In the tradition of aviation landmarks, here’s a suggestion for Boeing’s new 787 Dreamliner, which recently made its inaugural flight. Call it the “Spirit of Washington.”
If Charles Lindbergh could fly the “Spirit of St. Louis” into history, then why not note Boeing’s role in defining the company’s birthplace? Because, as The Everett Herald editorialized: “Global production may have been the idea, but the heart, soul and brains of the Dreamliner are all Puget Sound.”
By extension, that heart, soul and brains permeate all of Washington. An estimated 80,000 jobs in the state are tied directly or indirectly to Boeing. In Clark County, that includes hundreds of residents who are employed at an aircraft parts plant in Gresham, Ore.
Since its beginning, the company founded in Seattle in 1916 by William E. Boeing has laid a groundwork of innovation and entrepreneurship for the region.
In setting the tone for Washington’s business culture, Boeing has been the spiritual godfather of companies such as Microsoft, Amazon.com, and Starbucks. Costco, Nordstrom, REI, and UPS also got their start in the Seattle area, contributing to the region’s rich heritage of being on the cutting edge of retail, service and manufacturing.
The significance of the Dreamliner is that Boeing has demonstrated once again that it is not a dinosaur ready to be swept into the dust bin of history. As a company, it remains vital and vibrant, maintaining Washington’s status as the world’s premier center for aerospace innovation.
Through technological and aerodynamic advances, the 787 is expected to be Boeing’s most fuel-efficient airliner, which is a direct nod to the needs of customers in an age of global concern over fuel prices and conservation. The plane is the first major airliner to use composite materials for a majority of its construction, and its development has included large-scale collaboration with numerous suppliers.
Orders have been flying in — pardon the pun — from around the globe, demonstrating the eagerness of industry to embrace new ideas. This is no small feat in the years following the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, which proved devastating to the airline industry.
The 787 is, in short, a new style of airliner for a new age, reflecting Boeing’s willingness to reinvent its product rather than rest on its laurels.
As Columbian business editor Julia Anderson recently reported, the Washington Employment Security Department has noted that the state is home to “some of the most cutting-edge public and private sector aerospace R&D in the world.”
Of course, Boeing no longer is solely a Washington company. Its headquarters were relocated to Chicago in 2001; several months ago, the company announced a second manufacturing plant for the 787 will be built in South Carolina, rather than in Everett.
While these decisions were setbacks for Washington, the heart, soul and brains of the company — and therefore the aerospace industry in this country — remain in the Northwest.
That is a benefit to us all. Creative, innovative industries are vital to the health of a region’s economy, lending a flexibility that is prepared for times of growth as well as times of recession.
All of which made the maiden flight of the 787 important. The airliner’s debut had been delayed several times over the previous 28 months, but the initial three-hour flight went off without a hitch, signaling a transformation in the aerospace industry.
The design and assembly of the plane had been conducted at Boeing’s outlets in the Seattle area, reaffirming the region’s role as the leader in a global industry. And in the process, Boeing’s engineers and laborers had once again contributed to the vibrant spirit of Washington.
