Archives

Randy Baseler archives

Below is a listing of all entries posted to Randy Tinseth's Journal, with excerpts.

  • June 2008

    • To market

      We’re heading into July – and that means it won’t be long before Farnborough Air Show time. That also means my marketing colleagues and I are busy formulating Boeing’s 2008 Current Market Outlook (CMO). For us at Commercial Airplanes, the...

    • The power of 1

      As promised, we’ve launched a dedicated Web site that we think captures just what 787 Power On is all about. You’ll get to see the actual tests, as well as interviews with experts, and executive commentary. This is an interactive...

    • Hour of power

      Just last week we reported that we’d taken the first steps toward “power on” for the first 787 Dreamliner. Today I can tell you that we’ve successfully completed this very significant milestone – a major accomplishment for the entire 787...

    • Tanker protest upheld

      We just found out that the Government Accountability Office (GAO) has found in Boeing’s favor on a number of issues related to our protest of the U.S. Air Force’s award of the $35 billion aerial refueling tanker contract. In response...

    • "Power on" begins

      Yesterday, we got word that we’ve taken the first steps towards providing power to the first 787 Dreamliner in the Everett factory. “Power On” is a milestone accomplished on all new airplanes. But this one is especially important because the...

    • Three of four

      We’ve had another first flight. This time it was a brand new Dreamlifter, the third of four planned Dreamlifters. The new airplane received FAA certification about a week ago after a successful flight in Taiwan. Dreamlifter 3 – taking off...

    • Challenging times

      I’m back at the blogging desk after a brief absence. Family and civic responsibilities have been keeping me busy. This past week I was serving on jury duty. Never did get to serve on an actual trial, though. But my...

  • May 2008

    • Sights and sounds

      We opened up the 787 factory to the world’s media on Monday. It was a great event, and I wanted to share a couple of photos we took during the factory tour. The 787 factory in Everett, in full swing...

    • One year, one million

      I know it’s a cliché, but man did this past year go fast. Last year this time I was just moving into a new office, learning some new ropes, and also blogging for the first time. But a year -...

    • The conversation

      In the past, some people might have seen labor negotiations as a difficult, but necessary task to get through. But in 2008 we’re taking the view that the conversation getting underway today represents a tremendous opportunity. As Boeing begins negotiating...

    • Single aisle redux

      HONG KONG - I’ve been on the road again this week, first in Thailand, and now in Hong Kong for a speech at the Royal Aeronautical Society and to meet with some reporters. Typically, in my travels, one of the...

    • ZA003

      This week we loaded the newest 787 Dreamliner into position in the Everett factory, and I wanted to share a couple of pretty amazing photos with you. The newest Dreamliner – designated ZA003 – in first position in the 787...

  • April 2008

    • Poseidon adventure

      The start of final assembly is always a significant milestone. But in this case it’s a historic adventure as well. Boeing Renton employees received the first fuselage from Spirit AeroSystems earlier this month, and final assembly is underway on the...

    • Growth and guidance

      The Boeing Company shared some strong financial results today, and projected some solid growth to come. You can read through a lot of the details in our first quarter earnings release. But I wanted to briefly touch upon some of...

    • Joining forces

      Reducing the impact of aviation on the environment isn’t just a Boeing or an Airbus “thing.” It’s of importance to the entire world. So a working-together initiative just signed by both companies in Geneva is a great step in increasing...

    • Siga o Mestre

      I mentioned a couple of weeks back how I had the opportunity to appear on the Brazilian television channel TV Ideal. Click on the image to watch the video clip. Since I had to endure the makeup process for this...

    • Program update

      We’ve updated our plans for the 787 Dreamliner’s first flight and deliveries. Here’s the news release: Boeing Revises 787 First Flight and Delivery Plans. Obviously there’s been a lot of anticipation in the aviation and financial communities surrounding this announcement....

    • Inside the 787

      Now that I’m back from a great trip to South America, I wanted to share with you a short (1:30) video clip that I used in my presentations at the FIDAE air show and earlier during my visit to Brazil....

    • Fuel cell flight

      Have you had a chance to check out this story today about the first-ever flight of a manned airplane powered by hydrogen fuel cells? You can also read more about it here, and view a video of the flight. This...

  • March 2008

    • Southern latitudes

      SANTIAGO – I’m in Chile this week for the FIDAE air show. It’s been a few years since my last visit here, so it’s great to be back and meeting with some old friends. A spectacular view of Santiago. Over...

    • Best aircraft types

      As you may know, the 747 was the focus of my previous role here at Boeing. So I know it’s a pretty special airplane. And now the readers of Global Traveler have cast their votes in favor of the Queen...

    • 787 process

      I attended the JPMorgan Aviation and Transportation Conference in New York over the past couple of days. You can watch the Webcasts of some of the presentations, including mine, at the J.P. Morgan conference site. And as many of you...

    • Tanker blog

      My colleagues at Boeing’s Integrated Defense Systems (IDS) have launched a new blog, and I think it might be worth your while to check it out. A depiction of the Boeing aerial refueling tanker in action. Tanker Facts is a...

    • Growth and consolidation

      With all the continued talk of mergers both in Europe and in the United States, the average observer might think a dramatic consolidation is taking place in our industry. In fact at the recent Geneva Forum on Aircraft Finance and...

    • Protest filed

      Just a brief note to update you - with today’s release: Boeing Protests U.S. Air Force Tanker Contract Award...

    • Tanker decision

      This evening Boeing announced it has decided to file a formal protest of the Air Force aerial refueling tankers contract award. Boeing chairman, president, and chief executive officer Jim McNerney said today, the team has taken a very close look...

