Jonathan Birge

This is a remarkable look at what goes in to making a Boeing 777. In four minutes.

Much of the 777 is outsourced as entire sections, such as the vertical stabilizer, so a lot of what you see are the parts coming in off the docks and being maneuvered into Boeing’s massive hangar for final construction. Especially impressive is the painting facility, shown near the end of the video. A fully painted 777 has 475 pounds of paint on it. (Which is why American Airlines doesn’t paint their planes, as that’s a lot of weight to be flying around over the life of an aircraft for no reason other than looks.)

A picture of the flight deck of a 757 we got to play with (on the ground) after a class I took on cockpit automation. (Click on the picture for a larger version.) The 757 was developed in the late 70s, and its delivery customer in 1982 was Eastern Airlines. (Remember them?) I’m not certain, but I believe this was the last Boeing flightdeck to have CRT displays, as opposed to LCDs. The reason this is worth mentioning is that the symbols (e.g. the engine arcs in the middle top display) are drawn as perfect vectors, as are each letter. For example, a circle is made by scanning the electron beam in a circle, creating a gorgeous, bright, perfect circle. Each letter is written by tracing the beam along the outline of the letter, is if writing it longhand. No pixels! It takes a rather large computer to handle all of this, located deep in the belly of the airplane. Despite being “antiquated” technology, the displays are utterly striking and unlike anything you see today. LCDs may be cheaper, but there’s something about CRTs, especially vector-based ones, that are a pity to see go.

Similarly, there is nothing that can replace the efficacy of analog gauges, in some ways. On the 757 there are still “steam gauges” showing speed and altitude to the left and right of the attitude indicator CRT (the blue and brown ball). They are easy to read, sharp, and wholly independent. I found that when flying the simulator, I would tend to use them over the more central digital speed and altitude “tapes” on either side of the attitude indicator. Integrated LCD panels are cheaper, yes, but I don’t think anybody will ever make one that improves upon the immediate readability of a steam gauge instrument. You can see the approximate angle and rate of change of a dial out of the corner of your eye, but reading a digital number requires eye movement and a bit of mental processing, especially if the numbers are changing rapidly or you’re in turbulence. Two steps forward…

Clicking on the picture will bring up a larger version, as well as some others that I took from that day.