won), he 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 aircraft took to the skies models 80As for 12 passengers. Flight attendants boarded the plane for the first time. In 1930, William Boeing presented a utility vehicle to the public. Monomail(the streamlining of its forms resembles modern "Boeings").

Soon Boeing Airplane Company evolved into Boeing Airplane & Transport Corporation. New divisions also appeared: the 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 aviation transport services. And on February 1, 1929, a real colossus was born - United Aircraft & Transport 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, the company directed all its efforts to the development of new aircraft models. In 1935, a fighter was born kaidet, became the main training aircraft of the US aviation. More than 10,000 of these machines were built. In 1936, she entered into a contract with the PanAmerican airline and for many years became its main partner. In 1938, the passenger model saw the light 307 Stratoliner, which became a 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 the Second World War, the company 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 of the Allies, who dropped thousands of tons of bombs on Germany at the end of the war, was almost completely assembled at the factories. The bomber that dropped the atomic bomb on Hiroshima is also the brainchild of 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, and 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 "flying fortresses" B-52, air tankers KS-135 and the first American jet passenger aircraft models 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 assigned the call signs 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 corporation began to develop space direction. The first projects of a habitable orbital station appeared Dyna Soar and launch vehicles Saturn V, for the Apollo program. In 1963, NASA chose to organize a flight to 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 1967, the liner went on its first flight 737, which was destined to become the best-selling aircraft of all time. Total number cars sold exceeded 2000 pieces. A year later, the world's largest passenger liner 747: its wingspan was greater than the extent of the first flight of the Wright brothers.

The streak of success was interrupted in 1970-1972, when, due to the curtailment of the state program for the development supersonic aircraft SST, the termination of the Apollo program and the beginning of the oil crisis. had to cut more than half of the jobs. Exactly then local authorities felt what it means for the economy of Seattle and the entire state of Washington. Thousands of unemployed people left the city, and the famous poster appeared on the highway leading to the center of the country: « If you're the last one to leave Seattle, - put out your light!» The new CEO, Thornton Wilson, had to lead the company out of another crisis.
As the oil crisis was overcome, the portfolio of orders was replenished, and the company's business went uphill again. Wilson coped with the task of restoring the company and handed it over to his successor, Frank Schronz, from whom the post of CEO passed to Philip Condit.
Under Condit, the corporation finally established itself as a world leader aviation industry, the largest manufacturer of civil and military aircraft, the main American contractor in the construction of the international space station, the number one company in the United States in terms of exports, a giant with annual sales reaching $ 60 billion Under Condit, she made two grand corporate acquisitions: in 1996, the company Rockwell is the developer of the famous "space shuttles", and in 1997 - McDonnell Douglas, the only American manufacturer civil aircraft which competed for many years

At the turn of the millennium, the corporation again fell into the "zone of turbulence". In 2003, for the first time in history, it gave the first place among civil aircraft suppliers to the European concern Airbus. In the first half of 2003, a "spy" scandal broke out, during which she was accused of using the secrets of Locheed Martin; in addition, the company had to hear accusations of unethical lobbying of its interests in the US government. These scandals forced Phil Condit to first resign several of the company's senior management, including CFO Mike Sears, who many called the future CEO of the company, and then to resign himself.
The company will now be run by a group of former McDonnell Douglas executives, with Harry Stonecifer, the former CEO of the acquired company, taking over as general manager. There's a joke in Seattle that " McDonnell Douglas buys Boeing with Boeing money».

Competitors claim that the leader of the world aviation industry has no new ideas. This is not entirely true: the company was preparing for a technological breakthrough by developing a model of the high-speed superliner Sonic Cruiser, but decided not to take risks with the withdrawal of a revolutionary aircraft and froze this project. Launched as a matter of urgency, the 7J7 liner is, by and large, revolutionary only in terms of cabin ergonomics and external design, and as an answer to the Airbus A380 Superjumbo, which is coming out in 2006, can only offer a modified version of the 747, which is on the verge of its fortieth anniversary.
The military division has lost a $200 billion tender to Locheed Martin to develop a fifth-generation fighter.

