Freighter meets freight.

The reason for me visiting Seattle was to show the Indian some of it's history.

As you know it was flown to the US by air with United. However it flew first class in a 787 Boeing Dreamliner (cargo first class). Could it be the first Indian Scout to fly in such an aircraft?

I had prebooked my 1pm tour as it is US summer holidays but actually Tom Tom worked wonders and had me at the Everett Airfield by 1015am and found a park in the bus zone, a privledge reserved for the brave and bold. Likewise travel on freeways in the carpool lane is permissible for motorbikes.

Upom arrival at the ticket counter all they needed was my name and their request was to place me on either the 1030 or 11am tours, I selected the 11am this allowing time to stash my MC gear under the bike cover and appear as "normal"and certainly more comfortable .shorts & a tee shirt.

These tours are a cash cow you do the Maths, $25 a head 50 per bus and two buses every 30mins for 8 hours 365 days a year.

Boeing employ over 35000 people at the one site and sublease 38 restaurant and coffee shop sites within the one hugh building so employees never have to leave the work place. Incidentally the plant has 3 shifts per day 365 days a year it never shuts. It is housed in the world's largest clear span building and produces an amazing 52 approx new large passenger aircraft such as 767,747-8 & 787's every month. Customers still face a min of two years wait time for the first available slot for any non pre existing orders.

More brain food at the Paris Air show three years ago a scale model of the still unmade 777X was shown and over 100 firm orders were placed.

The assembly lines are varied with some following the traditional build from scatch to final roll out on the same line while another 767 line has the two halfs facing the opposite directions on the one giant moving platform during build and fitout then only nearing the end of the line does one section rotate 180o and a final mating takes place. The 787 line is differnt again with assembly taking place of modules that sub contractors around the world supply and these are flown by the specially constructed 747's dubbed the Dreamlifters or bought in by the hugh Russian Antitov AN 124 freighters.

We were shown the delivery line where $10b worth of new aircraft were awaiting their owners and with new planes being finished daily parking become a real issue.

Boeing lease the Everett airfield by only account for 7% of traffic but an amazing 87% of the runway payload. The local authories really enjoy having Boeing as a paying customer.

The tour finishes at the gift shop well one of two I wonder why?

However the facility also includes a gallery which has experimental aircraft, a space shuttle, sections of both new and old Boeing products, simulators and an interaction range of displays aimed at both yound & old.

As the Boeing motto states Ïf it not a Boeing it's not worth going."