The Seattle Traveler

Look! Up in the Air! The Boeing Factory & Future of Flight Tour

by Mary Jo on November 28th, 2006

Where do airplanes come from?

Well, if you’re visiting the Seattle area, there’s only one answer to that question:  Boeing, of course.  As the saying around these parts goes:  If it’s not Boeing, I’m not going!

Boeing’s plant at Paine Field (about 30 miles north of Seattle) is home to The Future of Flight & Boeing Tour.

The Boeing factory tour allows you to see the flight line where the 747, 767, 777 (and soon the 787) are made.  On the tour you will walk through part of the largest building in the world by volume — some 472,000,000 cubic feet.  It takes room to make those airplanes. 

At the Future of Flight you can look up and see some futuristic looking aircraft soaring about.  Look down, and you’ll see a runway painted on the floor.  And at the end of the runway you’ll see a Boeing 727 getting ready to take off.  Well, okay, it’s just the nose of the plane and it’s not really going anywhere, but it’s closer than most people ever get to a jet airplane.

Here’s what else you’ll see at the Future of Flight:

Airplane Design:  Here’s where you’ll learn how and why they fly.  There are a variety of aircraft components on display (fuselage, wings, engines, etc.), and you can go to one of the computer stations and design and test your own design.  Will it fly?  You’ll get to make modifications to your design as you visit each of the additional stations.

Materials:  This is your chance to get up close and personal with the fuselage from an old 707 and compare it to one of the new 787.  Touch it.  See how the materials used in building planes have changed, and will continue to change. 

Passenger Experience:  This is the only experience most of us have ever had with an airplane, and you’ll see how it has changed from the days of the 707 through to the 787 Dreamliner.  You’ll get to enter a mock up of the 787 interior, and see the efforts being made to make the passenger experience a more pleasant one. 

Flight Simulator:  This is cool!  You get to ride a multi-passenger XJ5 Flight Simulator, and fly with some of the best pilots in the world as you soar above the treetops at supersonic speeds.  (Additional charge, and worth it!)

Flight Systems:  You can’t see these systems, but they are part of what makes the plane fly, and include things like avionics, navigational systems and hydraulics.

Flight Deck:  Check out the dials and switches from past years to the computerized versions of the same, and even get a peek at what the future may hold.  This is a part of the airplane that most people will never get to see.

Manufacturing:  A big plug for Boeing here, but it does use pretty cool 3-D animation.

Engines:  They’re big and they’re noisy, but you’ll also learn some technical stuff, too.

The Future:  Air travel all started with a dream, and it’s really not much different today.  You’ll have the opportunity to look at the flying dreams of some of today’s best, and maybe even have a few of your own.

Future of Flight Store:  Now it’s time to pick up the final design of the aircraft you’ve been designing as you visited each of the stops on the tour.  It’s a personalized color print of your aircraft, along with a list of your specifications.  Who knows?  Maybe some of those design dreams that you came up with will one day be the industry standard.  (Oh yeah, there’s lots of other stuff you can buy here as well.)

There are a variety of fairly strict regulations regarding the tour, in place primarily for safety and security reasons:

• You must be a least 4 feet tall to go on the tour.  No exceptions.  Adults may not carry babies, and strollers are not permitted.  (This is a safety regulation.)
• No still photos or video cameras allowed on the tour.
• The tour is ADA compliant, and physically challenged visitors can be accommodated on the tour with advance notice (at the time of making reservation).
• No personal items may be taken with you on the tour.  This means purses, backpacks cell phones, etc., must be left behind.  Leave them in your car, or you may rent a locker for a small fee.
• No food or drink is allowed on the tour.

Even though I’m around airplanes nearly every day, this tour pointed out some things that I’ve never stopped to think about.  And, it’s just “plane” fun.

Location:  The Future of Flight and Boeing Tour are located at 8415 Paine Field Boulevard in Mukilteo.

Hours:  8:30 am-5:30 pm, daily.  Closed on Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s Day.  Tours begin on the hour, starting at 9 am, with the last tour time at 3 pm.  During high season, additional tours may be added.

Admission:  General Admission $15, seniors and active military $14, children (15 and under) $8.  Admission to the gallery only, without the tour is $9, children (ages 6-15) $4.   Boeing employees get a discounted admission.  You can purchase tickets onsite, or online.  Advance ticket purchases have a $2.50 convenience charge added. 

Photo credit:  flickr

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POSTED IN: Tours - Guided or Self-Guided