777-200LR Flight Test Journal: Archives

09 September 2005

Home sweet home

They lined up like they were waiting for a carnival ride. They came from all over Boeing's Everett facility and they represented almost every job family. Some of them had worked on parts of it, or helped design parts of it or watched it zoom into the sky on its maiden flight.

All of them had read about it and heard about it, and they all wanted to see it, touch it and experience it.

The line for Tuesday's employee tour of WD002, the second of the 777-200LR flight test aircraft, formed shortly after the doors opened at 11 a.m. Although it never got very long, it also never seemed to get any shorter despite the steady stream of employees through the front door and out the back.

"It was great to be able to come out and see it in person," said Greg Malland, an engineering manager for 747/767/777 Interiors. "My team was vital in developing the Starry Skies technology. We've received some really positive responses from leadership, employees and customers about the Starry Skies installation. I was impressed with this airplane interior, and I know my team will be as well. They were all planning on coming out here for the tour."

Employees on the 777 team received invitations to the event, but all employees were welcome, and many took advantage of the sunny weather to wander to the apron of the 40-26 building where the airplane was on display. The inside of the plane featured display areas as well as examples of first-class, business-class and coach seating sections - just as it was configured for display at the Paris Air Show and on its 24-city, 61-day "Going the Distance" world tour.

Brian Lennon, who specializes in ceilings in his job with Design Engineering for Payloads, spent most of his time in the plane looking up.

"I was really impressed with the star-lighting in the ceilings and the mood lighting. That is a really nice option for customers," he said. "Some of the contours they have are really nice. They make the inside look really large and expansive."

Robin Nichols, a contract employee supporting the Engineering weight department, stopped by to see one thing: the roominess of the cabin.

"I flew first class last year for the first time ever on a trip to Las Vegas and now I'm spoiled," she said. "I came out here thinking it would look like any other jet, but I was wrong, wrong, wrong. There's just so much room ... it's like riding on a ship."

By 4 p.m., more than 2,400 employees had checked out the custom interior and expansive cabin of Boeing's current showpiece airliner - and all of them walked away quite proud to have been a part of it.