http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/boeingliveeventcoverage/index.html en-us Copyright 2012 The Seattle Times Company Fri, 13 Jul 2012 14:08:56 PDT Fri, 13 Jul 2012 14:08:56 PDT MattBase 1 http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/art/ui/stlogo_231.gif http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/ http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/boeingliveeventcoverage/2018678835_good-bye_from_the_farnborough_air_show.html?syndication=rss <p><img alt="A380 in flight 1.jpg" src="http://blog.seattletimes.nwsource.com/boeing_live_event_coverage/A380%20in%20flight%201.jpg" width="250" height="187" style="text-align: center; display: block; margin: 0 auto 20px;" /><br /> <em><br /> The A380 disappears toward the clouds on my final day at the Farnborough Air Show. </em></p> <p>It's too wet and visibility too bad to make photos with my Blackberry worthwhile. So I'm wrapping up here and am off on vacation with my family. Back to Seattle in August.</p> <p>Thank you for reading.</p> Boeing Live Event Coverage http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/boeingliveeventcoverage/2018678835_good-bye_from_the_farnborough_air_show.html?syndication=rss Fri, 13 Jul 2012 08:46:04 PDT http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/boeingliveeventcoverage/2018675558_boeings_indian_guru_air_india_will_survive_and_take_all_its_drea.html?syndication=rss <p>Dinesh Keskar has just returned to live in Seattle after a three-year stint as Boeing's president in India. At the Farnborough Air Show, his take on India's aviation sector, currently drowning in red ink and stalled by political paralysis, was surprisingly upbeat.</p> <p>A pilot strike crippled Air India for 59 days, finally ending just this week. Three Air India 787 Dreamliners (two of them built in Everett) are sitting ready in North Charleston, S.C., awaiting only approval from the Indian government for delivery. </p> <p>Air India has been bleeding money, losing $3.8 billion in the last three years. Indian carriers this year are projected to have combined losses of $2 billion.</p> <p>Yet Keskar, now Boeing Commercial Airplanes senior vice president of sales for India and Asia Pacific, has no doubt that Air India will survive and thrive, and that the Indian aviation sector will recover.</p> <p>"Air India will always be there," said Keskar. "The Dreamliners will be delivered. They are a vital part of the airline's turnaround plan."</p> <p>His confidence in Air India is based on a $6 billion government cash infusion and the lift its Dreamliners will give it.</p> <p>His optimism about the whole aviation sector derives from the brutal reduction in airline over-capacity currently happening as well as the recent stabilizing of India's currency and the moderating of oil prices.</p> <p>Keskar sees not a single cancellation or deferral ahead for any Boeing jets.</p> <p>It doesn't look so rosy for Airbus, as even its sales chief John Leahy must see when he looks at his order book from Kingfisher Airlines.</p> <a href="http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/boeingliveeventcoverage/2018675558_boeings_indian_guru_air_india_will_survive_and_take_all_its_drea.html?syndication=rss">Read more...</a> Boeing Live Event Coverage http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/boeingliveeventcoverage/2018675558_boeings_indian_guru_air_india_will_survive_and_take_all_its_drea.html?syndication=rss Fri, 13 Jul 2012 14:08:54 PDT http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/boeingliveeventcoverage/2018674369_boeing_airbus_see_sunny_side_of_modest_air_show_order_tally.html?syndication=rss <p>Despite the economic gloom in Europe and the torrential rain in England, executives at Airbus and Boeing found reasons to be sunny about the deals unveiled at this week's Farnborough Air Show. <br /> <img alt="2012Farnborough cloud.jpg" src="http://blog.seattletimes.nwsource.com/boeing_live_event_coverage/2012Farnborough%20cloud.jpg" width="300" height="225" style="float: right; margin: 0 0 20px 20px;" /><br /> <em>Rare sunshine with dark cloud, this week at Farnborough. My photo.</em></p> <p>Boeing even managed to land a blockbuster order of 150 planes from United Airlines as the show drew to a close Thursday.</p> <p>That order built some sales momentum for its new single-aisle jet, the 737 MAX. The number of firm MAX orders bumped up to 649 jets. Including non-binding deals, Boeing said the MAX has commitments for more than 1,200 jets.</p> <p>For Airbus, sales expectations at Farnborough were always low after the record orders at last year's Paris Air Show for its rival single-aisle plane, the A320neo. But at this stage, the neo remains way ahead of the MAX with 1,454 firm orders.</p> <p>And sales chief John Leahy did manage to bag an important order from Cathay Pacific for the A350-1000, bolstering Airbus's more fragile widebody jet position.</p> <p>Yet it was a lackluster haul of orders for the two aerospace giants compared to the Paris show, said aviation analyst Richard Aboulafia of the Teal Group.</p> <a href="http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/boeingliveeventcoverage/2018674369_boeing_airbus_see_sunny_side_of_modest_air_show_order_tally.html?syndication=rss">Read more...</a> Boeing Live Event Coverage http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/boeingliveeventcoverage/2018674369_boeing_airbus_see_sunny_side_of_modest_air_show_order_tally.html?syndication=rss Thu, 12 Jul 2012 22:32:21 PDT http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/boeingliveeventcoverage/2018663602_small_changes_to_the_787.html?syndication=rss <p><em>corrected version*</em></p> <p><img alt="2012 Stan Deal.jpg" src="http://blog.seattletimes.nwsource.com/boeing_live_event_coverage/2012%20Stan%20Deal.jpg" width="231" height="308" style="float: right; margin: 0 0 20px 20px;" />Tweaks to the 787 supply chain this year mean that work once earmarked to be done overseas is now permanently assigned to Boeing's final assembly lines in Everett and North Charleston.</p> <p>It's a dynamic that will be even more apparent on Boeing's next new major airplane program, according to Stan Deal, the Boeing executive in charge of the entire commercial airplanes supply chain <em>(right, my photo)</em>.