EVERETT – Workers at the Boeing Co.’s Everett plant could begin piecing the first 787 together today.
At 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, the company’s giant white 747 freighter – the Dreamlifter – touched down at Everett’s Paine Field carrying with it the first major Dreamliner component.
Despite a lack of ceremony, the arrival of 787 horizontal stabilizers from Boeing’s Italian partner, Alenia Aeronautica, marked a major step forward in Boeing’s first 787 delivery scheduled for 2008.
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The pieces were unloaded by a machine that is 118 feet long and 27.5 feet wide. It can carry parts as large as three car lengths wide and 12 cars long.
Gray skies and light drizzle didn’t dampen security guard John Carr’s enthusiasm as he waved a handful of company onlookers and media members out of the 747’s way. Carr could be heard shouting: “This is awesome. This is so great.”
His sentiments capture not only Boeing workers’ thoughts but also those of local and state leaders who worked to ensure the Dreamliner would be assembled in Everett.
For its new 787 jet, Boeing has dramatically altered the way it produces planes and increased its reliance on foreign and domestic partners. The jet will be made mostly of composite material, a form of plastic that will make the aircraft lighter and more fuel-efficient than conventional jets.
About 25 percent of the 787 will come from somewhere outside the United States. Major global 787 partners include Italy’s Alenia; Japan’s Fuji, Kawasaki and Mitsubishi heavy industries; France’s Messier Dowty; and China’s Chengdu Aircraft.
The partners will supply major pieces that will come to Everett nearly complete, meaning there will be less work for Boeing Machinists and production workers compared to traditionally assembled aircraft. The company hopes to be able to snap segments together quickly, eventually creating a new jet in as few as three days – an unprecedented pace.
State and local government officials worked together to ensure that Boeing would assemble its new 787 in Everett. In 2003, the Legislature passed $3.2 billion in incentives to keep the plane maker in Washington state.
Boeing had predicted that the 787 program would create 800 to 1,200 direct jobs. Since 2003, Boeing has added more than 15,000 Washington workers to its labor force, including extra people to help shave some weight off the 787 to meet initial fuel expectations.
In that time, Snohomish County has seen an increase of 7,000 aerospace jobs – for Boeing and its suppliers, partly because of growing orders for other jets in addition to the 787.
Work on the first plane will begin with assembling the five pieces of Alenia’s horizontal stabilizers, a piece of the tail that keeps the plane steady in flight. The pieces, built at Italy’s Foggia site, were loaded onto one of four of Boeing’s Dreamlifter cargo jets in Grottaglie, Italy, Tuesday at 10:35 a.m. local time. After a short stop in Prestwick, Scotland, the blue and white cargo jet with 10 people aboard flew approximately 10 hours to Everett.
Once assembled, Alenia’s stabilizers will span an area of 32 feet by 62 feet. Only a few months ago, Boeing’s vice president of the 787 program, Mike Bair, expressed concern about keeping Alenia on track. For that purpose, Boeing has dispatched its engineers to partner sites around the world.
On Tuesday, Boeing spokeswoman Mary Hanson said the company expects that most of the major 787 components will arrive in Everett within the next several weeks. That means residents around the Puget Sound region should get used to seeing Boeing’s enormous 747 Dreamlifters in the sky, she said.
The company will ferry parts among its partner facilities before delivery to Everett. Boeing officials say the Dreamlifter fleet will save the company both time and cost. Components coming from overseas will have to be inspected by a customs agent before Boeing can tow the pieces to its factory, as was the case Tuesday night.
Boeing plans to roll its 787 jet out of the Everett plant on July 8. The Dreamliner will make its first flight in August or September.
About 44 customers have ordered a total of 544 Dreamliner jets since April 2004, more initial orders in a shorter time than for other new models. At list prices, those orders are worth more than $75 billion.
With the 787 line sold out until early 2013, the process of building Dreamliners, which begins today, could last a long time.
Michelle Dunlop: 425-339-3454; mdunlop@heraldnet.com.
What’s next?
May: Boeing readies 787 final assembly line at Everett factory.
July 8: Rollout for 787-8 Dreamliner.
August or September: 787 Dreamliner takes first flight.
September through December: Flight testing.
2008: Entry into service and first delivery.
The Dreamlifters
What: Four converted 747-400 freighters that will transport 787 sections.
Why: Flying the parts reduces shipping times to as little as one day and cuts costs by 20 percent to 40 percent.
Capacity: The jet has a cargo capacity of 65,000 cubic feet, three times that of the usual 747-400. The 26-foot ceiling accommodates 787 fuselage sections.
Key feature: The expanded jet also has a hinged tail that allows easy loading.
The route: Parts go between Nagoya, Japan; Grottaglie, Italy; Wichita, Kan.; and Charleston, S.C. to a final stop in Everett.
787 news online
Check the progress of major 787 suppliers at heraldnet.com/boeing.
For more discussion on Boeing, visit reporter Michelle Dunlop’s aerospace blog at heraldnet.com.
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