Posted on 02/18/2005 8:56:00 PM PST by Paleo Conservative
TAIPEI, Taiwan, Feb. 18, 2005 -- Boeing [NYSE: BA] has selected Evergreen Aviation Technologies Corporation (EGAT) to convert three 747-400 passenger jets into cargo freighters that will be used to transport major assemblies for the all-new Boeing 787 Dreamliner.
EGAT is a joint venture of EVA Air and General Electric. It's part of Taiwan 's Evergreen Group. Boeing 787 Vice President of Manufacturing and Quality Scott Strode joined EGAT Chairman David Wang and EVA President K.W. Chang in Taipei today to formally sign the modification services agreement. Financial terms aren't being disclosed.
"The Large Cargo Freighter is a critical component of our 787 manufacturing plan," Strode said. "We're proud to partner with EGAT on what is truly a one-of-a-kind Boeing airplane."
Initially Boeing will rely on two Large Cargo Freighters, with a third to follow later. Boeing purchased the first two airplanes last year. Modification of the first will begin at about mid-year. The Large Cargo Freighter will be certified during 2006 and return to service to support the final assembly of the first Dreamliners in 2007.
Boeing has 191 announced firm orders and commitments for the 787 from 15 airlines.
David Wang, chairman of EGAT, said "today's agreement signals EGAT's entry into the aircraft conversion business, a goal we have pursued for some time. It furthers EGAT's reputation as a reliable partner delivering the highest-quality work at exceptional value."
Moving major 787 assemblies by air to the 787's Everett, Wash., final assembly facility could save 20 to 40 percent compared to traditional shipping methods, and reduce delivery times to as little as one day from as many as 30 today. Such savings will allow Boeing to recoup its initial investment in the 747s during the first few years of 787 production.
EGAT will modify the airplanes in its 127,464-square-foot (11,685 square meters) maintenance hanger that opened in December 2004 at Taipei 's Chiang Kai-Shek International Airport. The facility can accommodate a 747-400 aircraft and two narrow-body jets at the same time.
"We're honored that Boeing has placed its trust in EGAT to perform this important modification work," EVA's President K.W. Chang said. "We're proud to join the team of partners around the world who are contributing to 787 Dreamliner's success."
The Large Cargo Freighter's unique design will feature an entire aft fuselage that swings open for loading. Modifications to enlarge the upper fuselage will increase the volume of the main cargo deck to 65,000 cubic feet (1,845m3), 300 percent more capacity than the 747-400 Freighter, the largest freighter in regularly scheduled service.
Launched in April 2004, the 787 is a family of airplanes in the 200- to 300-seat class that will carry passengers on routes between 3,500 and 8,500 nautical miles (6,500 to 16,000 kilometers), such as between Taipei and Dubai , Beijing to New York City , and Shanghai to Los Angeles . The 787 will allow airlines to offer passengers more of what they want: affordable, comfortable, nonstop, point-to-point travel to more destinations around the world.
The 787 will use 20 percent less fuel than today's airplanes of comparable size, and provide airlines with up to 45 percent more cargo revenue capacity. Passengers will find significant innovations including a new interior environment with higher humidity, wider seats and aisles, larger windows, and other conveniences.
In addition to bringing big-jet ranges to mid-size airplanes, the 787 will fly at Mach 0.85, as fast as today's fastest commercial airplanes, while using much less fuel. The 787 family offers two engine types, the General Electric GENX (GE Next Generation) or Rolls-Royce's Trent 1000.
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Ping!
I was thinking that myself. This plane will be able to carry cargo larger than the C-5C can carry. It could be very useful for quite a number of aerospace companies. There are no American commercial aircraft that can carry large turbofan jet engines in their cargo bays. Those are high value items that could use such a transport.
Those were built to just carry oversized cargo to and from destinations in Europe. Another advantage for Boeing, is that there are lots of 747-400 airframes with a lot of life left in them that will become available for special freighter conversions in the next few years as 777s take over many of those routes.
Wouldn't it be very ironic that Airbus will need the 747 Large Cargo Freighter to ferry completed Engine Alliance GP7200 engines from the USA to the A380 final assembly line in Toulouse, France?
Airbus first used the "Guppies" (originally designed to transport parts of the Saturn V rocket) to move their parts from the various plants around Europe. All of the Guppies were highly modified Boeing Stratocruisers/C-97's. The joke for years was that every Airbus aircraft began its life in the belly of a Boeing.
Boeing 7E7 Will Use Air Transport for Component Delivery 
So, where is the cargo door?
But Airbus converted the last three Super Guppies themselves. They had to buy rights to the plans, because the company that designed it had gone out of business. Another irony is that the C-97 and its derivative the KC-97 were the planes replaced by the KC-135 which along with it's sister the 707 made Boeing the dominant designer and manufacturer of jet trasport aircraft.
I think they open the whole top.
Hmm, kinda like a big Samsonite suitcase. Do you then have a bunch of folks sit on it while you lock it? :-)
Probably some of these people.
Good God, man! It's just a 747 airframe, not a granite mountain. They'll snap that landing gear right off.
The entire fuselage opens aft of the wings. The bulges in the conceptual picture in the first post shows the latch covers. The hinges are on the other side. It's too difficult to make airtight, so only the cockpit will be pressurized.
Namsman sends
However, because the 747 LCF can carry larger loads than even the A300B4-600ST, I wouldn't be surprised that Airbus orders 3-4 of them so they can transport Rolls-Royce Trent engines from the UK and General Electric and Pratt & Whitney engines from the USA, along with parts of various Airbus airliners from Germany and Spain that won't fit in the A300B4-600ST.
"The Large Cargo Freighter's unique design will feature an entire aft fuselage that swings open for loading."
FWIW, the 707 and DC8 freighters have large doors on one side of the fuselage to accomodate pallets. The 747 freighter (pictured below) raises the nosecone to admit the pallets. From the description above, this modified 747 might raise the empennage.
Egats!
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