What's funny about this press release is that what people said at the beginning of the 747 program, is the same thing people are saying about the A380 program. I think , if Airbus gets it right, A380 will be really successful. BAHA Fan of 777s and 320s --- Bill Hough <psa188@xxxxxxxx> wrote: > =20 > ---------------------------------------------------------------------- > This article was sent to you by someone who found it > on SFGate. > The original article can be found on SFGate.com > here: > http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=3D/n/a/2005/12/13/financial/= > f214010S15.DTL > > --------------------------------------------------------------------- > Wednesday, December 14, 2005 (AP) > Father of 747 Sees Big Things for New Jet > By ELIZABETH M. GILLESPIE, AP Business Writer > > > (12-14) 03:39 PST Everett, Wash. (AP) -- > > Decades after he engineered Boeing Co.'s original > jumbo jet, the father = > of > the storied 747 said Tuesday that he expects big > things from the latest > version of the double-decker behemoth. > > Speaking to some 2,000 employees gathered for a > celebration at the > assembly plant in this city north of Seattle, Joe > Sutter noted that the > current version of the plane, the 747-400, has been > the hottest seller of > any 747 model yet. > > The company has sold more than 700 of them since > 1985, according to its > online database of orders and deliveries. > > "I predict the 747-8 will match that market and > might even surprise the > marketeers," said Sutter, who retired in 1986 after > 40 years at Boeing and > now works as a consultant to the company. > > Boeing announced last month that it was launching > the 747-8, a bigger, > more fuel-efficient version of the four-engine > widebody plane. It's > designed to compete with rival Airbus SAS' A380 > superjumbo, which will > overtake the 747 as the world's largest commercial > jet when it enters > service next year. > > So far, Boeing has won orders only for the > freighter version of the 747-= > 8, > which will be about 18 feet longer than the current > freighter model. > > The passenger version will seat 450 people in a > standard three-class > configuration, up from 416 in the current model, and > will feature a > redesigned interior. It will be nearly 12 feet > longer than the current > 747, and will be capable of flying 9,200 miles. > > Both versions of the current 747 are nearly 232 > feet long. The A380 is > about 240 feet long and will carry about 550 > passengers in three classes > or 800 passengers in a single class. It, too, will > be capable of flying > about 9,200 miles. > > Jeff Peace, vice president and general manager of > the 747 program, said > Boeing has marketed the 747-8 to several interested > airlines and expects > an order for a passenger version of the plane > sometime next year. > > Sutter, 84, recalled the early days of the 747 > program, when his wife > would dread going to the grocery or playing bridge > with her friends, > because people would ask her what her husband was > thinking, designing such > an enormous plane. > > "The question, 'Will this thing ever fly?' was > actually asked," Sutter > said, drawing chuckles from the crowd. "The market > people in New York > thought it might be a white elephant, and people > were predicting that 200 > of these airplanes would be the maximum market. ... > Those 200 airplanes > have now stretched out to 1,400 airplanes, and all > of the airplanes that > were being developed at the same time as the 747 > have disappeared." > > Industry analysts have predicted that the 747-8 > will steal potential A380 > customers away from Airbus, based in Toulouse, > France, and owned mostly by > European Aeronautic Defense & Space Co. > > In a recent interview, Airbus spokesman Clay > McConnell said the company > remains confident that it will win at least half of > the market's jumbo jet > orders over the next 20 years. > > "This is the sixth derivative of the 747. It's a > plane that can be offer= > ed > out there at a relatively low cost ? smart and > entirely predictable > move on their part. We still think we have a better > product," McConnell > said. > > Kourosh Hadi, a chief product development > engineer, said designs for the > 747-8 will be finalized by 2007. Boeing will begin > building the plane in > 2008, run the first test flight in early 2009 and > deliver the first plane > in September of that year. > > ___ > > On the Net: > > www.boeing.com/commercial/747family/index.html > -------------------------= > --------------------------------------------- > Copyright 2005 AP >