Boeing |
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B777
Photo: Robert Deering 2/3/2006
Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport
(DFW)
Dallas/Fort Worth, Texas |
B&W 1 |
B40 |
B80 |
B247 |
B307 |
B360 |
B367-80 |
B707 |
B727 |
B737 |
B747 |
B757 |
B767 |
B777 |
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Military
Aircraft |
The
Boeing Company
is an American multinational
aerospace and defense corporation.
Founded in 1916 by William E. Boeing
in Seattle, Washington, the company
has expanded over the years, and
merged with McDonnell Douglas in
1997. Boeing moved its corporate
headquarters from Seattle to
Chicago, Illinois, in 2001. Boeing
is made up of multiple business
units, which are Boeing Commercial
Airplanes (BCA); Boeing Defense,
Space & Security (BDS); Engineering,
Operations & Technology; Boeing
Capital; and Boeing Shared Services
Group.
Boeing is
among the largest global aircraft
manufacturers, and the third largest
aerospace and defense contractor in
the world based on defense-related
revenue. The company is the largest
exporter by value in the US, and its
stock is a component of the Dow
Jones Industrial Average.
In March
1910, William E. Boeing bought
Heath's shipyard in Seattle on the
Duwamish River, which later became
his first airplane factory. Boeing
was incorporated in Seattle by
William Boeing, on July 15, 1916, as
"Pacific Aero Products Co.". Boeing,
who studied at Yale University,
worked initially in the timber
industry, where he became wealthy
and acquired knowledge about wooden
structures. This knowledge would
prove invaluable in his subsequent
design and assembly of airplanes.
The company stayed in Seattle to
take advantage of the local supply
of Spruce wood.
William
Boeing founded his company a few
months after the June 15 maiden
flight of one of the two "B&W"
seaplanes built with the assistance
of George Conrad Westervelt, a U.S.
Navy engineer. Boeing and Westervelt
decided to build the B&W seaplane
after having flown in a Curtiss
aircraft. Boeing bought a Glenn
Martin "Flying Birdcage" seaplane
(so called because of all the
guy-wires holding it together) and
was taught to fly by Glenn Martin
himself. Boeing soon crashed the
Birdcage and when Martin informed
Boeing that replacement parts would
not become available for months,
Boeing realized he could build his
own plane in that amount of time. He
and his friend Cdr. G.C. Westervelt
agreed to build a better airplane
and soon produced the B&W Seaplane.
This first Boeing airplane was
assembled in a lakeside hangar
located on the northeast shore of
Seattle's Lake Union. Many of
Boeing's early planes were
seaplanes.
On May 9,
1917, the company became the "Boeing
Airplane Company". In late 1917, the
US entered World War I and Boeing
knew that the US Navy needed
seaplanes for training. So Boeing
shipped two new Model Cs to
Pensacola, Florida where the planes
were flown for the Navy. The Navy
liked the Model C so much that they
ordered fifty more. The
company moved its operations to a
larger former shipbuilding facility
known as Boeing Plant 1, located on
the lower Duwamish River.
When
World War I ended in 1918, a large
surplus of cheap, used military
planes flooded the commercial
airplane market, and this prevented
aircraft companies like Boeing from
selling any new airplanes. Because
of this, many airplane companies
went out of business, but other
companies, including Boeing, started
selling other products. Boeing built
dressers, counters, and furniture,
along with flat-bottom boats called
Sea Sleds.
