Introducing an airplane Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Introducing an airplane - Essay Example It carries about 300-550 passengers and has a range of about 17500km. The aircraft was designed after extensive consultation with eight airlines to replace the aging aircraft variants that were present in the market at the time such as those mentioned here above. It acted as the bridge between the Boeing 767 and the Boeing 747 in terms of aircraft offerings. The original version was the 200 version which was followed in 1997 by the 200 ER (extended range) and then the stretched 300 version in 1998 which is about 10 meters longer than the original 200 series. The 300ER long range variant was introduced in 2004 followed closely by the 200LR in 2006. From then Boeing has introduced other versions of the Triple Seven including a freighter together with other versions e.g. the Boeing 787. There are three engine offerings available for the 777 including the General Electric GE90, Rolls Royse Trent 800 and the Pratt and Whitney PW4000. This aircraft is one of the best selling fuel efficient commercial airliner capable of flying more than half way around the world. Motivation From the 1970s Boeing had continually unveiled new models to replace and expand its fleet. The need for more capacity and range capability motivated the company to come up with a new long range aircraft that could replace the old Airbus A330, the McDonnell Douglas DC-10 and the Lockheed L1001. Several variants including the 777 tri-jet had been programmed for production before their production was cancelled. The main motivation was to build a reliable, fuel efficient, both long and short range capability and increased passenger capacity. Developments in technology had influenced industry players to bring up the fly by wire design and the Boeing 777 provided the perfect opportunity. It was the first aircraft to adopt the technology. History The developments in technology over the years had influenced players in the aviation industry to expand their fleet with more efficient aircrafts which could be effective in the expanded global market. These developments saw movements with major airlines calling for more range, capacity and fuel efficiency. Boeing Commercial Airlines reacted to this market demand by engaging ten world class airlines to come up with the solution to these deficiencies. In the 1970s Boeing had introduced several models among its fleet such as the twin engine 757 which was to replace the 727, the twin engine 767 to compete the Airbus A300 and the 777 tri-jet (which was later abandoned) challenging the DC-10 and the Lockheed Tri-Star. In the 1980s there was a big gap at Boeing product line where the 767-300ER and the 747-400 that could not adequately achieve the required potential of size and range. The other airlines e.g. Airbus also had old aircraft among their fleet that called for replacement. Airbus had in the meantime moved to fill this gap by developing the A330 and A340. At Boeing, several proposals were being mooted to enlarge the 767 with the result o f the 767-X. It had a capacity of 340 passengers and a range of 13500 km. It was however un-impressive to the company as it did not meet the requirements such as short to intercontinental range capability, flexible cabin configuration and low operating cost. This resulted in the 777. Boeing Commercia