Going Long Is the Much Forgotten 777-200LR

The press talks about everything other than the 777-200LR. More often it's the 777-300ER discussed by its capacity to hold passengers and the distance it will fly. The 777-200LR goes farther and is a much ignored type from all the headlines published about the A380 and 777-300ER. Below is the top ten longest routes and to many a surprise for the 777-200LR taking top honors in the top ten long distant flyers.

A quote from The Street:

"Must Read: Boeing 787-9 Enables United to Plan Longest Flight by a U.S. Carrier

At 8,446 miles, San Francisco-Singapore will be the longest 787 route in the world as well as the third-longest flight in the world and the longest scheduled flight by any U.S. carrier.

Boeing is flexing its diversity of Aircraft when the 787-9 comes out with the above mentioned route of 8,446 miles. More routes could follow populating the corners of the earth with trending Boeing aircraft going the distance.   

My trip of interest would be Dallas, TX to Hong Kong just because I would love to fly to Hong Kong on a 777-200LR.

Seating detailsSeat map key

		Pitch	Width	Seating details
	Business	60-61	21.0-26.0	45 flat bed seats
	Main Cabin Extra	36-37	18.0-18.5	45 standard seats
	Economy	31-32	17.0-18.5	170 standard s

American Airlines Seat Chart From Dallas, TX 777-200LR V2 map

Airlines find the best aircraft for its business model in spite of the hype for other aircraft not listed.

A Boeing Tale, "Its About MOM"

Once upon a time, there was an airplane builder who thought that every airplane built should be unique from one another until his neighbor displayed different airplanes having the same theme, called commonality. This First Airplane Builder thought commonality was inferior to having its own individuality and kept giving each airplane a different final approach. But the "customer" had to train all its offspring lessons on the care and feeding for each different airplane type it built and adopted in its family of aircraft.

This neighbor across the pond being an over-worked parent, with many customers decided to serve the same bowl of gruel to its family, but in different sized bowls. There were single aisle, dual aisle, and double-deckers, but all having the same gruel. No one in the family of customers could complain because everyone got the same gruel while this neighboring airplane builder grew in size.

Meanwhile, the First Airplane Builder who not only gave different bowls with different sauces in each bowl soon discovered they had to serve "commonality" to its customers, the first airplane maker began to change its various and different recipes into one theme for its customers.

However, the First Airplane Builder soon realized they had to go way beyond the gruel served by its neighbor across the pond. They added to its own recipe and served it in the different sized bowls, with bigger spoons for each customer to look through, by removing the oil floating in the stew air, and giving the customer pretty colors for its offering in the bowl. Other spices were added by this parent for its customer, insuring the next generation aircraft would please the family. The family grew out of using a common theme, and everybody got a better deal with this common approach. The builder then hosted a celebration at an airshow called "commonality".

The neighbor across the pond could not stand still when watching the party, and after hearing the noise coming its way from the crowded event. They looked at its own gruel and said yuck! Let's change the recipe for our customers and then added just salt with an equal amount of artificial flavoring just like the neighbors had done, but nothing else. Engines, Carbon Fiber, and a bigger bowl will make everyone happy.

All the critics of the land knew the First Airplane builder had taken a chance on new ingredients and it had to make some adjustments after some of its customers complained about a burning flavor coming from the pepper added. The builder wrapped a casement around the pepper, and vented the obnoxious gas coming from the pepper, even for its best customers experiencing the indigestion. Risks are those things, “where you don't know how it will work until you try it”.

The neighbor across the pond is averse to trying anything new until much after someone else has already tried it and until it had worked out any unpleasant results. A noble and proper sentiment.

Customers seem to like avoiding risk as well as any other avoidance becomes the strong bond for its customers. The First Airplane Builder has since slid into a position levering those “risks” which also has turned into a normalized function within its own use of due diligence. This all coming after the pepper incident, and applied to its other added spices. The world has changed and the neighbor across the pond has remained resolute with its own commonality, size and gruel in the bowl. The neighbor serves some artificial flavors with its gruel while the First Builder mentioned has leaped further into its recipe with a vast success and due diligence towards the spices. 

However, a problem arose with the first builder, it ignored one of its bowl sizes within its family. The neighbor across the pond saw this neglect for that First Airplane Builder's family member and addressed this gap created through the noticed neglect, by dressing up one of its own children to go further rather than taking any new risk associated with making an all new family member. Even though they call it "NEO" or inferring it to be all-new, it was the same gruel customers came for in numbers.

