Boeing 797

[Cool_Hand]

I've just read an article about the Boeing 797 and was wondering whether anyone else had heard anything about this aircraft?

"Boeing is planning 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 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 California..."

http://www.newtechspy.com/articles06/boeing797.html

When I can get a full electronic version of the statement I'll post it but the rest just goes on to berate Airbus a little and talk about some advantages to the blended wing design.

Prior to today I had no idea that Boeing was planning this. Is it another smoke screen like the sonic cruiser? (though that one was obviously a ploy)

[surely not]

The radical Blended wing design has been developed by Boeing in cooperation with the NASA Langley Research Center

Boeing getting state funded help............ after all their whining at Airbus.......... I should coco!!

Didn't this design get killed off and the 747-800 replace it eventually??

Might be wrong, I have been before :E

[Halfnut]

Yea but that was back when oil was at $25.

[copernicus]

Well either way, look good!
If it is a ploy, would be a pity...

[Cool_Hand]

I remember reading about and seeing a show talking about radical blended wing designs back in the 80's. They never came about as there seems to be a lot of issues with the design. Looking at the picture alone, do the passengers have windows to look out of? Do they need them? Segregation of fuel tanks from the passenger cabin? Looking at the placement of the engines, wouldn't they be blanked during an approach due to the high AoA approaches of delta wing aircraft?

Wasn't the 747-800 just another name for the 747X?

As an engineer I hope it's not a ploy, would be good to work on it.

[Big Tudor]

And this is the same Boeing Aircraft Corp that took every opportunity to mention that aviation didn't need ever larger passenger transport aircraft! :hmm:

[ETOPS773]

Boeing's next project, after the 787 and 747-800 will be the 737 replacement...which in turn is waiting on some new engine designs. Check the Randy Baseler blog at www.boeing.com/randy for more info on that.

This BWB looks lovely and very 1998 (notice the old house colours on it.....) but BWBs are difficult to control - do a google search on the B2 Spirit control and yaw systems and you'll see what I mean. Once they get a scale model airborne, I'll believe it but for now its too much of a jump. Maybe 2026?

[vapilot2004]

RE: 797 story:

Check your 'news' source on that ! The 747X or now properly named 747-800 is alive and well on to becoming a reality - at least the F.

The blended wing design is old news - however preliminary numbers show great promise. With composites leading the way to more radical and efficient airframe design, it should be relatively simple to construct such an unusual craft compared to the standard rib-stringer-sheet aluminum build methods. As ETOPS773 says, controlled flight is another story.

RE: Gov't subsidy and Langley Research Center:

I know several people over at LARC, and believe me, use of the wind tunnel facility and the associated tech comes with a large bill. The US government recieves money from Boeing (or anyone else) when a testing regime is implemented, not the other way round.

It is indeed lovely :)

[Cool_Hand]

I think you have a good point there, the 747-800 is alive and kicking and as far as I can tell the 797 is supposed to be a 737 replacement.

Seems like the rumour mill that supplied me is very much in overdrive and they are just hoping that this will become a reality in order to get contract rates up!!

But as the day has progressed I'm becoming more convinced that this comes from nothing.

Would be an interesting concept, would be interested to see what regular SLF would think to fly on it...where are the over wing exits? and no windows! would PAX be content to look at a screen showing exterior views?

[20driver]

Not really new. I remember seeing cross sections of a Boeing blended wing in AWST many moons back. The article did mention passengers not having windows was a real concern. There was however lots of room for berths etc in the half height upper deck.
That deja vu all over again.
20driver

[scruggs]

"The 747X or now properly named 747-800 is alive and well on to becoming a reality - at least the F."

China Airlines is planning to order 10 of the 747-8 passenger variants.
http://www.forbes.com/business/feeds/afx/2006/04/26/afx2701042.html

[Strepsils]

And this is the same Boeing Aircraft Corp that took every opportunity to mention that aviation didn't need ever larger passenger transport aircraft!

Didn't Airbus say something similar about point to point aircraft e.g. 787 and that the future is hub to hub and that will be the A380 using A320's to take you onwards from the hub.

And then the A350 came along........:hmm:

All businesses are the same, and it's a bankrupt business that can't review and change their plans if it looks like the market has changed.

[ebt]

This is not - currently - a civillian project but a military one. I have seen this design mooted before in relation to DARPA/NASA as a possible heavy lifter for the USAF in time. That's why there are no windows in the pictures to far.

In time, of course, it could become the real thing for civillian use. Still, it's going to take a lot of research validation and heaps of investment dollars. I think Boeing has its plate a bit full at the moment to be throwing more money and resources at a new civil project.

[seacue]

Me thinks the 797 will be the 737-replacement that Southwest Airlines wants. Southwest flies over 400 737s and has placed orders for well over 70 more stretching out to about 2012. I don't doubt that some of those orders could become launch orders for the 797. Will the 797 glass cockpit have a 737-300 mode:)

[Packsonflight]

It is strange that Boeing should be involved in a big plane, because for the last 6 -8 years they have bin telling the world and thenselves that nobody wanted a bird like that.

[OFBSLF]

How do you quickly evac a blending-wing body design?

[Cyberhacker]

Once they get a scale model airborne, I'll believe it but for now its too much of a jump. Maybe 2026?
I believe 2006 is a genuine date...

See recent Boeing press release (http://www.boeing.com/news/releases/2006/q2/060504b_nr.html)X-48B Ship No. 1 began wind tunnel testing on April 7 at the Langley Full-Scale Tunnel at NASA's Langley Research Center. When testing is completed in early May, it will be shipped to NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center in California to serve as a backup to Ship No. 2, which will be used for flight testing later this year.