The Boeing Renton Factory is the
Boeing
The Boeing Company () is an American multinational corporation that designs, manufactures, and sells airplanes, rotorcraft, rockets, satellites, telecommunications equipment, and missiles worldwide. The company also provides leasing and p ...
Company's manufacturing facility for
narrow-body
A narrow-body aircraft or single-aisle aircraft is an airliner arranged along a single aisle, permitting up to 6-abreast seating in a cabin less than in width.
In contrast, a wide-body aircraft is a larger airliner usually configured with mu ...
commercial airliners, and their military derivatives. Current production includes the
Boeing 737 MAX
The Boeing 737 MAX is the fourth generation of the Boeing 737, a narrow-body airliner manufactured by Boeing Commercial Airplanes (BCA), a division of American company Boeing. It succeeds the Boeing 737 Next Generation (NG) and competes with ...
passenger airliner and the
Boeing P-8 Poseidon military patrol aircraft. The factory covers of floor space.
The factory lies adjacent to
Renton Municipal Airport
Renton Municipal Airport is a public use airport located in Renton, a city in King County, Washington, United States. The airport was renamed Clayton Scott Field in 2005 to celebrate the 100th birthday of Clayton Scott. The airport's northern ...
.
Background
The
Boeing
The Boeing Company () is an American multinational corporation that designs, manufactures, and sells airplanes, rotorcraft, rockets, satellites, telecommunications equipment, and missiles worldwide. The company also provides leasing and p ...
Renton Factory is built on land reclaimed by the lowering of the level of
Lake Washington in 1916. At that time, it was purchased by industrialist
Charles H. Burnett who intended to use it for coal storage and shipment. Those plans never came to be, and the semi-swampland was used as a hay farm. In 1936, Burnett's daughter Amy Louise Burnett Bond, transferred the land back to the state of Washington. Coincidentally, Burnett Bond was a close friend of Bertha Potter (wife of
William E. Boeing
William Edward Boeing (; October 1, 1881 – September 28, 1956) was an American aviation pioneer who founded the Pacific Airplane Company in 1916, which a year later was renamed to The Boeing Company, now the largest exporter in the United S ...
), being both her godmother, and living with her family while she attended finishing school.
At the start of World War II, the property was transferred from the state to the federal government. Due to its location on a large body of water, the Navy Department worked to establish a flying boat aircraft factory on the land for production of the
Boeing XPBB Sea Ranger
The Boeing XPBB-1 Sea Ranger (Boeing 344) was a prototype twin-engined flying boat patrol bomber built for the United States Navy. The order for this aircraft was canceled, to free production capacity to build the Boeing B-29, and only a singl ...
. This order was cancelled, however, to free the factory for production of the
Boeing B-29 Superfortress, the factory being transferred to the Army in exchange for use of the
North American Aviation's Kansas City factory for production of the land-based
B-25 Mitchell for the
Marine Corps
Marines, or naval infantry, are typically a military force trained to operate in littoral zones in support of naval operations. Historically, tasks undertaken by marines have included helping maintain discipline and order aboard the ship (refl ...
.
After the end of World War II, the Superfortress production line was no longer necessary, and the plant closed in July 1946. The building was used for other purposes, including as a temporary home for a circus.
Boeing reopened the Renton plant in 1949 to build the
Boeing C-97 Stratofreighter
The Boeing C-97 Stratofreighter was a long-range heavy military cargo aircraft developed from the B-29 and B-50 bombers. Design work began in 1942, the first of three prototype XC-97s flew on 9 November 1944 (none saw combat), and the first of s ...
and it has been in use since.
The Renton plant would also be used as a shipbuilding facility from 1974 to 1985, building the
Pegasus-class hydrofoil
The ''Pegasus''-class hydrofoils were a series of fast attack patrol boats employed by the United States Navy. They were in service from 1977 until 1993. These hydrofoils carried the designation "PHM" for "Patrol Hydrofoil, Missile." The ''Peg ...
for the Navy, and commercial
Boeing 929
The Boeing 929 Jetfoil are passenger-carrying, waterjet-propelled hydrofoils by Boeing.