The First Airplane Builder had so many spoons in the pot that it could not reach mom for advice on this matter. Mom knew the recipes and could fix the airplane family in a way that would provide energy for its other family members. Mom said to use “synergy” with the sauce, it will "complete you". If you don't, it will drag down your whole family. 

The First Builder pondered and pondered this advice, but replied with, "we have too many spices in the pot already for taking on Mom's proposal, it will stretch the recipe too thin". No one wants watered down stew and nobody wants over-spiced gruel, it may ruin the family sitting at the table.

A call was placed for Mom one more time, asking for her advice.

Not my Mom

 Icelandair Tail Livery-757 MOM

She said, "You are in a difficult position for making this decision. If you don't go forward with MOM you may lose a segment of your market. If you do go forward with MOM, it hurts those thriving members at the table by taking from those bowls to fill MOM's bowl. It’s a “damned” if you do and a “damned” if you don't affair", after plugging one's ears when MOM spoke.

MOM clears her throat, "The advice I can give is... wait until your neighbor has lost the "New" energy, and all my siblings are done eating that are before you, then serve me quickly. The 737 Max, 787-10 and the 777-9X have yet to be served the first course at the table. Desert is not yet served, when that happens I'll come out of the kitchen. This allows time for developing my appetite while others have moved on. The neighbor across the pond won't risk anything, even if you do add another pleasing spice from MOM, the others in this family won't mind it. I'll wait until the end of 2016 until the official table invitation." Tell everyone at the table I'm coming out of the kitchen when dessert is served, MOM said so!!

MOM has also spoken in soft tones with this family matter, and it has assured it is a certainty of unfinished business for the family. The recipe of commonality, fresh air, and various customer needs, have all been met by the First Airplane Builder, as MOM has become not an "if problem" but a "when problem".

Story Key:
MOM= Middle of the market i.e. 757
New=NEO An Airbus offering
First Airplane Builder = Boeing
Neighbor Across The Pond= Airbus

Mark Twain: "The Death of The F-35 Is Greatly Exaggerated"

'As the offensive part, the training objective is to exploit every opportunity to kill your opponent with all available weapons.'

He said the aircraft performs very well in a dogfight situation. 'The offensive role feels somewhat different from what I am used to with the F-16.

'In the F-16, I had to be more patient than in the F-35, before pointing my nose at my opponent to employ weapons; pointing my nose and employing, before being safely established in the control position, would often lead to a role reversal, where the offensive became the defensive part.' 

Hanche said he is able to point the nose of the F-35 at a higher angle of attack (AOA) than the F-16 and maintain stable flight. 

This is a significant advantage in a dogfight. He said: 'This improved ability to point at my opponent enables me to deliver weapons earlier than I am used to with the F-16, it forces my opponent to react even more defensively, and it gives me the ability to reduce the airspeed quicker than in the F-16.' 

He said: 'I have flown additional sorties where I tried an even more aggressive approach to the control position – more aggressive than I thought possible. It worked just fine. The F-35 sticks on like glue, and it is very difficult for the defender to escape.'

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3471468/F-35-stealth-jet-REALLY-perform-Gun-fly-right-manoeuvre-test-pilot-reveals-slows-quicker-emergency-brake-car.html#ixzz41gA9TgxD 
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So goes the F-35 Saga as a Norwegian Pilot measures the F-35 up against his 2,200 hours of flying his vaunted F-16. The test pilot fresh from Arizona's test range notes it has fast (quick) acceleration and quick in the turns. He was able to confound an advisory with an ability to slow down faster than what he previously has flown with the F-16. Dog fighting with the F-35 has a distinct advantage over the F-16.

F-35 Back center, F-16 front enter

Breakingdefense.com photo

The first line of pilots had tested the first batch of F-35 with a limited equipped warfighter. At the time pilots inferred it was not superior to the F-16. 

Therefore, this account dispels any notion the F-35 is inferior in a dogfight with the F-16, after which the F-35 can now implement all its functions as designed, when the "first tests pilots", did not or could not exercise a fully implemented F-35. The early comments may have been correct only within its limited testing constraints, but now and when the fully functional F-35 comes out to play, it plain stomps the competition. 

The DDG 1000, If It Works Build 10 More

A program long since chopped from 32 destroyers down to only three destroyers may come back. The first critical step before committing to a $40 billion dollar expenditure is making the first three and have it only work well before even considering follow-on ships. The first 32 ordered were just a flagrant moon shot coming from the wishful think tank commandos.