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Commercial
Aircraft
Aircraft model |
Variants in production |
Description |
Capacity |
First flight |
Out-of-production
variants |
40 |
None - 84 Built |
Single-engine biplane built
to carry mail and passengers |
2-4 |
1925 |
|
80 |
None - 16 Built |
Three-engine biplane
airliner |
12 |
1928 |
|
247 |
None - 74 Built |
Two-engine monoplane
airliner |
10 |
1933 |
|
307
Stratoliner |
None - 10 Built |
Four-Engine, pressurized
airliner |
33 |
1938 |
|
314
Clipper |
None - 12 Built |
Four-engine, flying boat
airliner |
74 |
1938 |
|
377 Stratocruiser |
None - 56 Built |
Four-engine airliner Civil development of the
military C-97 |
63-84 |
1947 |
|
707 / 720 |
None - 1,010 Built |
Mid-size, long-range,
narrow-body four-engine jet
airliner |
110-147 |
1957 |
|
717 |
None - 156 Built |
Twin-engine, single-aisle
jet airliner |
106-117 |
1998 |
Formerly the MD-95, evolved
from the McDonnell Douglas
DC-9 family |
727 |
None - 1,832 Built |
Mid-size narrow-body
three-engine jet airliner |
149-189 |
1963 |
|
737 |
700, 700ER, 800, 900ER, BBJ,
C-40, AEW&C, P-8 |
Twin‑engine, single aisle,
short- to medium-range
narrow-body |
85‑215 |
1967 |
100, 200, 200C, 200 Adv,
300, 400, 500, 600, 900 |
747 |
8I,
8F, BBJ |
Four‑engine, partial double
deck, twin aisle main deck,
single aisle upper deck,
medium- to long-range
widebody |
467-605 |
1969 |
100, 100SR, 100B, 200, 200F,
200C, SP, 200M, 300, 300M,
300SR, 400, 400M, 400D,
400F, 400ER, 400ERF, VC-25,
E-4 |
757 |
None - 1,050 Built |
Mid-size, narrow-body
twin-engine jet airliner |
200-289 |
1982 |
|
767 |
200ER, 300ER, 300F, 400ER,
KC-767, KC-46 |
Twin-engine, twin aisle,
medium- to long-range
widebody |
180‑375 |
1981 |
200, E-767 |
777 |
200, 200ER, 200LR, 300,
300ER, Freighter |
Twin-engine, twin aisle,
medium- to long-range, ultra
long-range (200LR), large
widebody |
301‑550 |
1994 |
|
787 |
8 |
Twin-engine, twin aisle,
long-range widebody |
210-330 |
2009 |
|
737 MAX |
EIS
2017 |
A
new 737 series based on
737NG with new engines |
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Y1/737RS |
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Code name for the Boeing 737
and 757-200 replacement
project |
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Y3 |
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Code name for the Boeing 747
and 777-300 replacement
project |
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|
B-17
Flying Fortress |
.
B-29
Superfortress |
.
B-47
Stratojet |
B-52
Stratofortress |
C-17
Globemaster III , |
,
CH-46
Sea Knight |
CH-47
Chinook , |
E-3
Sentinal |
FB
. |
F4B
. |
KB-50
Superfortress |
KC-97
Stratofreighter |
.
KC-135
Stratotanker |
P-12 |
P-26
Peashooter |
.
RB-47
Stratojet |
.
.
T-43 |
.
VC-25 |
VC-137 |
.
WB-50
Superfortress |
.
Bird of Prey |
X-40
. |
X-45 |
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Military
Aircraft
Bombers
-
B-17 Flying Fortress
-
B-29 Superfortress
-
B-47 Stratojet
- B-50
Superfortress
-
B-52 Stratofortress
- XB-15
(1 prototype)
- Y1B-9
Rotorcraft
- AH-6
-
CH-46 Sea Knight (Vertol
Aircraft Corp.)
-
CH-47 Chinook (Vertol
Aircraft Corp.)
- Quad
TiltRotor (with Bell Helicopter
- V-22
Osprey (with Bell Helicopter)
Fighter and attack aircraft
-
FB
-
F4B
-
P-12
-
P-26 Peashooter
Tankers and transports
-
C-17 Globemaster III
- C-22
- C-32A
Executive Transport
- C-40
Clipper
-
KB-50 Superfortress
- KC-46
- KC-97
Stratofreighter
-
KC-135 Stratotanker
-
VC-25A ("Air Force One")
-
VC-137
- YC-14
Surveillance and other military
-
E-3 Sentry (an AWACS
surveillance aircraft)
- E-4B
(Advanced Airborne Command Post)
- E-6
Mercury
- E-8
Joint STARS, ground battle
management (Northrop Grumman)
- E-10
MC2A (by Northrop Grumman,
planned successor to the E-3,
E-8, EC-135, project canceled)
- E-767
(AEW&C)
- EC-135
- OC-135
Open Skies (3 Treaty on Open
Skies observation aircraft)
- Project
Wedgetail (AEW&C)
- P-8
Poseidon (Anti-submarine
warfare)
-
RB-47 Stratojet
- RC-135
Rivet Joint
-
T-43
navigator trainer
-
WB-50 Superfortress
- WC-135
Constant Phoenix
- YAL-1
Airborne Laser
Phantom Works
- A160
Hummingbird UAV helicopter
-
Bird of Prey: stealth
fighter UAV demonstrator
- Condor:
High Altitude Long Endurance
concept drone
- F/A-XX:
sixth generation fighter concept
- Phantom
Eye: High Altitude Long
Endurance, reconnaissance drone
- Phantom
Ray: Unmanned flying test bed
for advanced air system
technologies
- Pelican
ULTRA
- X-32
Joint Strike Fighter
- X-37
Advanced Technology Demonstrator
-
X-40
USAF Space
Maneuver Vehicle (SMV) program
-
X-45
UCAV
- X-48
Blended Wing Body demonstrator
- X-51
Wave-rider: Hypersonic vehicle
- X-53
Active Aeroelastic Wing
Source:
Wikipedia
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Boeing
Milestones
- In
1923, Boeing began a competition
against Curtiss for a contract
to develop a pursuit fighter for
the U.S. Army Air Service.