</p> <p>"There has been a shift of view, of philosophy," Deal said. </p> <p>FACC, an Austrian company that makes high-end composite parts, supplies spoilers for the 787 wings. Chief executive Walter Stephan said that in the original Boeing global supply plan, FACC was to send its part to Boeing Australia, which would add it onto the trailing edge of the wing.</p> <p>That never worked out. For efficiency, FACC ended up sending the parts directly to the final assembly site in Everett.</p> <p>About six months ago, FACC's part of the supply chain was restructured to make that permanent. Workers in Everett or North Charleston will continue to attach the spoilers to the wings.</p> <a href="http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/boeingliveeventcoverage/2018663602_small_changes_to_the_787.html?syndication=rss">Read more...</a> Boeing Live Event Coverage http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/boeingliveeventcoverage/2018663602_small_changes_to_the_787.html?syndication=rss Thu, 12 Jul 2012 20:01:05 PDT http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/boeingliveeventcoverage/2018669662_big_united_order_allows_boeing_to_claim_a_successful_air_show_we.html?syndication=rss <p>The last real working day of a fascinating but low-key Farnborough Air Show ended with a firm order from United Airlines for 100 of Boeing's future 737 MAX single-aisle jets and 50 more current generation 737NGs.</p> <p>It was a big deal, 50 percent bigger than expected. Valued at $14.7 billion at list prices, in reality it was worth roughly $7.7 billion after standard discounts, according to market data from aircraft valuation firm Avitas. </p> <p>That's enough to crown Boeing's Air Show week as a success. </p> <p>Six deals this past week provided the MAX with sales momentum. It now has commitments from 18 customers for just over 1,200 of the jets. Of those, 649 are firm orders.</p> <p>Mind you, some of that momentum is manufactured, by the sleight of hand typical of Air Show announcements.</p> <a href="http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/boeingliveeventcoverage/2018669662_big_united_order_allows_boeing_to_claim_a_successful_air_show_we.html?syndication=rss">Read more...</a> Boeing Live Event Coverage http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/boeingliveeventcoverage/2018669662_big_united_order_allows_boeing_to_claim_a_successful_air_show_we.html?syndication=rss Thu, 12 Jul 2012 22:30:57 PDT http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/boeingliveeventcoverage/2018668890_united_confirms_big_max_order.html?syndication=rss <p>Boeing and United Airlines confirmed Thursday the big order that's been rumored for months: "150 brand new Boeing airplanes," said United CEO Jeff Smisek.</p> <p>The order includes 100 of the forthcoming MAX-9 jets and 50 current-generation 737-900 ERs, Smisek said. United's order is worth $14.7 billion at list prices, though undoubtedly the actual price is considerably lower.</p> <p>Smisek joined Boeing CEO Jim McNerney and the new head of Boeing's Commercial Airplanes unit, Ray Conner, at the press conference -- held in the city where bothhave their headquarters, not at the Farnborough Air Show where most of the world's aviation industry has been cutting deals and inspecting hardware all this week.</p> <p>With today's order, said McNerney, the 737 has now surpassed 10,000 orders,<br /> "an unprecedented milestone in the Jet Age."</p> <p>The order includes additional options that were not disclosed today.</p> <p><br /> Smisek noted that United has existing orders from both Airbus and Boeing that are still to be delivered. These include the 787 Dreamliner, and Smisek said "Boeing has guaranteed us that we will get our first 787 in late September."</p> <p>The United order is bigger than any Boeing announced at the Air Show. Its tally as of Wednesday was 98 firm orders for the MAX: 23 from Virgin Australia and 75 from Air Lease Corp. It also disclosed previous commitments - not firm orders - for 100 MAXs from leasing company GECAS; 20 MAXs from ALAFCO; and a mix of 15 MAXs and 10 current-generation 737NGs from Avolon.</p> Boeing Live Event Coverage http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/boeingliveeventcoverage/2018668890_united_confirms_big_max_order.html?syndication=rss Thu, 12 Jul 2012 09:46:03 PDT http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/boeingliveeventcoverage/2018663841_united_on_thursday_to_order_100_boeing_737s_mostly_maxs_with_100.html?syndication=rss <p>The Boeing sales machine swivels on Thursday from London to Chicago.</p> <p>Boeing and United Airlines have called a press conference for 9 a.m. central in Chicago to announce <a href="http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/businesstechnology/2018054557_unitedboeing24.html">a large order that's been expected for some time</a>.</p> <p>United CEO Jeff Smisek will appear with Boeing CEO Jim McNerney, along with Ray Conner, the new CEO of Boeing Commercial Airplanes.</p> <p>Conner must have jetted to Chicago Wednesday evening. Earlier today, I saw him pass through the Boeing media chalet at the Farnborough Air Show here in London.</p> <p>The news will significantly add to Boeing's sales tally from the Air Show.</p> <p>A reliable source familiar with the deal confirmed that the size of the order is what has long been rumored. </p> <p>United will place a firm order for 100 of Boeing's single-aisle 737s, most of them the forthcoming model with new fuel-efficient engines, the 737 MAX.</p> <p>The airline will have options to take 100 more.<br /> </p> <a href="http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/boeingliveeventcoverage/2018663841_united_on_thursday_to_order_100_boeing_737s_mostly_maxs_with_100.html?syndication=rss">Read more...</a> Boeing Live Event Coverage http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/boeingliveeventcoverage/2018663841_united_on_thursday_to_order_100_boeing_737s_mostly_maxs_with_100.html?syndication=rss Thu, 12 Jul 2012 06:46:39 PDT http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/boeingliveeventcoverage/2018663831_david_williamss_job_is_to.html?syndication=rss <p>David Williams's job is to find more U.S. suppliers for Airbus and its parent company EADS. He wants to fish in Washington state.