F R 8 - 9 8

Home | Update | LATEST ISSUE | Gallery | FR Profile | Datafiles | FR 8/98 BOEING PRESENTS NEW 717 AT LONG BEACH by Norbert Burgner At the beginning of June Boeing is introducing its latest and currently smallest airliner in Long Beach. With the "717" the manufacturer wants to dominate the regional market. "Forty years ago the eternal grumblers thought it impossible to bring a passenger jet onto the market. Boeing showed them with the introduction of the 707. The very same people did not think it feasible to build a trans and intercontintal jet powered by three jet engines. BoeingÕs answer to this task was the 727. After that it seemed unimaginable to realise a 400seater jet. The result of Boeing's developments was the 747, which is nowadays known to everyone. Later the doubters would not believe in the realisation of a long distance airliner powered by two jet engines only. Boeing proved them wrong by developing the 767 and then the 777. The sceptics, who will not believe in the successful regional airliner 717, will meet with the same fate as their predecessors." With these words AirTran boss Dr. Joseph Corr began his laudatio to the latest addition to the Boeing family in Long Beach, California. AirTran, the successor of no-frills- carrier ValuJet, which made news a few years ago in the light of the Everglade disaster, is the first customer for the smallest Boeing airliner. The company ordered 50 units, and there will possibly be 50 more. The first European customer, the Bavarian aircraft leasing company Bavaria, has ordered five aircraft. However, Boeing salesmen were not able to note down more orders. And it should be mentioned that the AirTran order was placed three years ago. One can hardly speak of a crush at Boeing's tills. Malicious gossip has it that the 30- year old fuselage and wing design is to blame for this. Boeing justifies itself with the comment that the outer design corresponds with the DC-9-30, there is, however, nothing to be said against the very successful aircraft concept. Apart from that it is only the outer shape. The inside is completely different now. In October 1995 the airliner was launched as the MD-95 by McDonnell Douglas. At the end of last year it was aligned with the Boeing product terminology as the 717. It has in fact roughly the same measurements as its famous predecessor with a wingspan of 28.5 meters and a length of 37.8 meters (1.45 meters longer than the DC-9). The Maximum Take-off Weight (MTOW) of the 717 is 51,710 kg, which is almost 3 tons more than the MTOW of the DC-9 (48,988 kg). Approximately one ton of the additional weight should derive from the engines. The BR715-turbofans by BMW Rolls-Royce are heavier compared to the Pratt & Whitney JT8D-11-engines of the DC-9-30. The rest of the additional weight is due to an increased structural weight and _ despite undoubtedly modernised technology _ to a higher equipment weight. As far as range is concerned the two aircraft hardly differ: The DC-9-30 carries 80 passengers across a maximum distance of 3,100 km. While the 717 falls short with a maximum range of 2,905 km but is able to transport up to 106 passengers. If the number of passengers was brought into line, the range should almost be the same, - on the basis of the increased weight of the 717 this is a true indicator for a further development especially as far as the fuel consumption is concerned. Although the BRR turbofans generate 23 percent more thrust (82.3 kN as opposed to 66.7 kN of the DC-9), Boeing promises at least ten per cent less operating costs. 30 years' progress in aviation is not only noticeable as far as the propulsion is concerned. Instead of electro-mechanical gyro equipment there are six LCD-monitors in the cockpit, displaying relevant navigation, flight-management and system data. The avionics package, controlled by a Honeywell VIA 2000 Computer (Versatile Integrated Avionics), consists of the obligatory Flight Management System (FMS), the Inertial Reference Navigation System (IRS), a digital flight guiding system and a windshear warning system. Despite the similarity of its flight-deck-layouts with other Boeing aircraft, the certifying US aviation authority FAA is very unlikely to allow the aircraft being flown under one type rating (e.g. with the 737). Currently, the wiring between the engines and the rest of the aircraft is still missing. That was the reason why, during the roll out, the aircraft was unable roll out on its own. According to Boeing the maiden flight is intended for the third quarter of this year. The expectations are enormous. AirTran head Corr expects that the new fleet will have a 25 percent higher operating profitability compared to the old fleet (DC-9/MD-80). Should this really happen, the image of the Boeing baby would significantly improve. And this could lead to the dominant market success which Boeing forecasts over the next 20 years. The manufacturer predicts a demand for 2600 aircraft in the 80- to 120 seat category until 2017. It will be interesting to see whether the majority of this fleet will carry the 717 sign or not. From page 36 of FLUG REVUE 8/98 Home | Update | LATEST ISSUE | Gallery | FR Profile | Datafiles | FR 8/98 Copyright 1998 by Motor-Presse Stuttgart. All rights reserved. Last updated July 13, 1998 FLUG REVUE, Ubierstr. 83, 53173 Bonn, Germany