Posted on 04/25/2006 11:19:38 AM PDT by pissant
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 Center. 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 up159 orders, but has not yet flown any passengers.
Boeing decide 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 cruising speed (another advantage over the Airbus tube-and-wing designed A380’s 570 mph)
The exact date for introduction is unclear, yet the battle lines are clearly drawn in the high-stakes war for civilian air supremacy.
”This is a great advancement in commercial aviation and a huge win for boeing" April 24, 06
No way - a flying MONSTER-BUS.
Is this going to be able to use existing jetbridges or require a major overhaul like the 380 did
Boeing has been working on the 747 Advanced, and I cannot see them dropping it at this time.
Well, they could sink the QMII and make an even bigger splash. (You may groan now).
I'll never fly in a jumbo jet again!
Yep. But by then, arabs will no longer be able to board planes.
Great....that will be 999 idiots with oversized carry-on baggage I'll have to battle with for overhead space. I certainly hope they'll have multiple jetways for boarding and departure.
It's spooky. Maybe it could replace the B-52 bomber as well.
And Northrop proposed this in 1948:
The problem with blended wing aircraft is that the airfoil cross section is so thick that the optimal cruising speed is slower than a conventional design.
I think it will only be able to use the ones designed for the A380.
They are not dropping the new 747, I can assure you. But I hope they do this one as well. Put a casino, a couple of bars, a dance pole, etc. ;o)
I'm not sure how valid this publication is. It could simply be a concept at this point, one of many.
The 777 is a nice ride.
The 1st will be the USS Enterprise.
Is this real or is this yet another "paper airplane" story Boeing puts out every time Airbus has some kind of advantage.
I thought the profit point on the a380 was 250 air planes.
with only 140 it seems the a380 is falling short.
This seems more like a popular mechanics fluff story.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.