</p> <p>"Washington is a key aerospace state," said Williams in an interview at Farnborough. "We're looking for suppliers who can add value to the EADS and Airbus supply chain and that's an obvious pond to fish."</p> <p>Williams, vice president of procurement at Airbus Americas, met on Tuesday with Gov. Chris Gregoire of Washington to discuss opportunities.<br /> <img alt="USA320 pin.jpg" src="http://blog.seattletimes.nwsource.com/boeing_live_event_coverage/USA320%20pin.jpg" width="300" height="225" style="float: right; margin: 0 0 20px 20px;" /><br /> He said that even though the euro has declined against the dollar recently, easing the currency whiplash that afflicts Airbus (its customers pay in dollars while most of its costs are in euros), the European jetmaker still wants to shift more of its costs to the U.S. dollar zone.</p> <p>"We don't want our company at the mercy of the exchange rates," said Williams. "We want to take the risk out."</p> <p>That's one reason behind the decision announced last week to locate a future A320 assembly plant in Mobile, Ala. <em>(Above, a pin Airbus is handing out at Farnborough. My photo.)</em></p> <p>But Williams fully <a href="http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/boeingliveeventcoverage/2018652765_meet_the_governors_alabama_south_carolina_and_washington_state_a.html">agrees with Gregoire that even that move into Alabama can help Washington state aerospace suppliers</a>.</p> <a href="http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/boeingliveeventcoverage/2018663831_david_williamss_job_is_to.html?syndication=rss">Read more...</a> Boeing Live Event Coverage http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/boeingliveeventcoverage/2018663831_david_williamss_job_is_to.html?syndication=rss Thu, 12 Jul 2012 00:01:05 PDT http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/boeingliveeventcoverage/2018659133_i_wasnt_just_qatar_airways.html?syndication=rss <p>It wasn't just Qatar Airways that was keen to show off its 787 Dreamliner in the daily flying displays at the Farnborough Air Show.</p> <p>Despite Boeing's longtime aversion to flying commercial jets at Air Shows as not worth even the small risk involved, chief 787 test pilot Randy Neville said this time Boeing wanted to do it.<img alt="2012Randy Neville 2.jpg" src="http://blog.seattletimes.nwsource.com/boeing_live_event_coverage/2012Randy%20Neville%202.jpg" width="250" height="187" style="float: right; margin: 0 0 20px 20px;" /></p> <p><em>(At right, Randy Neville. my photo.)</em><br /> The Dreamliner Air Show flight pattern <a href="http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/boeingliveeventcoverage/2018642975_the_flying_787_puts_on_a_show_at_farnborough.html">looks spectacular, well outside the normal boundaries of commercial flying</a>. The jet, fresh out of the Everett factory, flies steep climbs, wheels around in hard banking turns, and kisses the runway on a touch-and-go.<br /> <br /> "As a company, we realized the marketing value of getting the airplane out in front of the public, suppliers and customers," said Neville. </p> <p>He said the first question the pilots had to answer was: "Are we sacrificing safety at all?"</p> <p>"Of course, the answer has to be no," said Neville. "We want to put on a good show, but we want to make sure we don't push ourselves too far."</p> <a href="http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/boeingliveeventcoverage/2018659133_i_wasnt_just_qatar_airways.html?syndication=rss">Read more...</a> Boeing Live Event Coverage http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/boeingliveeventcoverage/2018659133_i_wasnt_just_qatar_airways.html?syndication=rss Wed, 11 Jul 2012 16:16:04 PDT http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/boeingliveeventcoverage/2018658417_video_promotes_washington_state_aerospace_at_the_farnborough_air.html?syndication=rss <p>Showing daily on the big Jumbotron screen at a prominent spot beside the airplanes on <img alt="Wash state ad 3.JPG" src="http://blog.seattletimes.nwsource.com/boeing_live_event_coverage/Wash%20state%20ad%203.JPG" width="250" height="133" style="float: right; margin: 0 0 20px 20px;" />display at the Farnborough Air Show is a one-minute video ad for Washington state's aerospace industry.</p> <p>The Washington State Department of Commerce and Governor Gregoire's aerospace office, headed by executive director Alex Pietsch, produced the marketing video, which is <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fzbfXeBFyhk&feature=plcp">also on youtube</a>.</p> <p>As you might guess, the star footage features Boeing. Its airplanes, including the 787 flying daily at the Show, are the best possible marketing ads for Washington aerospace.</p> <p><em>(Right and on the jump, screen shots from the video.)</em></p> <a href="http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/boeingliveeventcoverage/2018658417_video_promotes_washington_state_aerospace_at_the_farnborough_air.html?syndication=rss">Read more...</a> Boeing Live Event Coverage http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/boeingliveeventcoverage/2018658417_video_promotes_washington_state_aerospace_at_the_farnborough_air.html?syndication=rss Wed, 11 Jul 2012 18:01:04 PDT http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/boeingliveeventcoverage/2018663267_farnborough_tidbits_asteroid_mining_xx.html?syndication=rss <p> * <strong>Planetary Resources</strong>, the Bellevue-based asteroid mining venture, is <a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/newsbysector/industry/9391867/Farnborough-Airshow-Bransons-Virgin-Galactic-spaceship-in-UK-debut.html">one of four companies that have made reservations to launch satellites </a>from Sir Richard Branson's LauncherOne aircraft, the space entrepreneur said Wednesday at the Air Show. </p> <p>Planetary Resources later <a href="http://www.planetaryresources.com/2012/07/planetary-resources-inc-announces-contract-with-virgin-galactic-for-payload-services/">confirmed the deal</a>, announcing it expects "multiple launch opportunities for its series of spacecraft," starting with the Arkyd-100 low-Earth orbit space telescopes, using the LauncherOne platform.