Hence it was chopped down to three as the Navy spent its chips on a new aircraft carrier (CVN 78), littoral combat ships, and a fleet renewal challenge for its Virginia class submarines. Too much taxpayer money is in play and something had to give. The DDG1000 family was the sacrificial lamb in this case while some other Navy programs were trimmed back as well.

A Zumwalt redux, could be coming to Bath Iron Works by 2020 if its DDG1000 works as "good" as it looks. The military complex may realize it must build rail-gun platforms covering a naval pivot towards China's aspirations in the Far East region. The Lyndon Baines Johnson, known as DDG1002 will have a rail gun straight from the factory development environment going on its deck. When tests on board the DDG1002 are validated, then a congressional cash pivot towards building more of this class will be voted on as China's rising presence in the region begins to dominate Geopolitical influences. Places such as, the Philippines, Taiwan, and Japan would each need three of this type as a strong influence plying its waters.

The Navy is depending on the current production destroyer results on operational deployment, as it becomes the swing vote for building more of this type. The summary report would include a recommendation coming right after the meeting and exceeding all expectations statement:  “The Navy must buy more DDG1000's when possible”.   

The Boeing Wide Body Transition Confounds Airbus

As Airbus ponders a stretch A350-1100 (8000) offering, while it complains about how the 777-300ER sits in a sweet spot, and Boeing should not tamper with the 777-300ER presence, Airbus is really confounded. 

However, as remarkable as is, of Airbus' ponderings, it’s an actual omission that an Airbus A350-8000 would have a tough time getting traction in the market place. One assumption Airbus won't admit, Boeing isn't abandoning the 777-300ER at all. Boeing is only making a market growth alignment with its family of aircraft.

A practical reasoning suggest the 787-10 will replace any demand for the current 777-200 found within 90% of the world's market. The 787-9 will mop up the remaining market at the top end. The 777-300ER will remain a constant for the 320 seat market as value price. The 777-8X will fill a gap of Boeing's incomplete business segment, since the 777-300ER currently holds its place at the top end of dual aisle performers. 

The 777-9X is a mini Jumbo giant killer. The hesitation in Leahy's voice is found in his recent message about thinking of any A350-8000 stretch sounds more like, "we'll see about this next year at the next big Airshow". This at a time where the 777-9X is in a build mode rather than handled by some "Airbus Idea Guy (Leahy)" or it has room with its teams in Toulouse.

Airbus missed the 8000 (1100) bus all-together. Its own plant's capacity would only hope for a baker's two dozen for orders out of all its loyal customers while offering special deals to BA or Singapore. The carefully constructed Boeing reshuffle in its line-up has covered every wide-body gap, and also gives a synergistic flow from the 787-8 up to the 777-9X, blanketing the market range with some overlap to spare.

Leahy's opinion changing verbiage at ISTAT over the possibility of the A350-1100 is all sales maneuvering. Which only any a handful of Airbus devotees react with any kind of hopeful glee.

When the 777-9X first flight becomes a successful romp over Seattle, some ulcers will develop in Toulouse as Airbus forces up an announcement for a new A350-8000 coming from its vane pride. It may become another A350-800 ordeal when garnering only 50 orders from its initial customers.     

February Boeing 787 Progress

In figure 1. The program has taken its seasonal time-off reaching the current annual production accumulation of 17 during the first two months. While Boeing has booked only one 787 in 2016 to date, it has pushed out only 17-787's for this progress report. Though it is falling short of an established annual pacing which reached 135 during 2015, Boeing has set its target for 12 a month later this year. All things considered a mark of 140 units is possible for 2016 when delivering the 787.

Fig 1.

The figure below analyzes further, the 90 day moving average of only 8.67 per month reflecting a holiday malaise. The surprise is December's production sloughed off from 2014's December production of 18, 787's. In January of 2015 Boeing followed up with 7, matching January 2016 seven units delivered. In February, 2015 Boeing delivered only seven 787's, comparing with 10 during 2016. In total, for last year's (2015) in the same ninety day period, it delivered 32 787's. This year's effort only shows 26 units delivered during the same ninety days. A fall-off of only six. However, with a usual lumpy production flow during the end of year period, Boeing is reloaded for production and will reach twelve a month pace by this spring, and it will absorb the 787-10 start-up without missing production goals for the year.

Fig 2.

