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To: Yo-Yo
Have you heard anything on that Boeing 797 Blended wing aircraft that is supposed to compete with Airbus's 380?

I recieved an email with pix that quoted:

> Boeing to take on Airbus with (1000 seat) giant 797 Blended Wing > plane Boeing is preparing a 1000 passenger jet that could reshape > the Air travel industry for the next 100 years. > The radical Blended Wing design has been developed by Boeing in > cooperation with the NASA Langley Research Centre. > > > The mammoth plane will have a wing span of 265 feet compared to the > 747's 211 feet, and is designed to fit within the newly created > terminals used for the 555 seat Airbus A380, which is 262 feet wide. > > > The new 797 is in direct response to the Airbus A380 which has racked > up 159 orders, but has not yet flown any passengers. > > > Boeing decided to kill its 747X stretched super jumbo in 2003 after > little interest was shown by airline companies, but has continued > to develop the ultimate Airbus crusher 797 for years at its Phantom > Works > research facility in Long Beach, Calif. > > > The Airbus A380 has been in the works since 1999 and has accumulated > $13 billion in development costs, which gives Boeing a huge > advantage now that Airbus has committed to the older style tubular > aircraft for decades to come. > > > There are several big advantages to the blended wing design, the most > important being the lift to drag ratio which is expected to increase > by an amazing 50%, with overall weight reduced by 25%, making it an > estimated 33% more efficient than the A380, and making Airbus's $13 > billion dollar investment look pretty shaky. > > High body rigidity is another key factor in blended wing aircraft, It > reduces turbulence and creates less stress on the air frame which > adds to efficiency, giving the 797 a tremendous 8800 nautical mile > range with its 1000 passengers flying comfortably at mach .88 or 654 > mph (+-1046km/h) cruising speed another advantage over the Airbus > tube-and-wing designed A380's 570 mph (912 km/h) The exact date for > introduction is unclear, yet the battle lines are clearly drawn in > the high-stakes war for civilian air supremacy.

The email format would't allow me to edit it...

8 posted on 06/22/2006 6:09:02 PM PDT by JDoutrider
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To: JDoutrider

That was dropped back in 2002. There are many unsolved problems with the design, such as not too many isle seats, and certifiying the aircraft for 1000 passengers which requires the ability to evacuate all 1000 in under 90 seconds.

9 posted on 06/22/2006 6:16:28 PM PDT by Yo-Yo (USAF, TAC, 12th AF, 366 TFW, 366 MG, 366 CRS, Mtn Home AFB, 1978-81)
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