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. At the same time, in New Haven, Connecticut, 22-year-old William Boeing, the future founder of the 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. (later the company was renamed Boeing Airplane), 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. The 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. The Allied air fleet, which dropped thousands of tons of bombs on Germany at the end of the war, was almost entirely 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. William Allen, who took over as CEO, 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 "flying fortress" B-52, aerial tankers KS-135 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 has been assigned callsigns 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 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 at 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 approached Boeing with a proposal to develop a mass model of a jet aircraft capable of using the runways of small airports, flying even with a single engine failure, being more economical than the B-707, 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. The total number of 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, until the market situation, as well as competition from Airbus, McDonnell Douglas and Lockheed, forced the company to start developing a long-haul wide-body airliner for 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

The fuselage of the future aircraft is brought to the plant, and after nine days the finished winged machine leaves the workshop - right to 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 narrow-body 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 the event of a 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 civilian 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 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.

- To prepare an aircraft for regular flights 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 such technological progress, the pilots on board have nothing to do, is 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?

About THE BOEING COMPANY

THE BOEING COMPANY, together with its subsidiaries, is one of the major players in the aerospace industry. For reporting purposes, the Company divides its business into the following segments: passenger aircraft, defense, space and security, and Boeing Capital. The company belongs to industrial sector.

Passenger aircraft segment

This segment includes the development, production and sale of passenger jet aircraft and providing maintenance services for passenger aircraft around the world. The company is a leader in the production of passenger aircraft and offers a family of passenger jetliners that meet a wide range of requirements for domestic and international passenger and transport airlines, including the narrow-body model 737 and the wide-body models 747, 767, 777 and 787. The company continues to work on models 787-9 , 787-10 and variants of the 737 MAX. In November 2013, the Company launched the 777X, which features a composite wing, new engines and folding wing tips designed to achieve greater efficiency and significant fuel savings. In addition, the passenger aircraft segment offers spare parts, training, service documentation and technical advice to customers worldwide.

Defense, space and security

This segment mainly includes research, development, production, modification and support of products and related systems. The Company's main customer in this segment is the US Department of Defense, which in 2013 accounted for about 67% of the Company's total revenue in this segment (excluding sales of military products through the US government). Other significant sources of revenue are NASA, the world's military products, civilian markets and commercial satellites.

People have dreamed of conquering the sky since ancient times, and there have always been daredevils in history who sacrificed their whole lives for the sake of this dream. Some considered them insane, but in the end, it was precisely such people that heaven obeyed. Speaking about the discoveries and developments related to the celestial spaces, one cannot help but recall and say about the Boeing company with its creator - William Boeing. If not for him, who knows what path aviation would take and would exist now in the form in which we are all used to. Boeing aircraft and equipment are used all over the world, any major airline considers it his duty to buy at least one unit of transport.

In addition, the company actively sponsors and develops third-party research related to space exploration, solving various air transport tasks, and improving military aircraft and fighters. He is now a multi-billion dollar tycoon with offices in various countries on almost all continents. The company's income is constantly growing, it has repeatedly beat various world records. Boeing is an example of how the dream of the sky turned into an unprecedented commercial success and a recognizable brand. But first things first.

Initially, the plane in the form in which we are now accustomed to seeing it was invented by the Wright brothers. In 1903, they flew a very impressive distance in their first aircraft. These people were innovators, before them engineers fought over different models gliders without worrying too much about handling and safety. But the inventors went the other way. They spent more than one year, but in the end their work was crowned with success. The newspapers trumpeted it, as it was world wide news.

It coincided with graduation from William Boeing University. He studied, it is worth saying, he was good, but had nothing to do with aviation. And after graduation, he actively began to conduct business related to the timber trade. It was here that he made great fortune, which later became the initial capital for his life's work. Boeing was a respected man, an active businessman, purposeful and serious. But when he first saw an airship at a trade show in 1909, he fell in love with aviation and the sky.

Further, Boeing for some time hatched a plan of its own offspring, along the way closing the gaps in education. He went to exhibitions and demonstration flights. On one of them, the pilot miraculously did not die, but even this did not frighten, but only interested the businessman. He realized that his business should offer not just flights to the sky, but safe flights. This is how Boeing was born.

Further development of the corporation

We can say that the company began its official existence in 1905.

At the same time, Boeing met and became friends with flight enthusiasts Westervelt and Maroni. In parallel, Boeing himself learned to pilot.

