Boeing Factory- Seattle

Space Needle Observatory, Seattle

Dr C Subramanian who is a Professor at Florida Institute of Technology and works closely with the team of NASA in Research and Development mooted the idea of a visit to the Boeing factory in Seattle a day before we were set to sail on a cruise to Alaska.  Dr Subramanian is an interesting person to talk to and will keep you at the hearing end of the conversation whenever he talks about space and its related matters including launching of space shuttles from the Kennedy space centre.  This gentleman adds something more to whatever the guide explains about the Boeing planes!  I was thrilled to be in the company of this value added services man who had abundant  knowledge about the flying machines. We boarded the bus that took a few interested visitors to the Boeing factory located in Seattle and was about 50 minutes drive from the downtown area where  our hotel was situated.

The Boeing factory was surrounded by mountains covered with snow and  cool breeze! What an atmosphere to work?

The car park from where one could see the latest Boeing 787 s parked and ready for delivery! I was very happy and thrilled to see that there were 4 brand new 787 Boeing s painted with logo of Air India amongst the dozen planes that were parked!  Mera Bharat Mahan!!

 Continuous flow of visitors to the facility not only encourages the team working on the projects but also brings in revenue in the form of entrance fees which goes for the development and welfare schemes formulated.

 The Boeing facility has its own Air strip which also trains aspirants to make them a full fledged pilot.  This functions as a private airport exclusively for the Boeing requirements.

 At the entrance reception.  They are very strict and make sure that visitors do not carry mobile phones or camera which according to me in unwarranted.  Photography inside the facility is strictly not allowed. The tour lasts 90 minutes and the tour guide warns us about unavailability of Rest Rooms during the tour!!

 A model of the initial planes that were launched by the Boeing.

  A view of the factory.

 The Dream lifter lanes carry some vital parts of the plane which are outsourced to various countries and from where the ferry it for final assembly at the facility.

  Rolls Royce engine that gets fitted in the plane.  Don't forget to assume the size of the engine!  The entire tour is made interesting as they take you through corridors of assembly and details about how assembling is done?  The mammoth size of cranes handling the parts of plane and the entire section of assembly makes you wonder about this flying machine and its capabilities.  You also feel satisfied about the fare that the airlines charges keeping in mind the huge size and proportion of the facility and the various inputs that is gathered all around the globe to keep this machine flying high!

 Brand new planes taking off from the Paine field near the start of the Tour.

 Parked behind are the planes ready for delivery.  If you zoom in you can find 787 s ordered by Air India.  The Boeing 787 Dream liner is a long-range, mid-size wide-body, twin-engine jet airliner developed by Boeing Commercial Airplanes. It seats 210 to 330 passengers, depending on the variant. Boeing states that it is the company's most fuel-efficient airliner and the world's first major airliner to use composite materials for most of its construction.^[4] The 787 consumes 20% less fuel than the similarly-sized Boeing 767. Some of its distinguishing features include a four-panel windshield, noise-reducing chevrons on its engine nacelles, and a smoother nose contour.

 A view of the front of the factory which has 5 gates which can take a plane in and out!  At the end of the tour, you feel its worth the visit to learn about this huge flying machine that takes you all over the globe ensuring safety aspects which are very important.  One feels like saying" I am not going if it is not Boeing"!!