Boeing selects builders for 787 cargo shuttle

Boeing selects builders for 787 cargo shuttle    Boeing Co. said it has selected two foreign contractors to design and build specially modified jumbo jets to transport large assemblies for its new 787 long-range airliner scheduled to enter service in 2008.
   Taiwan’s Evergreen Aviation Technologies Corp. will convert three 747-400 passenger jets into oversized freighters. Evergreen Aviation Technologies is a joint venture of Taiwanese airline EVA Air and General Electric, and is part of Taiwan’s Evergreen conglomerate, which includes Evergreen Marine Group.
   Gamesa Aeron'utica, Vitoria, Spain, will do the engineering work for the aft fuselage that will swing open to accommodate large structures such as fuselages and wing components. The other unique feature of the converted 747-400 passenger jets will be an oversized cargo bay made by creating a humped fuselage.
   The 787 Dreamliner, previously known as the 7E7, is being designed as a long-range jet capable of carrying 200 to 300 people depending on the configuration that will consume 20 percent less fuel than jets in use today.
   Boeing is creating a unique logistics operation for the 787. Components will be largely manufactured in Japan and other countries and then ferried to Boeing’s main assembly plant in Everett, Wash. Company officials expect to cut 20 to 30 days from the build cycle by eliminating ocean transport and thus save 20 to 40 percent in inventory costs. (see March 2004 American Shipper, page 50).
   Boeing says it purchased last year two 747-400s needed to start 787 production, and continues to look for a third airplane to support additional production. The extra-wide freighter will hold 300 percent more cargo (65,000 cubic feet) above the main deck than a normal 747-400 freighter, the second-largest commercial air freighter and largest in regularly scheduled service.
   Boeing competitor Airbus also uses a modified freighter with an expanded canopy to ferry parts between plants in Europe.