Boeing Decides to End 717 Production

[nwa757]

http://www.boeing.com/news/releases/200 ... 0114a.html

This is too bad. The 717 is a really great aircraft. Unfortuneately all Boeing offered was the -200 series, which was the real reason why the 717 was a faliure.

[CAI1]

I think it was a mistake for Boeing to produce it. Being a former MD series, it didnt blend-in well with their products and it had very short range.

[TUB001]

Indeed, Boeing closed a factory in Toronto Pearson Airport as well.
I don't know what they used to do for the 717 there but anyway that's what I heard on the news...

[sab319]

It's such a pity to see the last MD aircraft go out of production... (I'm still convinced that the take-over of MD is the reason why Boeing sells less aircraft the last years)

[Buzz]

I'm still convinced that the take-over of MD is the reason why Boeing sells less aircraft the last years

How can that be? Less competition automaticly more orders!
How about economic situation as a reason?

[sab319]

I'm still convinced that the take-over of MD is the reason why Boeing sells less aircraft the last years

How can that be? Less competition automaticly more orders!
How about economic situation as a reason?

I meant that Boeing thought that all MD costumers would automatically come to boeing, wich they didn't...

[Humberside]

A shame, but not unexpected

[SN30952]

Indeed Boeing Co. shuts the last production line making commercial jetliners in Southern California, the Long Beach line.
Its the end of an era, with 18 717 left to build.
Look at a pictural here Some 300 assembly line workers will work in another Boeing factory in Long Beach, building C-17 transports for the military.

People visiting that Douglas Aircraft plant to be closed soon, will certainly have noticed the "Fly DC Jets" sign on the front. The plant was built during WWII* to produce thousands of the famous Douglas DC3 - military versions. And later the DC-7, DC-8 and finally the DC-10's.
It was one of the places to visit, en route to Howard Hughes' spruce goose.
A lot to see in South California for aviation freaks:
In Burbank, the Lockheed Corp. that built the Constellation and the Electra. In San Diego, General Dynamics Corp. that built the Convair.
And in Long Beach where the DC and MD were built.

*During WWII, Lockheed builds nearly 20,000 planes for the military.
Douglas Aircraft produced 15,000 aircraft. (at the peak of its production they roll out a C-47 military cargo plane every two hours).

When aerospace started with Kennedy, it was more rewarding to build aerospace equipment, so the area became the center of aerospace factories: Douglas Aircraft, Hughes Aircraft, Ford Aerospace and North American Rockwell.
Meanwhile Europe was innovating on new aircraft and did not omit to work out an aerospace industry as well.

[HorsePower]

It's such a pity to see the last MD aircraft go out of production...

-He is our last hope!

-No he isn't, there is an other one...


As SN30952 said, the C-17 is still there, like the civilian version (BC-17X)
http://www.boeing.com/commercial/pd/bc17x/

Enjoy!

Seb.

[AN124]

Sad to see this one will go out of production.
But to be honest this was something we could expect.
Boeing never made a secret of it that they would like to close the 717 production line.

Best Regards,
Yvo

[BP]

Its a sad to see that what was once a dominante force in the Aviation Industrie, will soon start to fade away into history. If MD had tried to fight of the aquasition by Boeing, am sure that even today they would have a role to play in the aviation industrie. If one could predict the future what might have been made of MD if Airbus had aquired it instead of Boeing. In my point of view Boeings role in all of this was to aquire the MD mainly for the porpose of their strong defence role in the USAF, while their civil aviation went down the drain.
We will miss this fine looking plane.

[Advisor]

Sad.

[lumumba]

Very sad it's finishd with the DC 9!!!
Regards
Pat

[Aerocroatia]

Very sad and terrible.

MD design was my favourite.

[SN30952]

As SN30952 said, the C-17 is still there, like the civilian version (BC-17X)Seb.

Indeed, the BC-17X Globemaster (formerly known as the MD-17) is a short-field accessible, high-wing, four-engine, T-tailed, heavy and outsized commercial freighter.
And what do you think about that?
Bargain prices for Globemasters? Would this indicate that Boeing is loosing big on MD-10 conversions?

[HorsePower]

And what do you think about that?
Bargain prices for Globemasters? Would this indicate that Boeing is loosing big on MD-10 conversions?

I don't think it will affect too much DC-10/MD-11 conversion share market.
For instance, look at Lufthansa's recent decision to add more MD-11SF. For airlines who operates already DC-10, they prefer to stick with the same aircraft, even if it's a quite old aircraft.

By the way, I don't think BC-17X have already found a customer...
IMHO, it could be used for special missions such as Paris-Dakar race supply aircraft, of for humanitarian missions. on a daily basis, it can carry outsized payload, that DC-10 can't do.

Regards

Seb.

[sn26567]

I visited Long Beach back in the early 80's, when the DC-10 was still on the assembly line. Great memories. I could not see the Sabena DC-10s though: all five had already been delivered.