Annual deliveries (fig 3) outlook reflects the aforementioned 90 day moving average analysis and an annual summary is not practical at this time.

Fig 3.

The by-model shift has occurred with a 787-9 emphasis. The 787-8 production has waned and the 787-9 model has taken-over the production floor with an intensity needed for reaching 12 units a month no  matter what type is on the floor. The 87 787-9 number will increase by almost another hundred units during 2016 as it has become the dominate build rate and is decked to the nines.

Fig 4.

The production backfill represented by Fig. 5, illustrates the transition from the 787-8 to the 787-9 in process. The production load has swung to the 787-9 with 27 units in process as compared with 19 of the 787-8's in the line. By next quarter the number will have a more distinct preponderance for the 787-9 on the production line. 

Fig 5. 

 

The Philosophical LRSB-21

The Philosophical LRSB-21 is rushing forward in a race to production. The sooner it can be produced, the quicker Northrop mitigates financial risks for the program, and the picture below may look familiar.

Air Force Depiction of LRSB-21, 2nd addition below:

B-2 Bomber First Edition Below:

Northrop will build on a progression of success from its B-2 program. The philosophical part comes from the Air Force interpretation for the builder does not go unnoticed. Since it is not a sole improvement on a prior frame type, the fixed cost approach is thrown out by the DOD. Since it isn't a blue sky program the Air Force won't go overboard with cost plus on the LSRB-21. The current chosen philosophy by the Air Force allows a nurturing program with guidance keen on watching costs. Runaway cost killed the F-22 success and closed such a promising program down dead in its tracks with only 182 operating in the service. The F-22 proved to be way ahead of its time and place. The F-35 followed on and devoured the F-22 financial life out of it. It currently remains at the cross road of survival having a LRSB-21 coming on.

Fortunately the LSRB-21 will remain on track, since it is governed by the enormous dollars spent prior to its announcement. The KC-46, F-22, and F35 programs all have shaped the LRSB-21 current award process demonstrating an updated philosophical approach for making a bomber.

An important pressure is applied on Northrop through an incentive idea using the carrot of efficient and effective production to delivery model. This is the important as the award recognizes the tipping point against Boeing's bid. Boeing did not have an operating new generation bomber in the service to draw from, for its pursuit of an award. Northrup had a new bomber knowledge, infrastructure, and delivery record for such an Air Force proposition.

The philosophical element evolving from recent program awards, doomed any fresh off the design board notion without any prior working record supporting such an idea. This doomed Boeing's attempt.

Northrop can only mitigate its risks for finishing with program completeness, by bringing the LRSB-21 to operational status sooner rather than later. Northop entry into service is a proven possibility through its B-2 proof of concept now in service. The LRSB-21 looks so much like the B-2 that it tells a story that Northrup is bringing forward everything it has learned from its prior program and then adding ancillary new technological compliments to the LSRB program. The Air Force liked the proposal as Northrup would make it more probable the Air Force would get its number of LRSB's needed for replacing the 60 year old heavy bombers, the B-52.

Risk is mitigated going the Northrop way and the military could not afford another F-22 experience nor could it experience a spiraling out of control F-35 project. In fact the LSRB conceptual proposal did not have a former frame in which to apply a fixed cost KC-46 approach. 

The acquisition process evolved more by circumstance the military finds itself in, than going "Willie-Nillie" with a "Blue Sky" approach on any given project. The Air Force has to have a certainty within a bid process which will allow program completeness without breaking the treasury while going into infinity developing the bomber replacement. It had to find someone who could replace the bomber first, then find someone who had the know-how to build it advanced of fifth generation technology, and finally a company who had been incentivize for the awarding of the LSRB-21.  Northrop-Grumman was such a company.

F-35 Defines Concurrency

Everything bad said about "Concurrency", has a poster child called the "F-35". The concurrency issue suggest, when will it ever be complete? The answer is never! An unsettling and unnerving answer with any old fashion common sense observer of everything military. That class of observer are the noise makers about how bad the F-35 program has become and the F-35 should be scrapped. If you are a "Block" person it is progressing exceedingly well. If you are a "Program" person you think it's a disaster!

The first group of people are the "Block Testers". Somewhere, someone has to draw a line in the sand in the form of a block (?) production line drawn. The F-35 is currently well within Block three production and development concurrently. The complaints are about aircraft computer code updates, concurrent failures and costs. However, everything nice said about the F-35 comes from within a block development engineering and testing phase, and everything bad comes from within unresolved issues going forward.

