Boeing Designates New Airplane Concept, Releases Image

[Tcas climb]

From www.boeing.com

Link to story (http://www.boeing.com/news/releases/2003/photorelease/q1/pr_030129h1.html)

Boeing [NYSE: BA] has given its new super-efficient, mid-sized airplane a development designation -- the Boeing 7E7 -- and released the first image of the airplane concept. The designation signals the company's commitment to develop a new airplane with major breakthroughs in efficiency, economics, environmental performance, exceptional comfort and convenience, e-enabled systems, and more.

The Boeing 7E7 is being developed with an international industry team as a 200- to 250-seat airplane that will fly 7,000 to 8,000 nautical miles, providing passengers non-stop, point-to-point service at speeds similar to today's fastest twin-aisle commercial airplanes - the Boeing 777 and 747.

The market potential for a new airplane of this size is forecasted at up to 3,000 units over the next 20 years. The company expects to formally offer the new airplane to customers in early 2004, with entry into service targeted for 2008.

[NigelOnDraft]

=baby 777 / A330 clone....

[Tcas climb]

I guess this is the end of the 767, after USAF has their tankers.

Link to news release (http://www.boeing.com/news/releases/2003/q1/nr_030129h.html)

[Buster Hyman]

Does this mean the Sonic Cruiser is now, officially the 7F7???:= :=

[Aviation Trainer too]

After all the hype about the impossible sounic cruiser to get attention away from the 380 we now get what Airbus designed a decade ago: the Boeing 330....

Probably the media hype will say that will incorporate the latest in technology like fly by wire..the same stuff that Boeing always claimed to be taking the pilot out of the loop and making the A320 such a dangerous airplane compared to the 737 Not Good.. Don't you just luv those boeing people...

What they should do is starting with a clean sheet of paper, like with the initial 777 instead of making a variation. The variation cost less to develop but is generally not as good as the original..

[NWSRG]

Are they not starting with a clean sheet of paper?

Throw in a 777 style flight deck (for the much vaunted commonality), add in the new flightdeck tools being developed on the 737 demonstrator, and then remember that Boeing will have 10-15 years additional R&D beyond the A330. And finally......its what the airlines want them to build!

There are plenty of early 757/767/A300/A310 needing replaced soon. 2006 787 v early 1990s A330? Maybe they've hit the nail on the head.

[Torquelink]

Can't see Airbus taking this lying down. As most of the efficiency improvement is likely to come from the engines, Airbus can just bolt them onto the A330, maybe tweak the aerodynamics a bit and get almost the same efficiency for a fraction of the R&D.

[NWSRG]

Interesting letter in Flight International this week, suggesting that Boeings claimed performance improvements could only be achieved with fairly radical technology - waisted rear fuselage, elastic control surfaces and so on...maybe the new plane will not be just as conventional as we thought.

[AntiCrash]

Did you guys totally miss the NEW BOEING BAE146 Knockoff-ski?
It's like Illyushin has taken over Boeing.
;)

[moggie]

AntiCrash - do you have a link to the Boeing 146 or can you tell me where to find it? I recall seeing it before, but no idea where.

[Speedbrace]

A new Boeing 250 seater ? With United and American haemorrhaging cash, who's going to be the first with the big order to make a 'nearly' 767 a worthwhile project?
Unless there are some big advances in materials technology or developments in engine efficiency , I think I'd be looking to 'soup - up ' the 767. After all, they're building the 767-200 series again. Why? Because with the big CF6 80C2 engines, it's a perfect 250 seat Boeing - Passengers like it, pilots like it and engineers like it. What more do we all want? As one of my instructors used to say - Looks good, works well, lasts a long time.
New ideas are fine - the 777 and 737NG flight decks are good - better than the older 767 technology.Winglets seem to work well - unless they're bolted to an MD11. BUT - unless Boeing have something really radical up their sleeves, they'll be spending millions of dollars to design a 250 seater which may fly a tadge faster, a la 777 and 747 and may burn a few less kilos of fuel per mile but it will still be a 767, 20 years on. They should take a look down the road from Everett to Renton - who would have thought that 38 years down the line, airlines would still be clamouring to buy the 737 series?? Pile 'em high, sell 'em cheap !