U.K. TO BUY 4 LEASED C-17S, PLUS 1 MORE

Geoffrey Hoon, the U.K. Secretary of State for Defence, last month announced the United Kingdom's intention to buy its fleet of four C-17s at the conclusion of the current lease arrangement, along with one additional aircraft.

"This is great news for the C-17 program. It signals the first actual international sale of a C-17," said Dave Bowman, vice president and C-17 program manager. "We hope it's the first of many to come."

"We have been working with the Ministry of Defense and the Royal Air Force for a long time now. The airplanes have proven themselves—living up to every word of their promise," said Tommy Dunehew, program manager, C-17 international sales.

The four leased C-17s, the first of which was delivered to the Royal Air Force in May 2001, have accumulated more than 7,000 flying hours, most of it in the Middle East.

BOEING-SPONSORED EDUCATORS GRADUATE SPACE CAMP

Thirty Boeing-sponsored teachers graduated with high honors July 18 from Space Camp at the U.S. Space and Rocket Center in Huntsville, Ala.

After a week of astronaut simulator training and rocket science, the teachers plan to share ideas, resources and their passion for space exploration when they return to their classrooms in the fall.

"I will now be able to answer the most popular question from my students: ‘Why do we have to learn this stuff?'" said Rosemary Krygowski, a middle school teacher from Philadelphia.

The Boeing Educators to Space camp program has been an annual event for the last 13 years. More than 300 teachers have taken part, reaching more than 23,000 students. Boeing is committed to helping education from early learning through 12th grade and is concentrating on improving teacher effectiveness, especially in the areas of math, science, and literacy.

"I'm going to take the energy I've gotten here at Space Camp and bring the excitement of America's Space Program back to the students," said Tom Atkins, high school teacher from Washington D.C. "I hope to inspire them to be Boeing's future engineers, scientists, and explorers."

777-200LR DESIGN NEARS COMPLETION

Boeing engineers last month completed 90 percent of the design of the 777-200LR (Longer Range), which will fly farther than any commercial jetliner. The milestone signifies that the airplane is moving from the design phase to production.

"With over 3,000 engineering events released, program partners and suppliers around the world have begun manufacturing the first detailed parts," said Lars Andersen, Longer-Range 777 program manager. The airplane is designed to fly farther, carry more passengers, offer more cargo volume and consume less fuel than the Airbus A340-500. The first 777-200LR enters production in October and begins flight testing early next year. First delivery is scheduled during the first quarter of 2006.

$5.4 TRILLION MARKET IN NEXT 20 YEARS FOR PLANES, SERVICES

The market for new commercial airplanes and aviation services will be worth $5.4 trillion over the next 20 years, according to a new Boeing report.

The report—Boeing Commercial Airplanes' 2004 Current Market Outlook, which was released last month at the Farnborough International Airshow in the United Kingdom—foresees a doubling of the world's airplane fleet by 2023 to accommodate a predicted 5.2 percent annual increase in world air travel.

Randy Baseler, vice president of Marketing for Commercial Airplanes, said the long-term forecast remains positive. He also noted that passenger preference will continue to drive airline strategies, fueling demand for nonstop, point-to-point flights. "Passengers want the freedom to go where they want, when they want," he said.

U.S. voting made easy

Most Americans don't know it yet, but voting isn't just for Election Day any more.

Nearly 25 years of voting law changes are about to have a cumulative effect in 2004. Those changes are poised to set off a sea change in how and when America votes.

Boeing has teamed up with HelpingAmericansVote.org, a non-partisan service, to provide eligible U.S. employees with absentee ballots, a convenient way to vote early and to register before the 2004 general election. The site uses the new national voter registration form and also provides information on eligibility, deadlines, and where to direct any questions.

Interestingly, 80 percent of the states today allow their citizens to vote early—some as early as 43 days before Election Day. Among the facts:

• Sixty percent of those states allow unconditional early voting—in person or by mail—without imposing any absentee requirements. Any voter in those states can simply decide to vote early. Period.

• Another 20 percent of states have softened their regulations to extend early voting to people who "expect" to be unable to vote on Election Day. Again, that effectively means that any voter in those states can simply opt for early voting.

• In 60 percent of the states, voters also can sign up right now to vote by mail. In the weeks before the election, these voters will receive a ballot in the mail—much as they receive a bank statement or phone bill. They will simply mark their choices and drop it in the mail box. By Labor Day, voters in 90 percent of the states will be able to do so.

To get information on your state, go to: http://www.HelpingAmericansVote.org/register/, click on the appropriate state name, print out the form, and mail the completed form to the address listed on the state's site.