Boeing Is Coming Up Sevens

Motley Fool ^ | November 21, 2005 | W.D. Crotty

[Prophet in the wilderness]

Yes.... the Boeing 717 was the very same plane of McDonald Douglas MD-95.

[Paleo Conservative]

Yes.... the Boeing 717 was the very same plane of McDonald Douglas MD-95.

It's McDonnell Douglas not McDonald Douglas.

[montag813]

and the Japanese don't make airplanes yet.

That is a scary thought to even consider.

[Finalapproach29er]

Thanks to all. I'd not heard of that.

[Experiment 6-2-6]

and the Japanese don't make airplanes yet.

Actually, the proper phrase would be:

The Japanese have not resumed the making of airplanes yet

Though, for the most part, their heavy bombers/transports of WWII weren't the best. They were much better at making fighters..

[AlaskaErik]

The A380, like the Concorde, is more about prestige than anything else. Boeing could have built a better SST or a better leviathan, but neither was financially viable. Boeing builds what will sell. Airbus is built by a consortium of third-rate countries that are trying to prove to themselves that they are superior. All they have done instead is to make inept business decisions.

[VOA]

bump for publicity

[wjcsux]

Who would want French garbage when you could have one of these?
If its not a Boeing, I am not going!

[Fresh Wind]

[Yo-Yo]

Actually, the proper phrase would be:

The Japanese have not resumed the making of airplanes yet

Actually, Japanese have resumed the making of airplanes. In addition to making several components of various Boeing and Airbus aircraft, They have built 138 McDonnell Douglass F-4E Phantom IIs, nearly 200 McDonnell Douglass/Boeing F-15Js, and 60 CH-47s, all under license.

The proper phrase would be:

The Japanese have not chosen to enter the passenger aircraft marktet yet.

[Yo-Yo]

Oh yeah, I forgot. Japan is also manufacturing the F-2, a domestic variant on the F-16, with all Japanese avionics and with a Japanees-designed composite wing.

[ConservativeStatement]

Yes. From Boeing's site:

http://www.boeing.com/commercial/717/background.html

[Finalapproach29er]

Thanks. It's facinating that it didn't rollout until the late 90's.

Did they start with the 727 -and skip 717- long ago? Isn't that odd?

[Kozak]

Who the hell would want to be on that Airbus cattle car? Imagine the lines at the luggage carousel or for customs when one of those whales lands.

[Yo-Yo]

They started with the 707. Then Boeing decided to stay with the "seven oh (blank)" numbering scheme, so they skipped the 717 because they didn't want it pronounced "seven seventeen." After they bought Mcdonnell Douglas, I guess they preferred "seven seventeen" to "MD-95" or something similar (Boeing MD-95? BMD-95?)

They have now gone on to the 727, 737, 747, 757, 767, 777, and the 787. What they will do after the 797 is anybody's guess.

[HamiltonJay]

Runway Extensions, new termals to unload the double decker beast... etc etc etc.. this thing is going to be lucky to break even.

Airbus bet the farm on this whale, and thus far its pushed back delivery dates, and not performed.

Alas, EU will bail it out when they go belly up due to this beast. Its a very very limited niche airplane, I just don't see how they are going to sell enough make money on it.

[Finalapproach29er]

What they will do after the 797 is anybody's guess.

---

Thanks. Maybe they will use a letter for the middle digit
-> 7A7,7B7,7C7...
Just a guess.

[MHalblaub]

"Airbus makes beautiful promises. Boeing makes beautiful airplanes."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boeing_Sonic_Cruiser

Still a beautiful plane.

[LIConFem]

"They were much better at making fighters.."

Their fighters had the advantages of superior speed and maneuverability (especially early on in the war), but they weren't very rugged. In the end, heavy metal won out over bamboo and cloth.