</p> <p>Branson also brought scores of Virgin Galactic's first would-be space tourists to the media event, and said <a href="http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/businesstechnology/2018654241_apeubritainfarnboroughairshowbranson.html">he and his kids would be on his first tourist flight</a>.</p> <p> * <strong>Rolls-Royce</strong> is displaying at Farnborough a 150,000-part Trent 1000 engine made of Legos. </p> <p><a href="http://blog.seattletimes.nwsource.com/boeing_live_event_coverage/RRLegoEngine.jpg"><img alt="RRLegoEngine.jpg" src="http://blog.seattletimes.nwsource.com/boeing_live_event_coverage/assets_c/2012/07/RRLegoEngine-thumb-630x420-33603.jpg" width="630" height="420" style="" /></a><br /> (Rolls-Royce photo)</p> <p>Why? perhaps to make 10-year-old Lego enthusiasts insanely jealous. The Trent 1000 is one of two engine alternatives for the 787; presumably Boeing will now check every delivery to make sure the engines are high-test metal, not Legos.<br /> <a href="http://www.facebook.com/RRLegoEngine">More pictures of the Lego extravaganza are on Facebook.</a></p> <p> * <strong>Farnborough 2012 </strong>hasn't impressed stock investors so far. The limited haul of firm orders for commercial airplanes at <strong>Boeing </strong>and <strong>Airbus </strong>as of Wednesday is undoubtedly part of the reason.</p> <p>As of the end of regular U.S. trading Wednesday, the S&P 500 was down almost 1 percent from Friday's close.</p> <p>Meanwhile Boeing was down 2.9 percent and the U.S.-traded securities of Airbus parent company EADS were down 4.2 percent.</p> <p>It will be interesting to see how the stocks fare Thursday, when Boeing plans a big announcement in Chicago with United Airlines and Airbus unleashes whatever news it may have been holding back for its final press conference of the Air Show.</p> Boeing Live Event Coverage http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/boeingliveeventcoverage/2018663267_farnborough_tidbits_asteroid_mining_xx.html?syndication=rss Wed, 11 Jul 2012 16:01:05 PDT http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/boeingliveeventcoverage/2018654095_boeing_exec_dreamliners_will_begin_to_flow_this_quarter_room_for.html?syndication=rss <p>Pat Shanahan, senior vice president of Airplane Programs for Boeing Commercial Airplanes, said Tuesday that the company has "a lot of flexibility" to accommodate increased production and future work at its Everett site without any extensive new buildings.<br /> <img alt="2012Shanahan.jpg" src="http://blog.seattletimes.nwsource.com/boeing_live_event_coverage/2012Shanahan.jpg" width="241" height="180" style="float: right; margin: 0 0 20px 20px;" /></p> <p>Shanahan said he woudn't rule out the option of minor add-ons to the sides of buildings for expansion. But he identified specifically two large areas now in use for temporary work that could be free in time to house extra production, including perhaps an assembly line to build the future 777X.</p> <p>"We've got the surge line," said Shanahan, referring to the temporary 787 line in one bay.</p> <p>"And the EMC will be free a lot sooner than most people think," Shanahan added, referring to the big aircraft repair shop Boeing acquired at the south end of Paine Field, now known as the Everett Modification Center.</p> <p><em>(Above, Shanahan aboard the Korean Air 737 on display at the Air Show. Boeing photo.)</em></p> <a href="http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/boeingliveeventcoverage/2018654095_boeing_exec_dreamliners_will_begin_to_flow_this_quarter_room_for.html?syndication=rss">Read more...</a> Boeing Live Event Coverage http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/boeingliveeventcoverage/2018654095_boeing_exec_dreamliners_will_begin_to_flow_this_quarter_room_for.html?syndication=rss Wed, 11 Jul 2012 06:44:18 PDT http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/boeingliveeventcoverage/2018652765_meet_the_governors_alabama_south_carolina_and_washington_state_a.html?syndication=rss <p>When Gov. Christine Gregoire of Washington state ran into Gov. Robert Bentley of Alabama on the trade floor at the Farnborough Air Show Monday, a touch of ice might have been expected.</p> <p><em>(Below, Gov. Gregoire meets Gov. Bentley at the Farnborough air Show. <br /> Photo: Alex Pietsch, director of Gregoire's aerospace office.)</em><img alt="" src="http://blog.seattletimes.nwsource.com/boeing_live_event_coverage/Gov%20Gregoire%20and%20Gov%20Bentley%20of%20Alabama.jpg" width="250" height="333" style="float: right; margin: 0 0 20px 20px;" /></p> <p>After all, Washington did pull the U.S. tanker deal away from Alabama in 2011. Then, just a week before the Show, Alabama announced that Mobile will get an Airbus A320 final assembly plant that will compete directly against Boeing's 737 plant in Washington.</p> <p>As Gov. Gregoire recounts it, the awkwardness was soon overcome.</p> <p>"He said something to the effect of: Well, now we're opponents," Gregoire recalled. "I said, Oh, no. That's not how I see it."</p> <p>"You don't think you can build an airplane in Mobile, Alabama, by yourself, do you?" Gregoire told Bentley. "You need suppliers. We have 740 suppliers, many of whom are already doing business with Airbus."</p> <p>"We're partners," she added. </p> <p>The two shook hands, and Bentley agreed, as would any southern gentleman.</p> <p>Gregoire and her counterpart in South Carolina, Gov. Nikki Haley, both spoke with the Seattle Times on the final day of their visit to the Farnborough Air Show.</p> <p>Gregoire and Haley are each Governors of states where Boeing is a key industrial player. Yet they are not exactly partners. </p> <a href="http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/boeingliveeventcoverage/2018652765_meet_the_governors_alabama_south_carolina_and_washington_state_a.html?syndication=rss">Read more...</a> Boeing Live Event Coverage http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/boeingliveeventcoverage/2018652765_meet_the_governors_alabama_south_carolina_and_washington_state_a.html?syndication=rss Tue, 10 Jul 2012 18:16:04 PDT http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/boeingliveeventcoverage/2018652544_airbus_sales_chief_john_leahy_tours_the_787_takes_another_dig.html?syndication=rss <p>At the Farnborough Air Show Tuesday, Airbus sales chief John Leahy, along with Airbus CEO Fabrice Bregier, toured the Qatar Airways Boeing 787 Dreamliner that is flying this week. </p> <p>After disembarking, a reporter asked Leahy what he thought of the Dreamliner.