A few miles north of Seattle – well, 25 miles actually – is the city of Everett, which is home to the Boeing Company. We visited the plant and took in the Future of Flight Aviation Center & Boeing Tour.
In the Future of Flight Hall you can design your own aircraft. There are many displays on the new Boeing 787 which will be made of mostly composite materials.
After a film on the history of Boeing we were bussed to the plant passing many aircraft being readied for delivery to customer around the world.
The plant itself is the largest building in the world at 472,000,000 cubic feet under one roof. It has no heating or air conditioning systems, when it’s hot inside they open the doors and when it’s cold they close them, the lights and equipment provide the heat.
The Washington location makes sense as the area is not subject to extreme temperatures. Inside, I lost all sense of scale, from the observation balcony we could see the production lines for the 747, 767, and 777.
The new line for the 787 was under construction. There where excavators and dump trucks moving around inside that looked like a child’s toys, even the huge wide-bodied aircraft were dwarfed by the size of the building itself. Huge cranes mounted at the ceiling transport large aircraft sections to to put together. On the new line the aircraft themselves will move similar to an automobile production line. This the first time it’s been attempted with aircraft of this size.
If you’re an aviation enthusiast like Ros and myself or just marvel at these incredible machines, a visit to the Boeing Plant is a must. The centre operates seven days a week from 8:30 to 5:00pm. Admission is $15.00 for adults and Children $8.00. Children must be at least four feet tall. No cameras or electronic devices are allowed on the tour so leave them in your vehicle or you can rent a locker.Ticket sales are first come first served but you can avoid disappointment and buy them now
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