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b737gearboy · 10-27-2001, 09:25 PM

Darryl,
Good to see you on the boards again, thought you had disappeared. Where do I begin????
I wish Boeing was half as smart as you and your grouppies think they are. You make some valid points about the future of the A380, I echo your sentiments about the long term viability of the program. My criticism of Boeing stems from its response to the A3XXX program, i.e. the stretched 747 and the big joke called the Sonic Cruiser. These are merely gimmicks intended to get attention much as my 1 year old does by screaming in the grocery store.
Before I get attacked from the Boeing mafia let me digress a bit. Boeing has built some awesome airplanes in its day and continues to do so and will in the future. When I became a pilot I dreamed of flying ANY Boeing ever made from the B-17 to the 747-400. When I had the opportunity fly the 737-300/400 I was thrilled and couldn't wait. Having flown the airplane about 2000 hours I can say in MY OPINION it is the best almost airplane out there. It almost carries full fuel, it almost carries full pax loads, it almost flies coast to coast, etc etc. I am sure Boeing has gotten their act together with the NG's. As I have stated before in many other posts I want to like Boeing more than Airbus, I cheer for Boeing when they beat Airbus for customer orders. After all I am an American and I cheer for American industry but that doesn't mean I'll ever buy another Chrysler again.....well that's another story.
I don't think it comes down to Airbus being smarter than Boeing as we Americans have the know-how to do just about anything once we put our mind to it. I think it comes down to Airbus's advantage of starting with a clean sheet of paper from day one learning from Boeing's mistakes. The Airbus 320 series that I now fly is a much more versatile machine than its Boeing competitor. The commonality of the A319,320,321 is a huge advantage over Boeing. The range and overall comfort of the Airbus is FAR superior. Every mechanic (many whom had great reservations about Airbus) I speak with loves the ease of working on the A320, being able to pinpoint the problem rather than using a shotgun approach. The transition to the A330 requires reduced training due to the system commonality of the two. By the way as was already stated the A330 is a widebody requiring a new design not a stretch job by an engineering team.
In summary, Boeing has become a hodge podge mix of old designs(except for the 777) that they continue to stretch and shrink. Also I think Boeing competes against itself with many models such as the 717 and the 737-600. I wish they would start with a clean sheet of paper and build a versatile airplane that kicks Airbus' ***!!!!!! I am afraid Boeing is losing the battle for know but hopefully will win the war in the long run.

10-27-2001, 09:25 PM	#21
b737gearboy Senior Collector Join Date: Nov 2000 Location: KMHT Age: 40 Posts: 248	Darryl, Good to see you on the boards again, thought you had disappeared. Where do I begin???? I wish Boeing was half as smart as you and your grouppies think they are. You make some valid points about the future of the A380, I echo your sentiments about the long term viability of the program. My criticism of Boeing stems from its response to the A3XXX program, i.e. the stretched 747 and the big joke called the Sonic Cruiser. These are merely gimmicks intended to get attention much as my 1 year old does by screaming in the grocery store. Before I get attacked from the Boeing mafia let me digress a bit. Boeing has built some awesome airplanes in its day and continues to do so and will in the future. When I became a pilot I dreamed of flying ANY Boeing ever made from the B-17 to the 747-400. When I had the opportunity fly the 737-300/400 I was thrilled and couldn't wait. Having flown the airplane about 2000 hours I can say in MY OPINION it is the best almost airplane out there. It almost carries full fuel, it almost carries full pax loads, it almost flies coast to coast, etc etc. I am sure Boeing has gotten their act together with the NG's. As I have stated before in many other posts I want to like Boeing more than Airbus, I cheer for Boeing when they beat Airbus for customer orders. After all I am an American and I cheer for American industry but that doesn't mean I'll ever buy another Chrysler again.....well that's another story. I don't think it comes down to Airbus being smarter than Boeing as we Americans have the know-how to do just about anything once we put our mind to it. I think it comes down to Airbus's advantage of starting with a clean sheet of paper from day one learning from Boeing's mistakes. The Airbus 320 series that I now fly is a much more versatile machine than its Boeing competitor. The commonality of the A319,320,321 is a huge advantage over Boeing. The range and overall comfort of the Airbus is FAR superior. Every mechanic (many whom had great reservations about Airbus) I speak with loves the ease of working on the A320, being able to pinpoint the problem rather than using a shotgun approach. The transition to the A330 requires reduced training due to the system commonality of the two. By the way as was already stated the A330 is a widebody requiring a new design not a stretch job by an engineering team. In summary, Boeing has become a hodge podge mix of old designs(except for the 777) that they continue to stretch and shrink. Also I think Boeing competes against itself with many models such as the 717 and the 737-600. I wish they would start with a clean sheet of paper and build a versatile airplane that kicks Airbus' ***!!!!!! I am afraid Boeing is losing the battle for know but hopefully will win the war in the long run. __________________ GO BUCKEYES!!!! NATIONAL CHAMPS!! O----H----I----O