</p> <p>Leahy cannot let such an opportunity pass without putting in a word for his forthcoming rival jet, the A350, and at the same time taking a little dig at Boeing's baby.<br /> <img alt="2012 Leahy and Bregier on 787.jpg" src="http://blog.seattletimes.nwsource.com/boeing_live_event_coverage/2012%20Leahy%20and%20Bregier%20on%20787.jpg" width="250" height="333" style="float: right; margin: 0 0 20px 20px;" /></p> <p>"The interior is lovely," Leahy responded. "It's the same interior we'll put in my A350. Except this is a little bit smaller."</p> <p>The A350 indeed has a slightly wider fuselage than the 787, prompting Leahy in 2006 to begin marketing it as the A350XWB -- for "extra-wide body."</p> <p>The largest member of the Airbus jet family, the A350-1000 actually competes against the 777, not the 787. The 777 cabin is wider than that of the A350.<br /> <em><br /> (Above right, John Leahy takes a last look at Boeing's 787 as he and his boss Fabrice Bregier descend to the tarmac at Farnborough. My photo.)</em></p> <p><em>(On the jump: The Qatar Airways 787 Dreamliner against a threatening Farnborough sky. My photo.)</em><br /> </p> <a href="http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/boeingliveeventcoverage/2018652544_airbus_sales_chief_john_leahy_tours_the_787_takes_another_dig.html?syndication=rss">Read more...</a> Boeing Live Event Coverage http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/boeingliveeventcoverage/2018652544_airbus_sales_chief_john_leahy_tours_the_787_takes_another_dig.html?syndication=rss Tue, 10 Jul 2012 16:46:04 PDT http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/boeingliveeventcoverage/2018652141_at_farnborough_gecas_announces_the_inevitable_a_737_max_order.html?syndication=rss <p>On the second day of the Farnborough Air Show, GECAS -- the aircraft leasing unit of GE -- announced an order for 100 Boeing 737s, including 25 of the current 737NG model and 75 of the forthcoming 737 MAX variant.<br /> <img alt="2012 GECAS order.jpg" src="http://blog.seattletimes.nwsource.com/boeing_live_event_coverage/2012%20GECAS%20order.jpg" width="300" height="225" style="float: right; margin: 0 0 20px 20px;" /><br /> Boeing presented this as the second big order of the Air Show. It's nice for Boeing. But in truth, it really isn't such big news.</p> <p><em>(At right, Ray Conner, CEO of Boeing Commercial Airplanes and Norman Liu, CEO of GECAS, make a 737 MAX announcement on Tuesday at the Farnborough Air Show. My photo)</em></p> <p>Perhaps more important 737 MAX news Tuesday was the disclosure of new performance guarantees that will provide either an increased payload or an extra 400 - 540 nautical miles (460 - 621 miles) of range, depending on the MAX model.</p> <p>GECAS chief executive Norman Liu called that a "great development."</p> <p>But the GECAS sales announcement, like so many media events at the Air Show, is a repackaging of something accomplished some time back and revealed only now.</p> <p>Realize that GECAS has a policy of supporting its parent company by exclusively buying planes with GE engines. </p> <p>And with GE the sole engine supplier for the 737 program, whatever number of MAXs Boeing eventually sells, GE will sell more than twice that many engines. (Two on each plane, plus spares and replacements.)</p> <p>If the MAX is successful, the life of the 737 program is likely to be extended by thousands of airplanes. Think of all those engines and you see why GECAS might want to support the program. </p> <p>You think? If GECAS doesn't buy the MAX, nobody will buy it.<br /> </p> <a href="http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/boeingliveeventcoverage/2018652141_at_farnborough_gecas_announces_the_inevitable_a_737_max_order.html?syndication=rss">Read more...</a> Boeing Live Event Coverage http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/boeingliveeventcoverage/2018652141_at_farnborough_gecas_announces_the_inevitable_a_737_max_order.html?syndication=rss Wed, 11 Jul 2012 06:55:50 PDT http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/boeingliveeventcoverage/2018647092_spirit_ceo_wichita_is_ready_to_pump_out_737_fuselages_to_feed_re.html?syndication=rss <p>Could Spirit Aerosystems of Wichita, Kan., possibly send as many as 60 fuselages a month on the trains to Boeing's 737 final assembly plant in Renton?</p> <p>"Sure, we can," said Spirit CEO Jeff Turner in an interview Tuesday at the Farnborough Air Show.<img alt="Jeff Turner.jpg" src="http://blog.seattletimes.nwsource.com/boeing_live_event_coverage/Jeff%20Turner.jpg" width="250" height="373" style="float: right; margin: 0 0 20px 20px;" /></p> <p>As Boeing gears up in Renton, preparing to increase 737 production from 35 jets per month now to 38 this fall and 42 in early 2014, Spirit is the key supplier they need to feed their Renton production lines.</p> <p>Freight trains carrying complete 737 fuselages from Spirit run from Wichita, through Stevens Pass, along the Seattle waterfront and into the Renton factory. </p> <p>Having said that 60 per month -- an astounding rate that Boeing is talking about as the potential high water mark of production -- is achievable, Turner <em>(right, Spirit photo) </em>is quick to add that though his company sees a clear path to the scheduled increase to 42 per month, going as high as 60 would take a lot of preparation and investment.</p> <p>"The question is when, and how much does it cost to do that," said Turner. "What you don't want is to spend the money to run at high rates and then not run at high rates."</p> <p>But if Boeing pulls the trigger to go beyond 42, Spirit will accommodate, Turner said.</p> <a href="http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/boeingliveeventcoverage/2018647092_spirit_ceo_wichita_is_ready_to_pump_out_737_fuselages_to_feed_re.html?syndication=rss">Read more...