Jetrader - May/June 2009 - 14

Under a 2008 NASA contract award, a Boeing-led team is studying advanced vehicle and propulsion concepts for airplanes in 2030 and beyond, including a supersonic passenger airplane as well as a strut-based wing subsonic transport with “ultra green” environmental characteristics. Photo courtesy of Boeing. J: What are Boeing’s key considerations in terms of future airframe design and engine technology? JV: Everything we’ve heard from customers over the past 12 months is about fuel efﬁciency. From a value standpoint, we could develop airplanes that have lower maintenance needs or ﬂy further, faster or higher, or that are more comfortable for passengers. But what we’re told is to focus right now on fuel efﬁciency as number one. Ultimately, we’ll come back to the point where we bring in other factors. J: Apart from fuel efﬁciency, what else is on your customers’ wish lists? JV: Operational economics are critical. We talk about anticipating future noise or emissions requirements. Environmental considerations are extremely important. We spend a lot of time on the passenger experience and the cabins of the future—seats, overhead bins, lighting, galleys. In the ﬂight deck, we have to minimize the cost to transition ﬂight crews from today’s aircraft to the next generation. J: How do you use the resource of Boeing’s ConceptCenter, and what capabilities does it offer? JV: We started the ConceptCenter eight years ago to explore payload opportunities that we anticipated customers would have to deal with today—cabin architecture, for example. Would it be possible to quickly change an airplane interior from, say, business class to economy class? How could we build a galley in a more modular way and yet allow for customization? They’ve been given some of the most difﬁcult industry challenges and have come back with an airplane interior that’s unlike anything we’ve delivered before. The same goes for the research performed on windows, cabin humidity and pressurization. The ConceptCenter provides the foundation from which creative solutions can ﬁnd there way to our products. That will become more evident as the 787 comes online. J: Is there any update on a potential single-aisle replacement for the 737? JV: We launched an intensive effort about four years ago to look at what it would take to replace the 737 Next Generation. It was a pretty humbling experience, because it reminded us of just how good the 737 is. The thought that we could take 787 composite materials, scale them down and quickly bring an airplane to market that was 10 to 20 percent better than the 737 was dashed pretty quickly. For a whole host of reasons, looking at a replacement is still the right objective. But it’s going to take a next generation of technology to make it possible, and we think that’s not likely to happen until the latter half of next decade. J: What are some of the “enabling technologies” that Boeing often talks about? JV: It will take a combination of wide ranging technologies— and not one breakthrough—to create innovation. Certainly engines, aerodynamics, materials and systems provide the technology cornerstones, but there are literally hundreds of technology studies underway. More than ever, successful technologies will have to provide multiple beneﬁts. Lighter weight materials that improve fuel efﬁciency, require less airline maintenance and are easier to manufacture are a clear example. J: Are there other promising technologies next in line? JV: State-of-the-art aerodynamics is pretty advanced, but there could be further improvements in that area. Another one that saw great change on the 787 is systems architecture, where we went to more electric systems and eliminated pneumatics. We have just scratched the surface of airframe and systems health management and maintenance prognostics. With all of these technologies, the challenge is to clearly demonstrate the value they bring to our customers. J: What about the idea of a blended-wing body? Does Boeing foresee that kind of aerodynamic technology direction? JV: We’ve taken a hard look at blended-wing bodies over the years. They present as many new challenges as they attempt to solve. Fundamental technology questions remain about cabin pressurization, passenger ride quality and aircraft stability and control. It’s not clear what passengers think about ﬂying in a vehicle that has fewer windows. Questions like these are not showstoppers, but they need to be understood and a distinct advantage would have to exist before this conﬁguration is seriously considered for commercial transports. J: What is Boeing’s current view on alternative fuels? Are you at all excited about the idea? JV: Alternative fuels are a good example of listening to customers’ concerns and trying to respond and it’s very exciting. In one year, with the help of industry partners, we have gone from demonstrating a proof-of-concept biofuel to multiple ﬂight tests with sustainable biofuels from various plant feed stocks that have low-life-cycle CO2 emissions and perform as well as petroleum-based jet fuel. Today, we’re trying to help develop fuel specs that producers can actually manufacture. We will move next to understand the scope of production capabilities that will be required to enable future widespread use. J: Any ﬁnal thoughts? JV: Our products are pretty well positioned today .We have a sizeable production backlog, our ﬂeet is performing well in service, and our current focus is clearly program execution. Meanwhile, we’re looking at as wide a variety of potential future products as we’ve ever studied. While we don’t anticipate making immediate decisions, customers’ expectations are high, and challenges are huge. We continue to view our options in the context of customer needs, the evolving marketplace in the face of economic uncertainty and our commitment to continue to deliver industry-leading products. That perspective has served us well in the past and I have no doubt it will do so in the future. Thanks to Boeing for supplying editorial material for this article. 14 The ofﬁcial publication of the International Society of Transport Aircraft Trading

Jetrader - May/June 2009

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