the distinction of flying the first Boeing 737-800 delivery airplane back to Ireland in 1999 and now the 400th. He’s been on dozens of these flights. The novelty has worn off, but the significance of the latest milestone was not lost on him. “It’s a big deal,” Davis said. “It’s all good with this airplane.” Once the 400th was on the ground in Ireland, there was no time for further celebration. Just as Boeing remains on a fast track to build airplanes, Ryanair is in a big hurry to use them. After the jet was towed into a Dublin hangar, the pilots were barely out of their seats when a half-dozen Ryanair technicians boarded and began installing equipment that would allow the airplane to be put into service in as little as 24 hours. Michael O’Leary, Ryanair chief executive officer, said he prefers the 737 to be his flagship airplane because of its reliability. By 2024, the Irish airline plans to have more than 500 737-800s and 737 MAX airplanes in its all-Boeing fleet, according to O’Leary. The Dublin-based carrier has ordered 100 with options on an added 100 737 MAX 200s, a variant that can accommodate up to 200 seats. How the 737 airplanes come together so quickly on the assembly line—42 per month now, 57 monthly by 2019—remains a manufacturing marvel even to the people who fly them. “It’s amazing how little time it takes to build them,” said Ryanair pilot Mark Logan, who shared the milestone flight with Davis. “It was nice to do the 400th; it was nice to bring that one back.” The 400th plane was in factory production for just 10 workdays, in a Renton paint hangar for three days, and in preflight testing, flight testing and Federal Aviation Administration certification at Seattle’s Boeing Field for the remaining two and a half weeks. Early on the morning of Feb. 29, the process began when the Ryanair jetliner entered the Renton factory somewhat anonymously, as they all do—as a bare fuselage delivered by train from Wichita, Kan., covered in a green coating that protects against corrosion. Lifted by crane to an upper bay, the airplane was indistinguishable from any other nearby 737 shell except for a four-digit number stenciled in multiple places on the exterior: 5843. This represented its place in the lineage of the Next-Generation jetliners, which encompasses all 737-600 to -900 models. The Ryanair fuselage was mounted on tracks and pulled through the upper production line for the next three days while it quickly began to take airplane shape. Different crews performed different jobs. Insulation blankets, hydraulics and miles of electrical wires were among the items installed. One assembler and mechanic had to lie on his back on a movable yellow mat in a tight space in order to reach up and attach wiring directly below the flight deck. He said it was amazing to think that someone would be seated in 40 | BOEING FRONTIERS
Frontiers May 2016 Issue
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