Boeing adapted many systems used in jet airplanes for hydrofoils. Robert Bateman led development. Boeing launched its first passenger-carrying waterjet-propell ...
jetfoils alongside the aircraft production lines.
The factory has its own
rail spur
A branch line is a phrase used in railway terminology to denote a secondary railway line which branches off a more important through route, usually a main line. A very short branch line may be called a spur line.
Industrial spur
An indust ...
where
BNSF Railway trains can deliver parts to the factory. This practice started in the 1960s during the construction of the 707, but has become most prominent during the construction of the 737, with the entire
fuselage
The fuselage (; from the French ''fuselé'' "spindle-shaped") is an aircraft's main body section. It holds crew, passengers, or cargo. In single-engine aircraft, it will usually contain an engine as well, although in some amphibious aircraf ...
being delivered to the factory by rail.
Aircraft production history
Boeing B-29 Superfortress
At the start of World War II, the factory was used for production of the
Boeing B-29 Superfortress. A total of 1,119 B-29s were built in the Renton plant.
Boeing C-97 Stratofreighter
The plant was briefly closed at the end of World War II, but by 1949 it was re-opened to build the
Boeing C-97 Stratofreighter
The Boeing C-97 Stratofreighter was a long-range heavy military cargo aircraft developed from the B-29 and B-50 bombers. Design work began in 1942, the first of three prototype XC-97s flew on 9 November 1944 (none saw combat), and the first of s ...
for the United States Air Force. In all, 943 C-97s were built in the Renton plant.
Boeing 707/KC-135 Stratotanker
In 1952, Boeing began developing the
Boeing 367-80
The Boeing 367-80, known simply as the Dash 80, is an American quadjet prototype aircraft built by Boeing to demonstrate the advantages of jet propulsion for commercial aviation. It served as basis for the design of the KC-135 tanker and the 70 ...
, to demonstrate the advantages of
jet propulsion
Jet propulsion is the propulsion of an object in one direction, produced by ejecting a jet of fluid in the opposite direction. By Newton's third law, the moving body is propelled in the opposite direction to the jet. Reaction engines operatin ...
for
commercial aviation
Commercial aviation is the part of civil aviation that involves operating aircraft for remuneration or hire, as opposed to private aviation.
Definition
Commercial aviation is not a rigorously defined category. All commercial air transport and ae ...
. Nicknamed the "Dash 80," the prototype rolled out of the Renton factory in May 1954 and would become the basis for two different production aircraft: the military
KC-135 Stratotanker
The Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker is an American military aerial refueling aircraft that was developed from the Boeing 367-80 prototype, alongside the Boeing 707 airliner. It is the predominant variant of the C-135 Stratolifter family of trans ...
and the
707, the first successful commercial jetliner.
Production of the KC-135 Stratotanker began first, and the initial aircraft to roll out in August 1956 was named ''City of Renton''. A total of 803 Stratotankers would be built, and , many remain in service.
The first production Boeing 707 was rolled out at Renton on October 28, 1957, and helped lead exponential growth in air travel. The 707 would prove to be a victim of its own success, too small to handle the increased numbers of passengers it had ushered in, and its design did not allow for a stretching of the fuselage. Commercial sales of the Boeing 707 ceased in 1978 after a total of 865 had been built.
The airframe would continued to be built in limited numbers until April 30, 1991, for conversion into the
E-3 Sentry and
C-137 Stratoliner
The Boeing C-137 Stratoliner is a retired VIP transport aircraft derived from the Boeing 707 jet airliner used by the United States Air Force. Other nations also bought both new and used 707s for military service, primarily as VIP or tanker t ...
military aircraft.
