Interview:
Information Courtesy of: Vladimir Kostov, a systems engineer, and Crystal Huddleson, an avionics technician at Boeing
(This was recorded in a very crowded and loud area)
Sean: What is the design process that is used for designing new flying machines?
Vladimir Kostov: What is the design process?
Sean: Ya.
Vladimir Kostov: To design new machines?
Sean: Like new flying machines
Vladimir Kostov: New what?
Sean: Flying machines like airplanes and helicopters.
Vladimir Kostov: Ok… well the process is not very simple, it takes a team of engineers. It’s not a single person and in compasses, many different fields come together to design something like an airplane. I mean you would even need a civil engineer, for example to build runways for you or building that the airplane, like a hanger. For the airplane, you would need aeronautical engineers, aerospace engineers, conversion engineers and even software engineers. It’s not really something you could say with one word.
Sean: What does Boeing want to incorporate in new flying machines?
Crystal Huddleson: I’d say efficiency, we want everything to be more efficient, more efficient fuel wise, software wise.
Vladimir Kostov: Ya, and also new materials to make the airplane, like you said, efficient will come with lighter materials like umm… for example now, the new engine that will come with the MAX airplane, it's called leap 1 engine, this will come with a bigger fan on the engine, with a composite blades, this is a new technology 3-D woven composite blades that will make it lighter more efficient so things like that are considered for the future airplanes.
Sean:Does Boeing work with other major companies to produce flying machines?
Crystal Huddleson: They do, there’s actually a lot of contract companies for example, the leap 1b that Vladimir was talking about, is actually made by CFM, and cutting well makes the APUs, I could go on, there’s tons of little components that all come together and make a bigger aircraft that Boeing plans to use.
Vladimir Kostov: That’s right Crystal, and also the airlines, because they buy the airplanes from the manufacturer; Boeing, they are the customers, whatever they want, the manufacturer will listen to them and they will put on the airplanes, like we want better seats, lighter weight seats and more comfortable seats. We also want cockpit flight displays that are bigger and Boeing will listen to the airlines and make an airplane like this.
Sean:Do you think there will a better, more efficient way to travel in the future?
Crystal Huddleson: no (chuckles) I would think….
Vladimir Kostov: Maybe, if they… know, there is companies that are developing supersonic technologies again, so an airplane that will fly with speeds higher than the sound, that maybe the future, so I think we’ll travel quicker, faster. I think that is coming, ya.
Sean: How long does it usually take to build commercial Airplanes?
Vladimir Kostov: It takes about, for the 737, I think that’s a 14 day process but don’t quote me on that. It’s a fourteen day process, if you go to the Boeing plant, there is, umm..., everyday there is something happening and everyday, the plane moves from one station, they assemble wings then it moves, they put seats, they put hydraulics systems, wiring. It’s really… almost like a conveyor but it’s not, they physically move the airplane so about fourteen days I would say.
Sean: What is the design process that is used for designing new flying machines?
Vladimir Kostov: What is the design process?
Sean: Ya.
Vladimir Kostov: To design new machines?
Sean: Like new flying machines
Vladimir Kostov: New what?
Sean: Flying machines like airplanes and helicopters.
Vladimir Kostov: Ok… well the process is not very simple, it takes a team of engineers. It’s not a single person and in compasses, many different fields come together to design something like an airplane. I mean you would even need a civil engineer, for example to build runways for you or building that the airplane, like a hanger. For the airplane, you would need aeronautical engineers, aerospace engineers, conversion engineers and even software engineers. It’s not really something you could say with one word.
Sean: What does Boeing want to incorporate in new flying machines?
Crystal Huddleson: I’d say efficiency, we want everything to be more efficient, more efficient fuel wise, software wise.
Vladimir Kostov: Ya, and also new materials to make the airplane, like you said, efficient will come with lighter materials like umm… for example now, the new engine that will come with the MAX airplane, it's called leap 1 engine, this will come with a bigger fan on the engine, with a composite blades, this is a new technology 3-D woven composite blades that will make it lighter more efficient so things like that are considered for the future airplanes.
Sean:Does Boeing work with other major companies to produce flying machines?
Crystal Huddleson: They do, there’s actually a lot of contract companies for example, the leap 1b that Vladimir was talking about, is actually made by CFM, and cutting well makes the APUs, I could go on, there’s tons of little components that all come together and make a bigger aircraft that Boeing plans to use.
Vladimir Kostov: That’s right Crystal, and also the airlines, because they buy the airplanes from the manufacturer; Boeing, they are the customers, whatever they want, the manufacturer will listen to them and they will put on the airplanes, like we want better seats, lighter weight seats and more comfortable seats. We also want cockpit flight displays that are bigger and Boeing will listen to the airlines and make an airplane like this.
Sean:Do you think there will a better, more efficient way to travel in the future?
Crystal Huddleson: no (chuckles) I would think….
Vladimir Kostov: Maybe, if they… know, there is companies that are developing supersonic technologies again, so an airplane that will fly with speeds higher than the sound, that maybe the future, so I think we’ll travel quicker, faster. I think that is coming, ya.
Sean: How long does it usually take to build commercial Airplanes?
Vladimir Kostov: It takes about, for the 737, I think that’s a 14 day process but don’t quote me on that. It’s a fourteen day process, if you go to the Boeing plant, there is, umm..., everyday there is something happening and everyday, the plane moves from one station, they assemble wings then it moves, they put seats, they put hydraulics systems, wiring. It’s really… almost like a conveyor but it’s not, they physically move the airplane so about fourteen days I would say.