by "Ash78, voting early and often" (ash78)
Published 12/15/2017 at 15:59
by "Ash78, voting early and often" (ash78)
Published 12/15/2017 at 15:59
Tags: Planelopnik
STARS: 7
Mesmerizing. Most modern planes are built the same way, from turboprop commuters to super jumbos. But the 737 is a great example because they roll off the line about every 18 hours.
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Planes are still completely fascinating to me. Behind the sad facade of commercial travel and its cattle calls, beatdowns, and terrible companies, the technology here is just amazing. And safe.
If you don’t have a flight tracker on your phone, I recommend it. Every time you see something overhead you can instantly learn its story. Or go watch Memphis departures late at night, when hundreds of Fedex planes take off one after the other and light up the radar.
"For Sweden" (rallybeetle)
12/15/2017 at 16:07, STARS: 0
The Boeing Management Corporation is a world leader for manufacturing management.
"MonkeePuzzle" (monkeypuzzle)
12/15/2017 at 16:08, STARS: 0
this was most pleasing and enjoyable
"HammerheadFistpunch" (hammerheadfistpunch)
12/15/2017 at 16:08, STARS: 0
Very cool.
"Ash78, voting early and often" (ash78)
12/15/2017 at 16:12, STARS: 0
And interestingly enough, basically everything but the fuselage is outsourced. That’s probably the most amazing part.
"Urambo Tauro" (urambotauro)
12/15/2017 at 16:16, STARS: 0
Why manufacture management when you can build excitement instead?
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"ttyymmnn" (ttyymmnn)
12/15/2017 at 16:35, STARS: 2
Oh look! A proper steering wheel. I get side sticks, but it just seems to me that if you’re driving a flying bus you’d want a steering wheel.
I know it’s just my own aesthetic opinion, but I think Boeing airliners are just so much prettier than their Airbus counterparts. There is a pleasant, graceful curve to the lines of the 737, while the A320 series just looks bolted together for maximum efficiency. Perhaps it’s my imagination, but the 737 looks like it was designed by people who cared how an airplane should look .
"Ash78, voting early and often" (ash78)
12/15/2017 at 16:39, STARS: 0
I can see that. Airbus by its very nature (IIRC) was a conglomeration of countries and companies, whereas Boeing used to do everything in-house. That seems to carry over into what they expect from their suppliers. Sort of like carmakers.
I despise sidesticks. Jet fighters, sure, you need the space. But I don’t know if I’d be comfy flying a Cirrus with my left hand.*
*not a pilot, but take controls from right seat sometimes (70s/80s Piper Archers)
"ttyymmnn" (ttyymmnn)
12/15/2017 at 16:54, STARS: 1
I made that comment over on Jalopnik some years ago, and I had a guy who said he was an airline pilot who flies Airbuses and he said that there is something particularly civilized about having a tray of food in your lap at 30,000 feet. That may be the case, but I think the biggest problem with the side stick is that one pilot’s input is not mirrored in the other pilot’s stick. When the shit hits the fan, and CRM breaks down (or was non-existent in the first place), you don’t know what the other guy is doing. See AF 447 . A whole lot went wrong on that flight, and a lack of cross-cockpit feedback may have contributed to the disaster.
"Jetstreamer" (jetstreamer)
12/15/2017 at 16:56, STARS: 1
As you mentioned, it’s a very subjective thing. Objectively speaking however...
It’s a 50 year old design prevented from having significant fuselage progress by a fear of having to spend money on re-certification.
It’s basically a retro plane .
"Jetstreamer" (jetstreamer)
12/15/2017 at 16:58, STARS: 0
It’s no big deal what so ever... if you are left seat in a Cessna you won’t be flying with your right hand mainly either. It takes very little effort to switch hands even after years in the right seat.
"ttyymmnn" (ttyymmnn)
12/15/2017 at 17:02, STARS: 0
It’s basically a retro plane
Well, I’m a historian at heart, so I’m okay with that. :)
"Ash78, voting early and often" (ash78)
12/15/2017 at 17:26, STARS: 0
True, but yokes are are very forgiving of large inputs, so the nondominant hand thing is less an issue. FBW sidesticks, as I understand, are more like video game joysticks.
"John Norris (AngryDrifter)" (angrydrifter)
12/15/2017 at 18:24, STARS: 0
Thanks for posting that.
I was always curious about how they would make the seat installation process efficient. Looks like they have a custom conveyor ramp to support. I think the seats come out for D checks so perhaps some of the airline maintenance facilities have something similar.
"John Norris (AngryDrifter)" (angrydrifter)
12/15/2017 at 18:26, STARS: 0
The 737 fuselages are manufactured by Spirit in Wichita.
"BaconSandwich is tasty." (baconsandwich)
12/15/2017 at 21:12, STARS: 1
That was really neat to see.
I wonder how they power everything when it’s still on the assembly line. Like when the guys were testing the flaps. It must have some sort of umbilical. Neat. Also those guys doing the painting do a heck of a job.
"Ash78, voting early and often" (ash78)
12/15/2017 at 21:28, STARS: 0
They might just crank up the APU, which provides a good bit of power when the engines are off (like making the air blow when you’re sitting on the tarmac). Probably external power, though.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Auxiliary_power_unit
"BaconSandwich is tasty." (baconsandwich)
12/15/2017 at 22:04, STARS: 1
I would think the APU would leave a lot of fumes for everyone on the assembly line. I suppose they could vent it.