Boeing 727
In 1963, Boeing introduced the 727, a lighter
tri-jet. Compared to the heavier 707
quad-jet, the 727 could operate on shorter flight lengths from smaller airports (sometimes called "short and thin" routes). The aircraft became the best-selling jetliner of the 1960s and a mainstay of the U.S. domestic airline market. A total of 1,832 aircraft were produced at the Renton plant before it was discontinued in 1984 in favor of the Boeing 757
Boeing 737
In 1967, Boeing introduced the 737, envisioned as a complement to the 727 that could operate on even shorter and thinner routes. The 737 would retain the
707 fuselage cross-section, but with only two engines.
The aircraft proved extremely popular and , a total of 10,963
have been built across four generations, offering several variants for 85 to 215 passengers.
The Renton factory also produces airframes for the
P-8 Poseidon
The Boeing P-8 Poseidon is an American maritime patrol and reconnaissance aircraft developed and produced by Boeing Defense, Space & Security, and derived from the civilian Boeing 737-800. It was developed for the United States Navy (USN).
Th ...
, a maritime patrol "submarine hunter" aircraft for the
United States Navy
The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...
.
Boeing 737
The Boeing 737 is a narrow-body aircraft produced by Boeing at its Boeing Renton Factory, Renton Factory in Washington (state), Washington.
Developed to supplement the Boeing 727 on short and thin routes, the twinjet retains the Boeing 707, 7 ...
aircraft typically leave the Renton factory complete, but not yet ready for customer delivery. After a first test flight, the aircraft land at
Boeing Field
Boeing Field, officially King County International Airport , is a public airport owned and operated by King County, five miles south of downtown Seattle, Washington. The airport is sometimes referred to as KCIA (King County International Airp ...
in
Seattle
Seattle ( ) is a seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the seat of King County, Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in both the state of Washington and the Pacific Northwest regio ...
, where final preparations for delivery are made including aircraft painting, interior fitting installation, and test flights. For customers based in China, the final preparations are made at Boeing's completion center in
Zhoushan, China
Boeing 757
In 1982, Boeing introduced the
757
757 may refer to:
* Boeing 757: a narrow-body airliner
* AD 757: a year
* 757 BC: a year
* 757 (number): a number
* Area code 757
Image:Area code 757.png, The area colored red indicates the southeast corner of Virginia served by area code 757
po ...
, a
twinjet
A twinjet or twin-engine jet is a jet aircraft powered by two engines. A twinjet is able to fly well enough to land with a single working engine, making it safer than a single-engine aircraft in the event of failure of an engine. Fuel efficien ...
successor to the 727. The aircraft was longer than the 737, offering additional capacity, and was capable of operating over longer routes. A total of 1,049 aircraft were produced before the model was cancelled due to declining sales. The last aircraft rolled off the line in October 28, 2004.
See also
*
Boeing Everett Factory
The Boeing Everett Factory is an airplane assembly facility built by Boeing in Everett, Washington, United States. It sits at the northeast corner of Paine Field and includes the largest building in the world by volume at 13,385,378 m3 (472,37 ...
– The company's wide-body aircraft manufacturing facility located north of Seattle
*
Boeing South Carolina
Boeing South Carolina is an airplane assembly facility built by Boeing in North Charleston, South Carolina, United States. Located on the grounds of the joint-use Charleston Air Force Base and Charleston International Airport, the site is the fi ...
– The company's manufacturing facility for the 787 Dreamliner
*
Airbus Mobile
The Airbus U.S. Manufacturing Facility is an assembly site for Airbus's Commercial Airplanes division, located at the Mobile Aeroplex at Brookley in Mobile, Alabama, United States. The plant is a major assembly and delivery site for Airbus comm ...
– A competing narrow-body aircraft manufacturing facility
References
*
External links
Boeing Renton 737 Production Site
{{Boeing
Boeing
Manufacturing plants in the United States
Buildings and structures in Renton, Washington
Industrial buildings and structures in Washington (state)
Boeing manufacturing facilities
Industrial buildings completed in 1916
1916 establishments in Washington (state)