Peter Kline

Expected to take just 3 days to assemble. (That's faster then it took me to put together those old Revell plastic models!). Story on the jet is
here.

Scott Strang

I'll buy one. (Hey, gimme my checkbook.)

Dan D.

It's pretty cool, but not nearly as cool as the Sonic Cruiser project it is replacing. I know the economics of the Sonic Cruiser just weren't right for the market today, but I was really looking forward to seeing those flying overhead.

Peter Kline

Dan D.

I posted the Sonic Cruiser item a few months ago. Too bad it didn't go through. Maybe in another 10 years we'll see something like it proposed. Not only was there the economics, but there was considerable debate about the engineering as well. Perhaps a smaller version will eventually be built to test out the concept.

Peter

Dan D.

Let us hope. With Concorde service ending this year, we need something, well, awe-inspiring again.

Ray Chuang

From what I read about the 7E7 proposal, the plane will seat between 200 and 250 passengers, will have a wider fuselage than the 767 it replaces (for more comfortable seating and LD3 container compatibility), and will have range as far as 7,800 nautical miles.

There is one thing Boeing is very seriously considering for the 7E7--an economical cruise speed as high as Mach 0.89, somewhat above that of the Mach 0.85 cruise speed of the 747-400 and 777-200ER. This right now depends on if General Electric, Pratt & Whitney and/or Rolls-Royce can build improved jet engines that offer higher thrust at lower fuel burn. If the 7E7 cruises at Mach 0.89 it will offer most of the advantages of the now-shelved Sonic Cruiser at much lower development costs.

Raymond in Sacramento, CA USA

Philip_G

that has to be a mistake. Three days just isn't possible when you consider the sheer size, complexity, and AMOUNT of just wiring that has to be installed.
maybe they mean 3 days for the fuselage alone?

Not even the wiring, the hydraulics gives me a headache just thinking about it.

Peter Kline

Philip G. The plan is have all the sections pre-wired and assembled and ready for a 3 day final assembly similar to the way cars are built nowadays.

Philip_G

ah, that's not 3 day construction then. Even if it is that modular, boeing (the best company in the world ) probably can't churn one out every 3 days because of the lead time on the modules. Of course this would require a lot less space than having a 747 fuselage moving along for a year in your hangar.
I'd love to see them prove me wrong though. With the recent 767 lease to the USAF, this would be a nice boost.

Edwin-S

A lot of people think this is about us looking for a large check," Bair said. "It's not.