February 2015
The Boeing factory that manufactures 747, 767, 777 and 787
is at Everett, north of Seattle. Public can also visit the factory through
organized tours from Future of Flight Aviation Centre at Everett.
The Aviation centre has a gallery that has several exhibits.
The Rolls-Royce Engine that powers 787 Dreamliner. It is so
huge that we feel dwarfed in front of it. Amazing to see that it powers the
entire aircraft.
There is a GE Engine in display.
A real cockpit from 727. We can go inside and handle all
controls!!
A wing from 747.Another monster in the gallery. Look at how
small a person looks in front of it.
Boeing outsources most of its components. The Dream Lifter
lifts all these huge components from various locations (Italy, Japan and Taiwan)
to the Boeing factory. There are only four Dream lifters and one of them was at
the factory when we visited.
The aircraft that are ready to be delivered to customers.
The main highlight is the tour to the factory. Boeing does
not allow people to carry any electronic equipment and wallets. Locker facility
is available to securely keep the items.
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| A "nose" of an aircraft |
It is the world’s biggest factory in terms of volume
covering about 98 acres!! You can imagine the size. It is really huge. To enter
into the factory we had to get down to the tunnel, so long that we could not
see the other end. The elevators took us to the upper floor where we can see
the aircrafts being assembled.
It is an amazing experience to see those huge Jumbos being
assembled. Even the interiors and painting are carried out here. When we went
747 for the Korean Air was being assembled. Boeing uses the runway next to the
factory to perform all the testing before delivery to the customer.
I must say that I was completely mesmerized by the visit to
the factory. One should not miss this place if you are visiting Seattle.
Labels: Abroad, Boeing, factory, travel, USA
