Goodbye Internet,

 It is time now to say Goodbye to these pages for good.

One is not good at this blogging thing, for years I've commented on the subject of this page and this here is the last post. It should be expected. Production is over and what little I can comment on, on here doesn't have much sway anymore, even though it never had any sway to begin with. 

That is not why I wrote on here.

I was invited to write on here by this page's Original poster. I don't know where he is anymore, although I suppose he does read this page sometimes. It would be good if he could update the table which is the subject matter of this blog.

This blog was somewhat a catalogue of  my observations. I wrote on here my thoughts and ideas also. Some of those were agreeable but most were not. It matters not really, for being able to post on here is more of a reward than a privilege (or is the other way round?). That people come here to read my ideas, some whom have better grasp, is indeed much more of a compliment to my meager efforts. I am no expert and never will be: it is time to throw away those salesman's glasses.

The subject matter of this page is much more complex than any notion I could possibly invent. I've spent a lot of time reading material on the 747. I've watched hours of video, read pages and pages of forum posts, piles of News articles, wads of Accident reports, photographs, watched dramatizations and even thumbed through model kit catalogues. I am intrigued by this legacy it leaves behind.  To me it is nearly an obsession. Yet obsession is what is necessary.

You cannot build an airplane without it. 

The Story for this long journey begins at the side of a river in Washington State. For me, this journey ends when I select 'publish' at the corner of this webpage. Can you imagine the technical transformation that is in just that one sentence alone, from fishing rods and rubber boots, to touchscreen mobile apps and computers, if  that sentence was written on a piece of paper, it would be less than a foot in length. It is an insult to the imagination that the Years and Years of obsession by engineers in the pursuit of perfection, can be summarily described in such a fashion. Yet this is what technology allows us to do.

Technology is the solution to Man's many ills. It has to be, because if there is a will there is a way. Technology is 'that way'. 

The 747 is a piece of technology, I flew on one last, many years ago. It is the memories of my childhood that accompany its legacy, I called it a legend, because in my time, it was one. Though it is still a legend today, my memories are from a different time. Where all around me, wherever I looked, the world was conquered by its form, its sound and its presence. Everywhere it lingered, it drew attention. We gazed upon it as part of our vision of our future, to the point where it was normalized, almost as if it were furniture.

Yet it filled our minds with ambition, to strive to do better.

Ultimately, this is the core of what the story of the 747 is. A successful attempt to do better. It did this and more, becoming more than just the sum of its parts, or just the manifestations of a man's vision. Instead it is his life-longs work, his blood, sweat and tears. We owe a lot to Joe Sutter and his team of visionaries. He said once 'Safety is always the priority, we must reduce the risks down to zero,  we never do, but we sure as hell, better try.' It is statements like these that embody the vision in His mind and in doing so become the driving force in the program that he ultimately managed.

Such will and determination should be mirrored by everyone, but alas life teaches us these lessons as well, perhaps in a less than subtle manner. 

Au Revoir internet, Goodbye and Goodnight.

Visions.

 Well, the ceremonies are over.

Production is ended and a milestone has been achieved. Congratulations to everyone involved, to the customers, suppliers, the union and to the management. The program has been wrapped up.

Naturally of course, the story is not over.

For now the lingering questions are the immediate concerns over the programs that still remain.

As the ceremony plodded on in its earnest on Tuesday, there was only one speech that mattered above all else, it was the somewhat lackluster delivery made by Mr. Calhoun. It was not the delivery of the speech that struck me, it was content of his words. The ''spirit of innovation'' were the keywords that echoed in my mind. It was almost progressive sounding and appears to be somewhat half hearted.

Yet, I fully agree with his Assessment.

It is time for BCA to put its past behind it, and nothing could be more fitting than to close out the chapter that belongs to yesteryear. The 747 is yesterdays product. Even as much as one dislikes this notion, it is the truth.

CEO Calhoun's words should be heeded by all. This marketplace of ideas does not come with decisions that have no consequences. Everyone is responsible and the legacy of The Boeing Company rests on the commitment of those under its care.

It is hard times for BCA, they are lagging behind Europe in terms of Market share and their latest manifestations have had a dulled impact on their customers, recovery is slow, but recovery is certain. The end of the 747 is just the cherry on top of, what is a very bitter pill. It is sad to see a company, admired by the World, put its Flagship product away for good.

People need to believe again, people need to see that the future is not about the past. CEO. Calhoun is right. BCA must re-invent itself in the post lockdown economy that is emerging. Europe's ambitions are just that, pushing their version of the future, one that be fits their take on the market. Yet the market has silently added another competitor, this time from the East. They are behind in scale and scope, but unlike BCA, they are tethered to the State, and this country has already shown its resolve.

BCA would be wise to watch these Men from the East, their potential and know how is unknown. They may attach themselves to the fringes of the mass market, but given time and the right circumstances their market will flourish at the expense of everyone else, a risk that BCA can ill afford. 

Is the pie big enough for everyone? Time will tell of course, but it is better to not wait around and find out.

As for their current programs, it is time to play catch up, to meet and to beat the Europeans at their own game. Their designs on the 747 have had a devastating impact, focusing too much development on what is a smaller segment of the market. The flurry it has created, has demanded the commitment of too much resources and time. Their pyrrhic victory over the machine from Everett has damaged the marketplace, creating beings without a purpose, whose raison d'etre has evaporated into the thinnest air known to man. I have no sympathy for these folks, they walked the walk and got burned, led by prestige and pride, not ever knowing the real cost to hand and limb.

 (Have you sharpened those blades yet, Dude??)

Its time to bring the future into being. To create and to build the next chapter of this journey. To pay homage to the legend and the market it has created. If anything is to be learned from these harsh lessons, is that time waits for no man, that future is now and the door of opportunity is closing. To Forget about the failures of last year and focus on the successes of this Year. This year may make or break BCA, but already how many times have we heard that.

The World Awaits.