777 Time Lapse Build, British Airways 300ER

The videos are very cool to watch. I really would like to see a video of the repairs on the 777 that caught fire in Las Vegas.

https://www.flightglobal.com/news/articles/picture-fire-damaged-ba-777-leaves-las-vegas-for-fu-422590/

Amazing with how much damage there was on the 16 year old air frame that it was going to be written off.

 

A Boeing factory tour would be awesome.. anyone done here recently? Good? Bad? Indifferent?

I see from one tour offering a policy of no cameras allowed in factory etc..

 

No cameras. You are up on the balconies and get a pretty good view of the final assy line. Pretty neat if you are not familiar with it.

 

The Boeing tour is the most popular tourist attraction up here. It's not the kind of tour that used to conduct where we DID TOUR the factory and got close to what was being done. Now the tour groups are assembled on a balcony over-looking final assembly. In the 727 days (1963) I had the privilege of conducting a tour for some Japanese officials, one of whom was the president of Tokyo Univ. and his wife. I lost her when we were in sub assembly area. I had to stop the tour and search for this little person and I finally found her INSIDE A WING CENTER SECTION intently examining the fasteners sealing. There were no end ribs so she had open access to the part. She and her husband had a talk, not about staying with the group but what she found inside that part. Later when we got to final assembly her husband pointed to the airplane front end and asked,"Whatoeeze dot?" I said that it was aluminum. Then he shook his head and said,"No No " and touched his finger to the tip of his nose. I caught on and told him that the tip of the nose dome was neoprene rubber. He turned to his wife and with great authority, " Dat-o-eeze-U NEOPWEEN WUBBAH!" His wife bobbed her head up and down and answered " AH SO AH SO." Interesting and fun times then.

 

Looks like it would be pretty neat even if you ARE familiar with it.

 

Thanks guys - yes looks neat no matter what can see..

*adds to next US trip list*

Been to Bologna to see Ducati builds.. also Pagani for Huyara pre-release.. love seeing how amazing and beautiful machines are made.

 

She will be right at home in the UK. Weather for her first take-off was pretty much just like UK weather.

 

Looks like they've re-arranged that final assembly area that used to hold 3 jets in different stages on the left side facing the door.

When it rolled out of the final body join jig on its gear it went to the left and received the rest of its avionics, floorboards, seats and the like. Then on to the next slot to get engines.

Looks like now it's just a straight shot toward the door to get engines and whatever else. Maybe they're not being built in the numbers they were in 96' when I hired on and don't need those other three positions...