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Boeing: Planes
built 658 days ago
Interestingly, Boeing refused to sell the 247 to competing airline TWA, reserving the first production run of 60 planes for its own airline subsidiary, United Airlines. Because of this, TWA commissioned a similar plane from Douglas, the DC-2 and which evolved into the DC-3, a plane that eclipsed the 247 in size and speed and rendered it quickly obsolete. United's 247s cost $50,000 each.
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Dan Rather is at it again, this time claiming that the Boeing 787 Dreamliner could be "unsafe." The report says that due to its "brittle carbon compounds, [the aircraft] is more likely to shatter on impact and may emit poisonous chemicals when ignited." Rather's report is based on a former Boeing engineer and other "industry exper" testimonies. Instead of pointing fingers now, wouldn't it be better to wait until the plane is actually finished and passes —or fails—all FAA tests?
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The growing popularity of passenger flight inspired Boeing to build the first plane specifically to carry passengers. The three-engine Model 80 biplane could carry 12 passengers, and an upgraded Model 80A could hold 18. The Model 80 first flew on July 27, 1928, and the 80A on September 12, 1929. An innovative feature was its removable wooden wingtips that allowed the plane to fit into the hangars along its route. Its cabin had hot and cold running water, a toilet, forced air ventilation, leather upholstered seats, and individual reading lamps. It ... had a separate enclosed flight deck, which some pilots objected to, being accustomed to an open cockpit.
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Production of the 787 is being spread across a global consortium of partners, part of a strategy Boeing says will cut costs and spread the financial risks. The Dreamliner is ... the first large commercial jet to be made largely from so-called composite materials - high-tech plastics aimed at making the plane more fuel efficient and cheaper to maintain than traditional aluminum aircraft.
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[I]n 1952 Boeing decided to invest $16 million into developing a revolutionary new jet plane, the model 367-80 (commonly referred to as the 'Dash 80'). This new plane took three years to develop.
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The medium-range Boeing 707 first flew on December 20, 1957. The plane was unique -- and important -- because it could manage a full passenger load without full fuel tanks at the outset of a flight.
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