Although Curtiss finished its
design first and was awarded the
contract, Boeing continued to
develop its PW-9 fighter. That
plane, along with the Boeing
P-12/ F4B fighter, made Boeing a
leading manufacturer of fighters
over the course of the next
decade.
- In
1925, Boeing built its Model 40
mail plane for the US government
to use on airmail routes. In
1927, an improved version of
this plane was built, the Model
40A. The 40A won the U.S. Post
Office's contract to deliver
mail between San Francisco and
Chicago. The 40A also had a
passenger cabin that
accommodated two passengers.
-
On July 27, 1929, the
12-passenger Boeing 80 biplane
made its first flight. With
three engines, it was Boeing's
first plane built with the sole
intention of being a passenger
transport. An upgraded version,
the 80A, carrying eighteen
passengers, made its first
flight in September 1929.[12]
- In
1930, the Monomail, a low-wing
monoplane that carried mail, was
built. Built entirely out of
metal, it was very fast and
aerodynamic, and it also had
retractable landing gear. In
fact, its design was so
revolutionary that the engines
and propellers of the time could
not handle the plane. By the
time controllable pitch
propellers were developed,
Boeing was building its Model
247 airliner. Two Monomails were
built. The second one, the Model
221, had a 6-passenger cabin.
- In 1933
the revolutionary Boeing 247 was
introduced, the first truly
modern airliner. The 247 was an
all-metal low-wing monoplane
that was much faster, safer, and
easier to fly than other
passenger aircraft. For example,
it was the first twin engine
passenger aircraft that could
fly on one engine. In an era of
unreliable engines, this vastly
improved flight safety. Boeing
built the first sixty aircraft
exclusively for its own United
Airlines subsidiary's
operations. This badly hurt
competing airlines, and was
typical of the anti-competitive
corporate behavior that the US
government sought to prohibit at
the time.
-
In 1938, Boeing completed work
on its Model 307
Stratoliner.
This was the world’s first
pressurized-cabin transport
aircraft, and it was capable of
cruising at an altitude of
20,000 feet (6,100 m) – above
most weather disturbances. It
was based on the B-17, using the
same wings, tail and engines.
- During
World War II, Boeing built a
large number of B-17 and B-29
bombers. Many of the workers
were women whose husbands had
gone to war. In the beginning of
March 1944, production had been
scaled up in such a manner that
over 350 planes were built each
month. To prevent an attack from
the air, the manufacturing
plants had been covered with
greenery and farmland items.
During these years of war the
leading aircraft companies of
the US cooperated. The
Boeing-designed B-17 bomber was
assembled also by Lockheed
Aircraft Corp. and Douglas
Aircraft Co., while the B-29 was
assembled also by Bell Aircraft
Co. and by Glenn L. Martin
Company.
- Boeing
developed military jets such as
the B-47 Stratojet and B-52
Stratofortress bombers in the
late-1940s and into the 1950s.
During the early 1950s, Boeing
used company funds to develop
the 367–80 jet airliner
demonstrator that led to the
KC-135 Stratotanker and Boeing
707 jetliner.
- In
1958, Boeing began delivery of
its 707, the United States'
first commercial jet airliner,
in response to the British De
Havilland Comet, French Sud
Aviation Caravelle and Soviet
Tupolev Tu-104, which were the
world’s first generation of
commercial jet aircraft. With
the 707, a four-engine,
156-passenger airliner, the US
became a leader in commercial
jet manufacture. A few years
later, Boeing added a second
version of this aircraft, the
720, which was slightly faster
and had a shorter range.
