Boeing 787 Dreamliner - Mark Wagner [23]
The news that outside sites were in the frame sent companies and unions across the country running to state capitals to help their bids, while unions in Seattle were equally adamant that the E in 7E7 would soon stand for “Everett.” With its recent headquarters move to Chicago, Boeing had already sent a clear signal to Washington State’s government that it was less than happy with the incentives on offer, and the local legislature was in no doubt that the 7E7 site search was in earnest.
One distinct design feature that survived from the early days of the 7E7 through to the real thing was the flush nose and nontraditional (for Boeing) flight deck windows. There was more to the shaping than simply styling, as with any design aspect that made it through the complex trade studies. The new configuration gave good aerodynamic performance, offered better bird strike resistance, and improved flight deck visibility. Mark Wagner
Kansas quickly stepped up with offers of $500 million in financial incentives if Boeing gave Wichita a role as a major development center for the 7E7. The question of site selection was becoming complex, and to help it handle the conundrum, Boeing hired the consulting firm McCallum Sweeney. Final bids were expected in by late June, coinciding with the end of that year’s Paris Air Show.
Behind the scenes, however, the marketing battle was becoming bogged down in a form of trench warfare of indifference. Airline reaction to the new twin, so strikingly ordinary after the Sonic Cruiser, was depressingly indifferent. Boeing knew the 7E7 was dramatically new beneath the skin, but the marketers wanted to make sure the aircraft conveyed the same message on the outside. The 7E7 was going to be distinctive, and while not quite the breathtaking image projected by the Sonic Cruiser, it had to be memorable and immediately distinctive.
On May 5, 2003, the world got its first look at the “official” view of the idealized 7E7 when Boeing issued an artist’s impression combined with a unique online name-the-plane contest that was virtually guaranteed to make the 7E7 a globally recognized project. The new-look 7E7 was indeed different from anything seen before. An overall impression of speed and style was conveyed from nose to tail, starting with conformally swept flight deck windows. Other changes include integrally blended winglets in place of the raked tips defined on the baseline proposal, and a “sculpted” vertical “shark” tail with a smaller area than the more conventional, narrow-chord 777-style fin previously outlined.
The marketing alliance with communications giant AOL Time Warner was equally surprising. Under the scheme people around the world were invited to vote online for the name of the 7E7. The choices were limited to eLiner, Global Cruiser, Stratoclimber, and Dreamliner, and through the power of the Internet held the potential to spread the word about the 7E7 like no new airliner in history. The initiative also specifically included children in the process, and involved the production of a special edition of Time for Kids called “A New Dream Takes Wing.”
Boeing also began a broad-based systems definition phase for the 7E7 project, which was expected to culminate sometime around August with the confirmation of both the overall firm mission requirements and the design concept itself. Specific targets included selection of materials, system options, common core architecture, airport infrastructure issues, interiors, flight deck, and commonality.
One of the biggest decisions facing the team was the engine selection (see chapter 6). The company announced plans to downselect to two engine suppliers in the third quarter, although General Electric made little secret of its intent to seek sole-source exclusivity. By now engine requirements called for thrust ratings