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Published: November 27th 2006
AirNZ 777
The final AirNZ 777 preparing to takeoff for delivery to Auckland Airport.After a late hotel checkout we were off to the Boeing airline factory to see what Bill Boeing (the founder of Boeing) had created. The factory tour was $15 and was incredibly interesting. We saw the design for the new 787 dreamliner and the 777 and 787 assembly line. Boeing are simply trying to make smaller more fuel efficient planes instead of huge airliners now. Did you know that Boeing don't make any of the parts themselves for their airplanes. Everything is premade by other companies and delivered to the assembly line. We also witnessed a Air NZ 777 take off, apparently the last ordered 777 on route for Auckland airport. Cool. We went mad in the Boeing gift shop buying clothes and gifts, then cruised around the museum learning how far jet airliners had come since the 1950’s. The first jet airliner actually started crashing because it was made of steel and not strengthened properly. Ouch. Today the airplanes are made out of composite materials including carbon fibre and aluminum. No steel is used in the building of the plane whatsoever. Go Boeing! They look like a great company to work for and pay quite well by the sounds of
Hotel Room
Hotel room for 60US a night. it. The Boeing staff were also very helpful and answered all our touristy questions.
Next task was to find a place to camp for the night. We were hoping to make it to somewhere near Mt St Helen’s. Unfortunately light closed in on us so we ended up camping about 70 km’s outside of Seattle. Despite the old man who ran the place being grumpy for us turning up at 7:30pm, our first night of camping was brilliant!
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non-member comment
Steve, you look so comfortable in that cockpit, I think you've missed your calling!!