Inside the biggest building in the world: A tour of the Boeing factory

Standing before the Boeing Factory in Everett, Washington, I try to process the fact that the doors alone are each the size of a football field and that you could fit Disneyland, with five spare hectares for parking, in the building behind them.

At 39.8ha and a volume of 13.3 million cubic metres, the complex is the largest building in the world by volume in Guinness World Records.

As we make our way inside, our guide explains that it is so big that without proper ventilation it generates its own weather and forms rain clouds inside.

This mind-bogglingly large factory was originally built for a game-changing plane.

The 777 and 787 assembly line at the Boeing factory.Source:Supplied

When Boeing announced it was going to make the 747 back in 1966, the company needed a factory worthy of its new creation.

It was so proud of what was going on behind those huge walls that factory tours began in 1968, the same year Boeing rolled out its first 747.

Today, the public can still visit the facility where Boeing’s twin-aisle aeroplanes, the 747, 767, 777 and 787 Dreamliner are made.

After walking through large tunnels and riding freight elevators, we reach one of the balconies overlooking the factory floor and it’s a plane spotter’s dream come true.

As they slowly inch their way along the production line, bare component parts are transformed into a plane that is ready to receive its trademark livery in a nearby hangar.

Signs on the side of the fuselage say which airline the plane is destined to fly for and how many of the same Boeings have already joined their fleet, and when I spot an airline that I regularly fly with I can’t help but wonder if one day I will be on that very plane.

A United Airlines Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner.Source:Supplied

I know I’m not the only one itching to take a photo and share it, but a strict No Photos rule is enforced.

As the tour continues we gain insights into the sorts of decisions Boeing customers have to make, including whether to paint or polish their new plane. Less paint reduces the takeoff weight and fuel consumption, but polished planes may need to be washed twice as often to protect against corrosion, so any fuel-cost savings can be lost.

After discovering that darker paint colours weigh more than lighter ones, the use of so much white by airlines makes sense and I can never look at Air New Zealand’s special All Black livery planes without thinking of fuel consumption again.

An aerial view of the Boeing factory in Everett, Washington.Source:Supplied

When it’s time to leave the factory, we are bussed back to The Future of Flight Aviation Centre, where the plane-geek fun continues.

Here, we can digitally design our own plane, sit in a 727 cockpit and play with the switches and controls, and take a virtual ride in the “innovator” to Egypt and other far flung places. We can even have our say on the future of aircraft interiors in the Passenger Experience Research Centre.

Then there’s the Materials Zone where you can compare the 787 Dreamliner fuselage to a section from a Boeing 707. While the point is to see how much things have changed, for me this is an eye-opening moment.

Suddenly, I fully grasp just how little there is between me and the open air when you strip away all those comforting interiors.

I quickly make a deal with myself to resist the temptation to be terrified by that knowledge when I’m next on a plane. Instead, I shall remember what I saw, be in awe of the how far flying has come and dream of what may be built in that very factory in the future.

Boeing volunteers at the factory in Washington.Source:Supplied

ESCAPE ROUTE

GETTING THERE

Qantas flies Sydney, Brisbane and Melbourne to Seattle daily via Los Angeles with partner airlines. See qantas.com.au or ph 13 13 13

The Future of Flight Aviation Centre & Boeing Tour is 40km north of Seattle at 8415 Paine Field Blvd, Mukilteo, WA 98275. See futureofflight.org for driving instructions and public transport options.

TOURING THERE

Tickets can be bought on the day, but it is recommended to book ahead through www.futureofflight.org. Reserved tickets: Adults $18, children 15 and under $12 (children must be at least 122cm to take the tour). The tour involves walking up and down steep flights of stairs and more than half a kilometre of walking through tunnels. Wheelchairs may be accommodated with advance notice.

STAYING THERE

The Best Western Plus Navigator Inn & Suites is less than a mile from the assembly plant, and guests enter the hotel under a 727 wing. See navigatorsuites.com

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