Testing already underway on Boeing 777X
Dec 9, 2013, 5:33 AM | Updated: 10:15 am
Boeing hasn’t decided where it will build the 777X, but it has already started testing designs of the new airplane.
Wind tunnel testing of Boeing’s newest jet began last Thursday at a facility about an hour outside of London.
This is Boeing’s first chance to look at their baseline design of the new plane to help engineers fine tune it.
Boeing is using a model 14-feet long and 13-feet wide at the wings. Tunnel testing will last about five months.
Tuesday is the deadline for states who want their workforce to build the 777X. About a dozen states have expressed interest after employees in Washington state rejected an eight-year contract that would have secured the plane.
Washington is still in the running and is among contenders racing to offer the company incentives. The company has been silent about its wants and needs. But newly released documents show Boeing has a fairly long list of requirements and “desired incentives” for the new plant.
The St. Louis Post Dispatch obtained a copy of the request for proposals Boeing has put out to states seeking to win the deal to build the next generation jetliner.
The “desired incentives” include:
-Site at no cost, or very low cost, to project
-Facilities at no cost, or significantly reduced cost
-Infrastructure improvements provided by the location
-Full support in worker training
-“Entire applicable tax structure including corporate income tax, franchise tax, property tax, sales/use tax, business license/gross receipts tax and excise taxes to be significantly reduced.”
The RFP also says the ideal site would be immediately adjacent to a major international airport with a 9,000 foot runway and near a seaport that can handle large container ships.
Boeing will decide where the plane will be built early next year.
MyNorthwest.com’s Josh Kerns has contributed to this report.
