I was in Spokane Wa. last April and saw two 737 fuselages being transported by train. They were heading west towards Seatle, I’m assuming they were going to Boeing. They were painted in a green primer color, no wings or tail assembly. Later I saw a clip about the Southwest Airlines jets being painted with a Florida theme and they showed two green fuselages on a train. Anybody have details on this.
The fuselages are built in Wichita, Kansas and sent by train to Renton.
The green is a protective coating for the aluminum and is stripped off prior to painting.
Boeing Train And SD9 - YouTube)
Southwest Airlines: The Making of our Florida One Specialty Livery - YouTube)
Thanks, shows you what I know. I thought Boeing did everything in Washington.
No and in the years ahead, they will probably do less in Washington.
Look at where some of the 787 parts come from:
And soon - A LOT more of this 787 will be coming to CHS!
And that is a big part of the reason there have been so many issues with the prototypes. Part A does not necessarily meet up with Part B. The best and most efficient operation would be to assemble the entire aircraft in one place. They only scatter it out for political gain, building a factory in a certain state or country can help get favors from politicians.
Why are they not showing the parts made in China?
I read an article a few years ago about the residents (hillybilly/redneck/hick/deranged or drunk hunters/whatever) who live along the tracks taking shots at the fuselages as they go by on the train. I bet the Boeing folks were happy to see their aircraft sections arrive with bullet holes in them.
