To: Mark D
It refers to the proposal to build 767/747 on the same line being a "first". Do Airbus not manufacture 330/340 series on the same line? If not, why not .
It may have been done long ago but to my knowledge the first major commercial operation building two different jets on the same production line was done by Douglas Aircraft when they integrated the DC-8 and DC-9 on the same production line. Doing so is what did them in. It was during the war in Vietnam and all available Titanium was being diverted to the war effort. It just so happened that the galley system in the DC-9 was made of Titanium and it was an integral part of the aircraft structure. As the supply dried up a lot of DC-9s on the production line could not be advanced to the next production station.
Another thing is that the DC-9s that were already complete could not get engines as the DC-9s engines were being used on a Navy Aircraft. Concrete blocks were hung from the engine mounts to simulate the weight of the engines but they do not provide much thrust.
With the blockage, the DC-8s could not be advanced and Douglas was forced to pay late delivery charges for both aircraft to the airlines. This broke them financially and with no income being generated they went under. Hopefully this does not happen to Boeing.