</a> Boeing Live Event Coverage http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/boeingliveeventcoverage/2018647092_spirit_ceo_wichita_is_ready_to_pump_out_737_fuselages_to_feed_re.html?syndication=rss Tue, 10 Jul 2012 06:33:48 PDT http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/boeingliveeventcoverage/2018642975_the_flying_787_puts_on_a_show_at_farnborough.html?syndication=rss <p>The 787 Dreamliner made a spectacular flying display debut at the Farnborough Air Show Monday.</p> <p>Mike Carriker, former chief test pilot on the 787 who flew the plane on its first flight in 2009, gave a running commentary to a crowd of journalists watching from the balcony at the Boeing media chalet.<img alt="Mike Carriker narrates 787 flyby.jpg" src="http://blog.seattletimes.nwsource.com/boeing_live_event_coverage/Mike%20Carriker%20narrates%20787%20flyby.jpg" width="300" height="225" style="float: right; margin: 0 0 20px 20px;" /></p> <p><em>(On the right, Carriker narrates the 787 flying show. My photo.)</em></p> <p>The jet, in Qatar Airways colors, was piloted by Mike Bryan, who formerly worked in Boeing's defense division and flew F/A-18 Super Hornet jet fighters at Air Shows.</p> <p>Immediately after take-off, Bryan took the airplane into a very steep climb, the nose pointed up 40 degrees. As it soared aloft, the carbon fiber composite wings flexed in the distinctively elegant and recognizable curved arc of the 787 in flight.</p> <a href="http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/boeingliveeventcoverage/2018642975_the_flying_787_puts_on_a_show_at_farnborough.html?syndication=rss">Read more...</a> Boeing Live Event Coverage http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/boeingliveeventcoverage/2018642975_the_flying_787_puts_on_a_show_at_farnborough.html?syndication=rss Mon, 09 Jul 2012 16:31:06 PDT http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/boeingliveeventcoverage/2018642788_steve_udvar-hazy_orders_the_max_rings_the_nyse_opening_bell_from.html?syndication=rss <p>Aviation industry leader Steve Udvar-Hazy gave his important imprimatur to Boeing's 737 MAX early Monday, then conjured a little extra publicity.</p> <p><img alt="Hazy and Conner.jpg" src="http://blog.seattletimes.nwsource.com/boeing_live_event_coverage/Hazy%20and%20Conner.jpg" width="600" height="450" style="text-align: center; display: block; margin: 0 auto 20px;" /><br /> <em>Steve Udvar-Hazy, chief executive of Air Lease Corp. (ALC), shares a laugh with new Boeing Commercial airplanes chief Ray Conner just before ringing the opening bell Monday morning on the New York Stock Exchange, via a televised link from the Farnborough Air Show. My photo.</em></p> <p>Standing on a platform alongside Boeing Commercial Airplanes chief executive Ray Conner, Udvar-Hazy rang a bell set up for the TV cameras and opened trading on Wall Street.</p> <p>The occasion was a big ALC order, for 75 Boeing 737 MAXs: 60 of the 737 MAX 8s and 15 of the larger 737 MAX 9s. </p> <p>The order has a list price of $7.2 billion, though after standard discounts, based on market value data from consulting firm Avitas, the real value is about $3.8 billion.</p> <p>Udvar-Hazy piloted his own Gulfstream jet to get to Farnborough with his wife Chris. </p> <p>Interviewed after the bell-ringing, Udvar-Hazy talked about both the MAX and Boeing's future widebody, the 777X.</p> <a href="http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/boeingliveeventcoverage/2018642788_steve_udvar-hazy_orders_the_max_rings_the_nyse_opening_bell_from.html?syndication=rss">Read more...</a> Boeing Live Event Coverage http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/boeingliveeventcoverage/2018642788_steve_udvar-hazy_orders_the_max_rings_the_nyse_opening_bell_from.html?syndication=rss Mon, 09 Jul 2012 11:46:04 PDT http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/boeingliveeventcoverage/2018642705_ray_conner_at_farnborough_a_lot_more_hiring_in_puget_sound_area.html?syndication=rss <p>At his first full news conference on the opening day of the Farnborough Air Show, new Boeing Commercial Airplanes chief Ray Conner exuded confidence and optimism about the future of the company.<img alt="Conner at FAS12.jpg" src="http://blog.seattletimes.nwsource.com/boeing_live_event_coverage/Conner%20at%20FAS12.jpg" width="300" height="225" style="float: right; margin: 0 0 20px 20px;" /></p> <p>Though he declined to give a specific employment projection, Conner said Boeing's emphasis on steeply raising production rates means "we'll be hiring a lot of new people in the course of the next few years" at the assembly plants in the Puget Sound area.<br /> <em><br /> (Conner at the podium during the Boeing Commercial Airplanes press conference. My photo.)</em></p> <p>Relaxed and easy in manner, wearing an elegant, tailored suit, Conner was asked by a journalist about the already apparent shift in personal style compared to his predecessor, Jim Albaugh.</p> <p>Though Conner is certainly controlled enough not to stray from the corporate message and he didn't break any news so far in London, he definitely comes across as more laid back and personally self-assured, his phrasing of his responses more spontaneous than scripted.</p> <p>It's a manner the press has come to expect from Airbus executives like EADS chief executive Tom Enders, a former paratrooper. It's more rare in the stiffer executive ranks at Boeing.</p> <p>Conner demurred at the journalist's suggestion that he's flamboyant, which isn't the right word for his style. Instead, he settled for enthusiastic.</p> <p>He said that like many long-timers in the aviation industry, he loves the business. </p> <p>"We wake up every morning thinking what we can do to be No. 1," Conner said</p> <p>"People that get into this business, they never leave," he added. "It is the most exciting industry in the world. I can't think of a better thing to be doing."</p> <a href="http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/boeingliveeventcoverage/2018642705_ray_conner_at_farnborough_a_lot_more_hiring_in_puget_sound_area.html?syndication=rss">Read more...