My first view of Boeing’s manufacturing plant in Everett, Washington (30 miles north of Seattle). The site’s main assembly building (they build the Boeing 747, 767, 777, and 787 airplanes) is the largest building in the world by volume. It’s 472 million cubic feet of space!

Security Check at Boeing
When we entered the property everyone had to show their pre-approved security pass.

Dreamlifter
The first plane I spotted as we entered the parking lot was the “Dreamlifter“. It’s a modified, odd-looking Boeing 747-400 that is the world’s longest cargo loader. Boeing has four of these planes, and they are used exclusively for transporting aircraft parts to Boeing from suppliers around the world.

ANA 787
The second plane I saw was the much anticipated 787! There were a bunch of ANA’s planes just sitting around waiting to be approved so they can be picked up.

Safety Glasses Required
When we entered the building there was a huge sign “Safety Glasses Required,” and we were all handed a brand-new pair wrapped in plastic. Note: All the workers behind me were in line to punch out their time cards.

777 Final Assembly Line
On the way to one of the conference rooms, we got to walk by an Ethiopian Airlines new 777. Seeing all these planes I felt like a kid in a candy store.

777 Engine
Check out what a Boeing 777 engine looks like underneath the hood.

Boeing Tools
On the way into the elevator, someone asked what’s in the luggage. It turned out they were the toolboxes of the workers. Pretty cool, eh?

Boeing Offices
I heard they only recently added glass walls so the engineers can have a view of the plant.

Boeing Office View
Here’s a better view for the Boeing employees. This wouldn’t be a bad place to have lunch, huh?

Boeing Conference Room
We had a 45-minute 777 Boeing product briefing, which was very interesting. I have their whole presentation, but I don’t know if I can link to it, so instead, I will just show you a few of their slides (1, 2, 3, 4).

777 Boeing Tour
Now for the fun stuff. We got a behind-the-scenes tour of the 777 final assembly line.

Behind-the-Scenes Tour
Notice the pedestrian sidewalk?

Boeing Worker on 777
We also got an up-close view of the plane’s landing gear.

Boeing Vehicles on Assembly Line
Here’s the reason visitors need to walk in the pedestrian zone.

Boeing Crane
It runs along the ceiling.

Boeing Supplies
Normally visitors can’t take pictures so I was just snapping away.

Boeing 777 Tail
This is just a beautiful sight, isn’t it?

General Public Boeing Tour

We went upstairs, where the general public can tour the facility. If you are interested in a tour, check out these websites: Boeing.com and FutureOfFlight.org. General Admission costs $15.50. Senior (65+) and Active Military (with ID) are $14, and Children (15 and under) $8. NOTE: All attendees must be at least 48″ (122 cm) tall.

Boeing 777 Tour View
Here’s the main view the general public gets to see of the 777 final assembly line.

Boeing 787 Final Assembly Line
The most exciting part of the whole tour was seeing them build the 787! This is plane number 28 and it belongs to Air India.

Dreamliner Diner
Boeing employs over 30,000 people at this plant. I would love to work here just so I could eat at the Dreamliner Diner.

Say Cheese
I would’ve loved to spend a whole day, but we were lucky to get a couple of hours, and it’s one tour I will be sure never to forget. Thanks, Boeing and Air New Zealand for making it happen.

RELATED: See a slideshow of Air New Zealand’s 777-300ER delivery flight.

 

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