The interconnectedness of the aviation industry has often been likened to a massive global chess game. A skilled player makes a move of one piece with deliberate consideration for all the moves to follow, always mindful of the larger picture at hand.
Boeing’s latest move across the global chess board lands in the heart of Texas at the site of the old Kelly Air Force Base in the city of San Antonio, Texas has quietly been growing as a secondary base to compliment the primary Everett 787 production line.
Boeing signed an agreement last July to fly the first eleven Dreamliners to San Antonio for refurbishment and modification following the flight test program.
An article on flightglobal.com earlier this week revealed that number has grown to “at least 20,” according to Keith Graf, an aerospace economic development official for Texas’s state government. Mr. Graf went on to say that, “the number may continue to rise.”
Flightblogger has confirmed with the Federal Aviation Administration that Boeing has filed for an extension of its production certificate to cover the San Antonio facility.
An FAA spokesman said in an email that the request is to permit Boeing “to refurbish 787 airplanes after flight testing and [make] changes needed to bring non-flight test airplanes into type certification configuration.”
In the short term, the growth of San Antionio as a base for 787 refurbishment and modifications draws a direct comparison to the way Airbus has used its secondary European sites to support A380 assembly. Just as Airbus uses its Hamburg facility for interior installation and rewiring of the superjumbo, Boeing is utilizing a secondary site for similar operations.
MUCH MORE BELOW THE FOLD
This post was originally published to the internet between 2007 and 2012. Links, images, and embedded media from that era may no longer function as intended.
This post originally appeared at Flightglobal.com from 2007 to 2012.