</a> Boeing Live Event Coverage http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/boeingliveeventcoverage/2018642705_ray_conner_at_farnborough_a_lot_more_hiring_in_puget_sound_area.html?syndication=rss Tue, 10 Jul 2012 06:36:07 PDT http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/boeingliveeventcoverage/2018639174_the_us_gulf_coast_celebrates_airbus_in_london.html?syndication=rss <p>In the main hall of the Banqueting House at Whitehall in London Sunday evening, under a <a href="http://www.hrp.org.uk/banquetinghouse/stories/peterpaulrubenspaintedceiling">high ornate ceiling painted by Dutch master Peter Paul Rubens</a> in 1636 to celebrate the union of England and Scotland, the union of four U.S. Gulf states celebrated a grand French coup: the snagging of an Airbus final assembly plant for Mobile, Ala.</p> <p>The reception on the eve of the Farnborough Air Show, hosted by an alliance of the states of Alabama, Florida, Mississippi, and Louisiana, was a networking and social event, the prelude to a round of business meetings at the Air Show the rest of the week.</p> <p>The governors of the first three states were present; the fourth sent a representative. Attendees including U.S. senators and congressmen sipped wine and nibbled hors d'oeurves. (The best was a delicate meat popsicle, a cuboid of English beef on a stick.)<img alt="" src="http://blog.seattletimes.nwsource.com/boeing_live_event_coverage/McArtor%20and%20Bregier%20couples.jpg" width="300" height="225" style="float: right; margin: 0 0 20px 20px;" /></p> <p>On a small stage, a string quartet played tastefully. Toward the end, the crowd thinned as people left to attend the numerous other aerospace receptions and dinners around central London this Sunday evening. </p> <p>That's when the new chief executive of Airbus, Fabrice Bregier, arrived with his wife Tatiana. He said his welcome in Mobile made him "feel at home." </p> <p>Mobile, he said is "a perfect fit" for Airbus.<br /> <em><br /> (Above, Allan McArtor, chairman of Airbus Americas; his wife, Grace McArtor; Fabrice Bregier, CEO of Airbus; and his wife, Tatiana Bregier. My photo, taken at the reception hosted by four U.S. Gulf Coast states in Banqueting House, Whitehall.)</em></p> <a href="http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/boeingliveeventcoverage/2018639174_the_us_gulf_coast_celebrates_airbus_in_london.html?syndication=rss">Read more...</a> Boeing Live Event Coverage http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/boeingliveeventcoverage/2018639174_the_us_gulf_coast_celebrates_airbus_in_london.html?syndication=rss Sun, 08 Jul 2012 16:31:04 PDT http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/boeingliveeventcoverage/2018636073_the_new_boeing_boss_brings_some_airbus-style_swagger.html?syndication=rss <p>On the eve of the Farnborough Air Show in London Sunday, Ray Conner -- the new chief executive at Boeing Commercial Airplanes -- showed some of the swagger of a top salesman.<img alt="Ray Conner - FAS 2012.JPG" src="http://blog.seattletimes.nwsource.com/boeing_live_event_coverage/Ray%20Conner%20-%20FAS%202012.JPG" width="300" height="225" style="float: right; margin: 0 0 20px 20px;" /></p> <p>In a book-lined conference room at a fancy London hotel, Conner faced a small group of journalists in his first media appearance since his abrupt ascension to the top job on June 26. </p> <p>Conner <em>(pictured right, my photo) </em>suavely parried all questions, disclosing no specific news. And yet his responses betrayed an intense competitiveness.</p> <p>It was a media performance with a style closer to that of Airbus sales chief John Leahy than to the earnest approach of Conner's predecessor Jim Albaugh, a former engineer.</p> <p>Will Boeing beat Airbus on orders this year? Without committing to a specific prediction, Conner's answer spoke of ambition.</p> <p>"It's always important to be number one," Conner said. "You don't want to be number two."</p> <p>Does he share Albaugh's publicly stated goal to achieve parity in the single-aisle jet market between the 737 MAX and the rival Airbus A320neo?</p> <p>"Parity? I thought (the goal) was 100 percent," Conner said, with a big smile. "You're talking to a sales guy. I don't want to lose any."</p> <p>Does he feel pressure at this Air Show, with all the advance expectations that Boeing's 737 MAX must begin to catch up with the A320neo?</p> <p>"I feel pressure all the time," Conner replied. "Every order is a precious thing. We want to win as many as we possibly can."</p> <p>Conner said he'll be "doing a little double duty" at this Air Show, on the one hand the CEO, on the other closing lots of deals as chief sales guy. </p> <p>Exuding confidence, he allowed one moment of deliberate understatement, still avoiding specific predictions. Conner said Boeing will have "a decent show" and "a good year."</p> <a href="http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/boeingliveeventcoverage/2018636073_the_new_boeing_boss_brings_some_airbus-style_swagger.html?syndication=rss">Read more...</a> Boeing Live Event Coverage http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/boeingliveeventcoverage/2018636073_the_new_boeing_boss_brings_some_airbus-style_swagger.html?syndication=rss Sun, 08 Jul 2012 12:01:08 PDT http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/boeingliveeventcoverage/2018635946_a_cool_sneak_peak_video_of_how_the_787_will_fly_at_farnborough.html?syndication=rss <p>The 787 will fly in Farnborough's afternoon displays, Boeing's first participation with a jetliner in these thrilling aerial displays <a href="http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/businesstechnology/2018528656_boeing26.html">since the Farnborough show in 1988</a>.</p> <p>Former chief 787 test pilot Mike Carriker* took the Qatar Airways plane up for a test flight from the Farnborough airfield and Flightglobal sent up a small plane to film it. </p> <p>The <a href="http://bcove.me/o82yth4m">video, less than 3 minutes long, is posted online and looks spectacular</a>. </p> <p>Some of the footage is filmed in infrared thanks to a thermal imagery camera made by Portland, Ore.-based FLIR Systems. The heat of the engines makes them appear on fire in those segments.<br /> <img alt="787 flight video.JPG" src="http://blog.seattletimes.nwsource.com/boeing_live_event_coverage/787%20flight%20video.JPG" width="433" height="242" style="text-align: center; display: block; margin: 0 auto 20px;" /></p> <p><em>(Screen shot from the Flightglobal video)<br /> </em></p> <p>This is going to be a highlight of the Air Show. Let's hope the weather doesn't foil the plan. Intermittent torrential rain is forecast for the week ahead.