Initially, Boeing was a hangar with airplanes, on which everyone could travel short distances. But the planes existing at that time did not suit the businessman. Finding enthusiasts, he began his development. Here are just a few of the many facts that are known about the firm at the time:

1. Boeing invested $100,000 in its brainchild, an astronomical sum by those standards, and its entire fortune.
2. Initially, the company established itself as the world's first mail carrier.
3. Only after a while was the first St. Francisco-Chicago air route created.
4. The first model appeared passenger aircraft(for 12 persons) in 1929.
5. In 1930, a heavy cargo aircraft appeared, fully adapted for cargo transportation.

The firm grew and expanded. She had departments where they taught pilots, produced aircraft or parts for them (propellers, wings), designed equipment, trained engineers, and provided transport services. By 1929, the founder of the company became one of the richest businessmen in America. His contribution paid off in full.

Boeing 787 aircraft assembly line Boeing Co. in Everett, Washington

Ups and downs

Unfortunately, not everything was so smooth in the aviation business. The American government was not too happy about unity in this area. As a result, a law was passed that forbade airline companies to simultaneously engage in both postal and passenger flights, as well as to create aircraft. Boeing broke up into three subsidiaries:

• Air Lines, which was engaged in the transportation of passengers;
• aircraft;
• Boeing Company (design and manufacture of aircraft).

For the owner of the company, this was a terrible blow. Everything that he created for so many years, partly collapsed, underwent changes. He retired, retired. He quenched his thirst for speed and adrenaline with a new passion - breeding horses. Various parts of the company passed to the very enthusiastic pilots who were with him at the very beginning of his career.

What is Boeing after the departure of its main mastermind? This is a company that was also not going to lose the palm. In 1930, the company produced a modified and modern fighter aircraft, on which the US military would train for a long time. Then in 1938, the company launched the 307 Stratoliner passenger aircraft, which for decades defined the ideal of a passenger aircraft. air transport. At the same time, Boeing did not forget about military equipment and created powerful and high-speed bombers.

War and post-war period

World War II destroyed many destinies and firms. But this does not apply to Boeing. Yes, the development of passenger aircraft practically ceased, they were simply not in demand and dangerous at such a time. However, the company became the largest manufacturer of military aviation technology. At the same time, a record was broken at the factories of the corporation, which still remains relevant - in emergency mode, the company produced 16 aircraft per day.

But after the war, the crisis reached this giant. In 1946, 7,000 people were fired. The company suffered losses, there was no great demand for flights. However, even here everything turned in its favor. Trying to find new facets of business, the company began to produce new, more advanced bombers, produced the world's first air refueling aircraft, introduced the first jet passenger aircraft - the Model 707. One of them was once bought for the US President.

And in the 60s, the sky was not enough for Boeing - the company began to explore space. Engineers created sometimes quite fantastic projects - for example, a huge orbital station of a new type. But it was the creation of the company - the Apollo 11 spacecraft that flew to the moon and successfully allowed the astronauts to set foot on this soil.

Boeing airliners and bombers

Boeing aircraft and modern times

Since the 70s, the company has been producing aircraft that are still used by all companies in the world and fly to various destinations. In this time frame, the world saw the Boeing 737 - the best-selling airliner of all time (the record has not yet been broken). After that, the 747 was released - which was the biggest creation in the line.

Of course, it cannot be said that the company's business has always been going uphill. The oil crisis led to total cuts, the workers were indignant, the management was spinning and trying to take new orders. But in the end, another crisis subsided and left the corporation in the black. Until now, it remains one of the largest and most successful aviation firms. This is the largest aircraft manufacturer, the US contractor for the construction of the space station. In addition, Boeing is America's leader in exports. Just think, the volume of revenue for the year is about 60 billion a year.

The throne was shaken only at the beginning of the 2000s. Then the palm in terms of income passed to another giant of the sky - Airbus. However, this colossus stayed afloat. Some critics say Boeing engineers have run out of ideas. This, of course, is not true. The project includes a passenger supersonic aircraft, as well as new airliner, which will make a breakthrough in terms of ergonomics and comfort for passengers. Boeing attracts more and more new engineers, buys interesting, but small companies, and along with them - their ideas.

For example, not so long ago the world saw the Boeing 787 - it was released in 2011. This is very modern liner, which can accommodate up to 330 passengers. The speed reached is 903 kilometers per hour. At the same time, the most modern systems and computer devices are installed in the cockpit for successful control even in critical situations. It remains only to wait what else Boeing will surprise the whole world in the near future, because there is no doubt that it will be something new.

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