797

[PhilDernerJr]

I keep hearing this and that about the 797.

What's it's purpose? I understand it's to replace the 737 and the 757 markets.

Anyone else see or hear anything?

[Derf]

Say it's not true..... I am not ready for the 737 replacement..... Makes sense if the 787 is a big a weight sucess.

[nwafan20]

A little bit of info


In an interview at the Farnborough International Airshow, Mulally also talked in more detail about what will be the company's next new jet after the 787 -- a composite plane that will replace the popular 737. Although some airlines are eager for Boeing to develop this jet as soon as possible, Mulally said Boeing will take its time.

He repeated that a 737 replacement won't be ready for airline service until at least 2012 and perhaps not before 2015.

Boeing is looking at replacing not only the 737, but also the 757, Mulally said. The single-aisle 757, no longer in production, carries more than 200 passengers.

"We have many opportunities," Mulally said. Boeing is studying a family of planes that could seat from 90 to 230 passengers, he said.

"We are looking at what is the right family to fill in under the 787," he said.

The 787-8, which will enter airline service in 2008, will seat around 230 passengers, depending on an airline's configuration.

Boeing plans stretch versions that will carry 300 or more passengers.

Like the 787, the 737 replacement will have a composite airframe, now the "material of choice" for airplane design, Mulally said.

"Composites don't corrode, don't fatigue and are more reliable and easier to maintain," Mulally said. "This has been our goal and dream."

Composites also allow a greatly simplified manufacturing process, he said. And that can significantly drive down costs.

With the 787, the first commercial jetliner with a composite fuselage and wing, Boeing is introducing a new way of making jets.

Large one-piece composite sections of the plane will be manufactured elsewhere and then taken to Everett for final assembly in only a few days.

That manufacturing method will become even more efficient by the time Boeing is ready to build the 737 replacement, Mulally said.

"The goal is to get the fewest number of parts that fit together accurately, and then final assembly takes the least amount of time and has the highest quality," Mulally said.

"To replace the most efficient plane in the world, the 737, we need to improve its fuel burn, maintenance costs, weight and manufacturing costs," Mulally said, which will translate into savings for airlines.

"It takes time to do that," Mulally noted.

Boeing's view that there is no need to rush was supported by one of its most important customers, Steven Udvar-Hazy of International Lease Finance Corp.

Appearing with Mulally at an air show news conference Wednesday, where Hazy announced that ILFC will order more 777s, 787s and 737s, Hazy said Boeing needs to take its time and develop the right 737 replacement.

Hazy disclosed that he and Mulally have had several meetings to discuss what kind of plane airlines will need in the next five to 15 years.

It was Hazy who told an industry conference in Florida earlier this year that Airbus needed to rethink its planned A350 to make the plane more competitive with Boeing's 787 Dreamliner.

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/business/ ... lly20.html (http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/business/278165_mulally20.html)

[adam613]

If Stephan Udvar-Hazy says it, it BECOMES true!

On the other hand, the 737 really replaced itself once already. The NGs are not the same aircraft as the original 737s were; they were a big step forward. And the 737 won't go away...there are so many out there in good condition that they'll still be flying for at least another 30 years.