First big reported item was the Pilot's Helmet. It had to be reengineered and tested. Followed by the continuous computer codes upgrades never ceasing while threatening its war time availability. In fact some data must update every time an F-35 receives a mission assignment. Something older generation aircraft never had to do. The F-15 or F-16 just flew and struck with autonomy. Once again the old school war fighters raised a ruckus over the dependency of updating during a wartime scenario. It could be said by any observer watching, the "Great War" is the making of the F-35.

However, there are those who are always faithful, Semper Fi, and the US Marines come into the fight battling for its bird. The F-35B becomes operational before its partners with the Airforce or Navy are even ready. What has occurred is the F-35B is so far superior replacing the AV8 Harrier, it makes the Marines more dangerous for any adversary. A Mach 1.6 VTOL fighter not needing an airport is an insane proposition. The Marine’s main criticism for the F-35B, it needs a hot plate to land or take-off on. I would suggest placing reinforced NASA shuttle type heat tiles on any deck but who would listen?

Concurrency has been around long before the word was used in the military vernacular. The concurrency battle also goes with the F-18 world as it receives its upgrades on a continuous basis. Even the rugged A-10 has received new avionics and systems upgrades as applied over the last five years. The Block production is a "temporary line in the sand" for the F-35. What is so confusing is where do all the issues reside? Is it a block II,III, or IV issue which makes it sound like all the collective problems are mounting towards a calamity of errors for the F-35 program. The fact is many of the problems have already been retired. Perception is the wheelhouse for old school thinking.

It is also known concurrency does have several plates spinning in the air at any given moment. When Block III production initiates, block II production units are already in field, and will be upgraded where possible, to a Block III levels and so forth. Concurrency does not ever have a line in the sand where it stops and waits for the next block production run. Every day the development gyrations continue only having an organizational cut-off within a period time where its improvements and issues resolutions never stops. As said by others, the F-35 may reach its full development vision during the next 20-30 years in service. What is important are the current F-35's in-field meeting operational standards for the level of development it represents? 

The biggest problem is costs, and where its growth is mitigated with some defined value per aircraft delivered. The F-18 has a rising cost factor always, even as the F-35 is in its awkward years making its first stumbling steps. Whether the Taxpayer, Congress, or the DOD are patient enough and have faith in making its ultimate F-35 will be settled only when defending this country. That is the billions of dollars on the faith question presented before all of us. Can the F-35 reach its vision with enough time and money thrown at it? Many old schoolers have lost faith in this concurrency program, and want to scrap it out for any other unknown program. Unfortunately that will cost this nation a decade of time which may be more costly than the money already spent to date for the F-35.

Boeing Aircraft Paint Scrapbook

Disney is the subject and Boeing Aircraft the Canvas. After many hours of painting the winner is...?

Your turn, The Magic Kingdom is fly!

Disney picture book 737 to 767 with WestJet and Tam.

The Tam ride

West Jet 737 Freezes the Competition

What Makes A 777X Great, It's The Wing Stupid

The 777X wing will be the 777X in its heart. Even with countless technological application on the 777X frame, everything will spin-off the wing. Boeing has long become the superior wing designer in the world over arch rival Airbus. The 777X wing is also the Boeing Wing Opus. The carbon fiber wing spars are seamless with no joins compared with its other carbon fiber wing buddies who have three joins going on in the 787 or A350 wings. This (777X) weight reducing (no joins) feature becomes stronger for the shapely 777X wing.

  Electroimpact's machines lay down thin strips of carbon fiber infused with epoxy resin.

The photo above shows what the epoxy resin carbon fiber wing laydown would look like this summer when in production in the huge Everett Wing plant adjacent to the 777X production floor. Even though Winging IT has featured the Electroimpact equipment costing millions per machine, it will include a Boeing proprietary computer driven laydown head for making 90 degree bends on the spars and follow shape making runs for the wing skin.

Two machines are needed per wing process. The Wing plant has room for six machines sets.

Electroimpact has come up with a potentially superior and fast process making perfect wings. The “potential” turns into reality when the 777X has first flight, then the world of aviation will emit a collective awe!

What is promising on the whole Wing Operation process as follows:

·      Perfect carbon laydowns

·      Programed shaping for 777X wing or for any other design.

·      Speed of process is higher than prior generation process

·      Monitoring in process assuring tolerances are met

·      Weight reducing through no spar joins needed

·      Hence a perfect wing