- Vertol
Aircraft Corporation was
acquired by Boeing in 1960, and
was reorganized as Boeing's
Vertol division. The twin-rotor
CH-47 Chinook, produced by
Vertol, took its first flight in
1961. This heavy-lift helicopter
remains a work-horse vehicle up
to the present day. In 1964,
Vertol also began production of
the CH-46 Sea Knight.
- In
December 1960, Boeing announced
the model 727 jetliner, which
went into commercial service
about three years later.
Different passenger, freight and
convertible freighter variants
were developed for the 727. The
727 was the first commercial
jetliner to reach 1000 sales,
and a few years later the 1500
mark was reached.
- In
1967, Boeing introduced another
short- and medium-range
airliner, the twin-engine 737.
It has become since then the
best-selling commercial jet
aircraft in aviation history.
The 737 is still being produced,
and continuous improvements are
made. Several versions have been
developed, mainly to increase
seating capacity and range.
- In
January 1970, the first 747, a
four-engine long-range airliner,
flew its first commercial
flight. This famous aircraft
completely changed the way of
flying, with its 450-passenger
seating capacity and its upper
deck. Boeing has delivered
nearly 1,400 747s. The 747 has
undergone continuous
improvements to keep it
technologically up-to-date.
Larger versions have also been
developed by stretching the
upper deck. As of 2012, the 747
is still being produced, with
its newest version being the
747-8.
- In
April 1994, Boeing introduced
the most modern commercial jet
aircraft at the time, the
twin-engine 777, with a seating
capacity of approximately 300 to
370 passengers in a typical
three-class layout, in between
the 767 and the 747. The longest
range twin-engined aircraft in
the world, the 777 was the first
Boeing airliner to feature a
"fly-by-wire" system and was
conceived partly in response to
the inroads being made by the
European Airbus into Boeing’s
traditional market. This
aircraft reached an important
milestone by being the first
airliner to be designed entirely
by using computer-aided design
(CAD) techniques. The 777
was also the first airplane to
be certified for 180 minute
ETOPS at entry into service by
the FAA.
-
In August 1997, Boeing merged
with McDonnell Douglas in a
US$13 billion stock swap under
the name
The
Boeing Company.
However this name had actually
been Boeing's official name
previously adopted on May 21,
1961. Following the
merger, the McDonnell Douglas
MD-95 was renamed the Boeing
717, and the production of the
MD-11 was limited to the
freighter version. Boeing
introduced a new corporate
identity with completion of the
merger, incorporating the Boeing
logo type and a stylized version
of the McDonnell Douglas symbol,
which was derived from the
Douglas Aircraft logo from the
1970s.
- In
September 2001, Boeing moved its
corporate headquarters from
Seattle to Chicago. Chicago,
Dallas and Denver – vying to
become the new home of the
world’s largest aerospace
concern – all had offered
packages of multimillion-dollar
tax breaks. Its offices
are located in the Fulton River
District, Chicago just outside
the Loop, Chicago.
- Boeing
has achieved several consecutive
launches, beginning with the
formal launch of the 787 for
initial delivery to All Nippon
Airways. Rollout of the first
787 occurred on July 8, 2007,
with the first flight taking
place on December 15, 2009.
In May 2006,
four concept designs being examined
by Boeing were outlined in The
Seattle Times based on corporate
internal documents. The
research aims in two directions:
low-cost airplanes, and
environmental-friendly planes.
Codenamed after the well-known
Muppets, a design team known as the
Green Team concentrated primarily on
reducing fuel usage. All four
designs illustrated rear-engine
layouts.
-
"Fozzie" employs open rotors and
would offer a lower cruising
speed.
-
"Beaker" has very thin, long
wings, with the ability to
partially fold-up to facilitate
easier taxiing.
- "Kermit
Kruiser" has forward swept wings
over which are positioned its
engines, with the aim of
lowering noise below due to the
reflection of the exhaust
signature upward.
-
"Honeydew" with its delta wing
design, resembles a marriage of
the flying wing concept and the
traditional tube fuselage.
As with most
concepts, these designs are only in
the exploratory stage, intended to
help Boeing evaluate the potentials
of such radical technologies.
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