Boeing makes progress on new plane design SEATTLE (AP) =97 Boeing Co. is considering building two versions of its=20 proposed 7E7 jetliner, and is further refining the design of its proposed=20 super-efficient mid-sized plane. The company is continuing talks with=20 potential airline customers to decide what the jet should look like and=20 which of the two versions to launch first, said Walt Gillette, vice=20 president of development for the 7E7. Boeing announced last year that it=20 would shelve plans to build a futuristic Sonic Cruiser jet that would=20 travel near the speed of sound. Instead, the Chicago-based aerospace=20 manufacturer said it would build the super fuel-efficient jet, a=20 double-aisle plane which could fly faster than the existing Boeing 767 but= =20 would burn about 17 percent less fuel. The company said it plans to=20 officially launch the program in 2004, with the first jet ready for service= =20 in 2008. One version of the 7E7, the 300x, would seat between 200 and 220=20 passengers in a first, business and economy class configuration. The larger= =20 version, the 400x, would seat about 240 to 250 passengers. The new jet=20 would directly compete with Airbus' A330-200, with fuel, crew, maintenance= =20 and ground-handling costs projected to be lower than its European rival.=20 Boeing is taking some of the technology and design ideas of the Sonic=20 Cruiser for the 7E7, Gillette said. It hopes to rely on advanced engines,=20 as well as aerodynamic designs and lighter-weight advanced materials to=20 help achieve lower operating costs. The jet will have a range similar to=20 that of the extended-range versions of Boeing's larger 777, which can fly=20 more than 8,200 miles. "With the 7E7, we are bringing big airplane=20 economics and big-airplane range to a medium-size plane," Gillette told The= =20 Seattle Post-Intelligencer." *************************************************** The owner of Roger's Trinbago Site/TnTisland.com Roj (Roger James) escape email mailto:ejames@escape.ca Trinbago site: www.tntisland.com Carib Brass Ctn site www.tntisland.com/caribbeanbrassconnection/ Steel Expressions www.mts.net/~ejames/se/ Site of the Week: http://www.dbombo.net/muddyangels/ TnT Webdirectory: http://search.co.tt *********************************************************