the overhead space in just a few weeks, operating the airplane. On March 4, the airplane was lowered by crane to the factory floor and placed on three sets of lifts, ready for the wing installation. Winglets carried the Ryanair name, the first tangible confirmation of the airplane customer. The wings were moved into position at 5 a.m. The work was radio- and digitally controlled. “The wings are guided in by computer,” Rich Vossler, a 38-year mechanic, explained. “A laser shoots targets and measures all the points. We work on it every day and we don’t realize all the stuff we do to make this happen.” At 6 a.m., a half-dozen mechanics outfitted in protective eyewear, white surgical masks and blue jumpsuits stood side by side. They simultaneously drilled holes in an upward and furious motion. Metal chips flew and drill-gun mist formed. Fasteners were inserted as soon as the holes were ready. One wing installation took an hour. These factory workers could have passed for emergency-room surgeons for the way they scurried about this patient. “It’s probably the most important part of the factory—it’s the heartbeat,” said Tony Naylor, a wing-to-body join mechanic. “It has to be precise. We’re airplane doctors.” On March 9, the jetliner moved to the third floor position from the huge factory door. Engine installation was next. Most of the seven-man crew came dressed in blue Boeing T-shirts, wearing what they called their “Ryanair” colors to salute the moment. Among them was Al Lind, a 28-year engine join mechanic and one of the more experienced guys at this juncture of the production line. “People ask me what I do for a living: I tell them I hang engines,” Lind said. “I’ve done over 5,000.” When it came time to do their job, Lind and the others pulled on surgical gloves. Engines mounted on wheeled platforms were moved into position near the wing with a remote control. Once everything was lined up, two mechanics guided the engines and attached them using four large bolts and four small bolts, lubricating each one before installing. The mechanics applied three stages of torque, loudly calling out numbers as functional test inspector Tom Boyle, a 28-year Boeing employee, closely monitored the work, in some instances using a flashlight. Each engine went up in a halfhour. Everything ran smoothly, with the mechanics deftly exchanging tools with others when needed, much like someone trading surgical instruments. Indeed, like airplane doctors. “I could hold out a tool without looking and somebody would take it,” said Sean Patrick Keenan, a nine-year engine mechanic. “It’s a total team effort.” T-shirts aside, the production line crew was no stranger to Ryanair jetliners. Justin Kimball, a fuel cell sealer, has worked on more airplanes Photos: (From far left) On the production line Renton, Wash., mechanic Michael Emsley tightens bolts during main landing gear installation for the 400th 737-800 delivered to Ryanair; wings are moved into place, ready for installation, on the jetliner’s fourth day in the factory. MARIAN LOCKHART | BOEING MAY 2016 | 41
Frontiers May 2016 Issue
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