</p> <p>* CORRECTION: An earlier version of this blog item stated incorrectly that it was chief 787 test pilot Randy Neville who flew the 787 on this test run at Farnborough. It was Carriker. Neville will fly the plane in the flying display Tuesday afternoon.</p> Boeing Live Event Coverage http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/boeingliveeventcoverage/2018635946_a_cool_sneak_peak_video_of_how_the_787_will_fly_at_farnborough.html?syndication=rss Mon, 09 Jul 2012 11:46:04 PDT http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/boeingliveeventcoverage/2018635933_farnborough_preview_boeings_year_of_the_max.html?syndication=rss <p>My <a href="http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/businesstechnology/2018614636_farnborough08.html">Farnborough Air Show preview</a> is now out in the Sunday paper.</p> <p><em>At right, Beverly Wyse, vice president of Boeing's 737 program, talks about the forthcoming 737 MAX. <br /> Seattle Times photo</em><img alt="Bev Wyse and the MAX.jpg" src="http://blog.seattletimes.nwsource.com/boeing_live_event_coverage/Bev%20Wyse%20and%20the%20MAX.jpg" width="296" height="197" style="float: right; margin: 0 0 20px 20px;" /></p> <p>Starting from way behind after the rival Airbus A320neo order haul at last year's Paris Air Show, Boeing is hoping to begin to catch up at Farnborough.</p> <p>"The other guy had a year of waltzing around the world telling everybody what he had, with essentially zero competition from us," said Joe Ozimek, vice president of marketing for the 737 MAX.</p> <p>Even Airbus agrees.</p> <p>"Last year was so spectacular, you can't keep doing that," said Barry Eccleston, chief executive of Airbus Americas. "It's clearly going to be Boeing's year of the MAX."</p> Boeing Live Event Coverage http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/boeingliveeventcoverage/2018635933_farnborough_preview_boeings_year_of_the_max.html?syndication=rss Sun, 08 Jul 2012 08:31:03 PDT http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/boeingliveeventcoverage/2018631569_washington_state_woos_the_aerospace_world_at_the_farnborough_air.html?syndication=rss <p>The Airbus decision announced last week to locate an airplane assembly plant in Mobile, Ala., was widely viewed as bad news for Boeing. Yet Gov Chris Gregoire believes it could be good for Washington state.</p> <p>In a hotel just across the road from Buckingham Palace <em>(at right below, my photo)</em>, Gregoire spoke in an interview Saturday night, ahead of the opening of the Farnborough Air Show.<img alt="Rubens hotel.jpg" src="http://blog.seattletimes.nwsource.com/boeing_live_event_coverage/Rubens%20hotel.jpg" width="250" height="333" style="float: right; margin: 0 0 20px 20px;" /></p> <p>She'll have a private meeting with Boeing chief executive Jim McNerney while she's here at the Show. But she's also here to woo Airbus and also Canadian jetmaker Bombardier.</p> <p>Arriving from dinner with the Canadian High Commissioner to the U.K. -- Gordon Campbell, former premier of British Columbia and a personal friend of Gregoire's -- she joined some of the delegates talking to a journalist in the hotel bar while a pianist tinkled in the background. </p> <p>Gregoire's two bodyguards sat at a discreet distance, wires snaking behind their ears into their jackets, a reminder that the Palace is not the only place in town housing a head of state, with the inescapable security protocol that entails.</p> <p>Gregoire was bullish about aerospace, and about Washington's premier place in the industry as a global supplier of aerospace parts and engineering -- not merely a one-company state.</p> <p>Airbus bought $200 million worth of aerospace parts and equipment from Washington state companies last year.</p> <p>"That pales in comparison to what it can be," said Gregoire. "The only way to go is up."</p> <a href="http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/boeingliveeventcoverage/2018631569_washington_state_woos_the_aerospace_world_at_the_farnborough_air.html?syndication=rss">Read more...</a> Boeing Live Event Coverage http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/boeingliveeventcoverage/2018631569_washington_state_woos_the_aerospace_world_at_the_farnborough_air.html?syndication=rss Sat, 07 Jul 2012 20:31:06 PDT http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/boeingliveeventcoverage/2018623386_boeing_renton_production_drive_crucial_to_the_max_a_key_focus_at.html?syndication=rss <p>The Farnborough Air Show is expected to sustain Boeing's momentum in sales of its forthcoming 737 MAX. It's begun already: On Friday, three days ahead of the official opening of the Show, Virgin America finalized a firm order for 23 MAXs.</p> <p>But Boeing can only sell them if it can make enough of them.</p> <p>In a pre-Farnborough media tour, <a href="http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/businesstechnology/2018604845_boeing05.html">Boeing revealed new details of its impressive expansion plans inside the Renton plant</a>. Below is the second of the two current assembly lines, which is being extended.</p> <p><img alt="Thumbnail image for 737 assembly line renton.jpg" src="http://blog.seattletimes.nwsource.com/boeing_live_event_coverage/assets_c/2012/07/737 assembly line renton-thumb-608x386-33497.jpg" width="608" height="386" style="text-align: center; display: block; margin: 0 auto 20px;" /></p> <p>Boeing also showed us its innovative wing line but was so protective of its proprietary detail that photographers were not allowed to shoot pictures.</p> <p>How many 737s does Boeing plan to churn out from Renton?</p> <a href="http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/boeingliveeventcoverage/2018623386_boeing_renton_production_drive_crucial_to_the_max_a_key_focus_at.html?syndication=rss">Read more...</a> Boeing Live Event Coverage http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/boeingliveeventcoverage/2018623386_boeing_renton_production_drive_crucial_to_the_max_a_key_focus_at.html?syndication=rss Fri, 06 Jul 2012 19:16:04 PDT