How To Build A Huge Boeing 737 In Only 9 Days

Up And At Em’.

The Boeing 737 has become the standard airliner these days with over 9,000 produced since the 1960s. To meet the demand of those kinds of numbers the Boeing corporation has to pump them out quickly, on average a rate of 42 per month. So how exactly do they meet the needs of these airlines and produce them so quickly?

Boeing is no stranger to big orders but assembling an airliner is no easy task. It all begins with the arrival of premade fuselages delivered by train to Boeing’s factory in Renton, Washington. Then a crew arrives to outfit the fuselage the internal parts including wiring and plumbing to ensure the comfort of passengers. Then crews add on the wings and fins carefully aligning everything so it creates an aerodynamic design to generate lift. Then floorboards and interior designs are put in to suit the decor of the individual customer.

The assembly takes roughly a week but then the completed airliner must undergo intensive testing to ensure everything works correctly. Individual features are tested after the electrical wiring is installed and it will be sent off for functional flight tests. Moving ahead to their new model the 737 Max Boeing is increasing production of this plane to 57 planes per month by 2019.

“We have long maintained a conservative and disciplined approach in assessing future production rate increases. Our confidence in the ongoing market demand for the fuel and operating efficiency advantages of the 737 is very high.”

– Dennis Muilenburg (Boeing CEO)

It is a complicated process but the dedicated professionals at Boeing make it look easy. Check out this video from Wired where it shows the assembly in just a little over two minutes, it is quite entertaining.