    • Take it to the limit

      We’ve had an overwhelming response and a good conversation going on in the comments to the Tanker posts, and we will be following that issue as we go forward. But I wanted to take a moment catch up on some...

    • Tanker debrief

      Over the past several days, the Air Force tanker announcement has generated more commenting here than any subject since I started blogging. A lot of well thought-out and spirited comments. One of the reasons I enjoy my job is that...

  • February 2008

    • Tanker announcement

      We found out this afternoon that Boeing’s KC-767 Advanced Tanker proposal was not selected by the U.S. Air Force. Here’s the Boeing Company statement: Obviously we are very disappointed with this outcome. We believe that we offered the Air Force...

    • "First flight"

      Our 787 chief pilot Mike Carriker, and our 787 systems director Mike Sinnett had an awesome experience earlier this month. They “flew” the Dreamliner with the “Blockpoint 8” software for the first time - in a successful test of the...

    • Extra, extra

      SINGAPORE — I’m here for the big air show this week, and I know there’s going to be a lot on people’s minds not only here at Singapore, but as I travel throughout the year. No doubt one of the...

    • Airplane 4, position 1

      I wanted to share with you a new photo from the 787 factory, as final assembly gets underway on the Dreamliner that will be our second flight test airplane. Our team in Everett is joining together the fuselage sections and...

    • Level field

      This is a crucial year for our industry in many ways. For one thing, there’s a head-to-head competition going between Boeing and EADS/Airbus to provide the U.S. Air Force with its next generation of aerial tankers. Much has been said...

    • Chinese Lunar New Year greetings

      The Year of the Rat (or Mouse) is upon us. We’ve put together a brief video to help celebrate along with people around the world. Click on the image to go to the video. And when you’re on the video...

    • Apples and oranges

      Last month I talked a bit about the industry-record 1,413 net orders for Boeing Commercial Airplanes in 2007. And you may have noticed that Boeing reported our 2007 results in net orders (while also indicating gross). That’s key because net...

  • January 2008

    • Earnings

      Boeing posted record earnings, revenues, and backlog in 2007. You can check out the results for 4Q and full-year 2007 in our news release (PDF)....

    • Northern exposure

      STOCKHOLM - I’m in the middle of a two-week tour of European cities, and just wrapped up a visit to Sweden. Enjoyed some beautiful sunshine, although this time of year the sun barely gets above the horizon all day! Blue...

    • Getting it right

      I haven’t blogged specifically on the subject of aviation safety – and neither had the “other” Randy. That probably says as much as anything about the high level of safety in our global air transportation system. But there is definitely...

    • Dreamliners over Bahrain

      Over the weekend Boeing finalized an order with Bahrain’s national carrier for up to 24 787 Dreamliners. Not only is the order great news, but Boeing released a cool new image to go along with it. A new Gulf Air...

    • Orders and commitments

      Clearly there were two big stories in aviation today, the announcement of Airbus’ 2007 results, and Boeing’s announcement of 787 delays. About the 2007 orders story, as you’ve probably read by now, Airbus had 1,341 net orders last year, compared...

    • Amazing race

      This is one of those events that falls under the category of “don’t try this at home.” Check out the story....

    • Great year, new year

      Happy 2008! It’s great to be back in the office. And I’m looking forward to a very busy year. We’ve compiled our BCA year-end orders for 2007, and as expected it was a record-breaker in many ways. With 1,413 net...

  • December 2007

    • Stocking stuffers

      As we enter the Boeing year-end break, I won’t be posting again to the blog until after the holidays. We’ll have a lot to talk about then, including how we did in commercial airplanes sales and deliveries in 2007. It’s...

    • New Year's resolution

      This is the time of year when many of us resolve to improve ourselves in some way in the future — lose weight, kick a habit, maybe establish a more fuel efficient fleet, etc. Well, that last resolution is more...

    • Record setting

      We’ve just updated our orders and deliveries Web page. I know we’ve said this before, but at the beginning of the year, no one could have predicted the sustained strength of this airplane orders cycle. Boeing’s commercial airplanes orders are...

    • First of many

      A few days ago I was talking about the remarkable 777 which, with well over 1,000 orders, is the best-selling twin-engine widebody in the world. I neglected to mention a couple of other significant points. With 125 orders in 2007...

  • November 2007

    • 3 for 3

      As many of us here in the U.S. got ready for the Thanksgiving holiday last week, it was rather remarkable to watch as Boeing’s updated orders and deliveries Website rolled past the 1,000 orders mark for the third time in...

    • Planes, trains, automobiles

      Can’t speak to train and automobile travel too much, but I did come across a great resource that’s especially timely as a lot of people across the U.S. get ready to board airplanes for holiday travel this week and for...

    • Alaska wings it

      You hear so much about the environment and the things we all can do to conserve energy and resources, but sometimes you forget that you can do big things in a lot of little ways. That’s why I want to...

    • Midday at the oasis

      DUBAI - It’s been a big and busy week here at the air show. I delivered Boeing’s market outlook for the Middle East region – 1,160 new airplanes, more than half of which will be widebodies – and I got...

    • Travel, in a "flash"

      One of the points I like to make in my presentations is about the value of direct flights. As I travel to different regions, for each of my presentations I’ve developed a nifty little animation piece that helps bring home...

  • October 2007

    • New China pattern

      A few weeks back I started a discussion about the hot airplanes market in China. I wanted to return to the subject again, because there’s so much more to the story than just the market forecast. When I first started...

    • 3Q 2007

      The Boeing Company released our results for the third quarter today. On a number of levels it was an outstanding quarter. And I think that our well-publicized challenges ought to be viewed in the context of the big overall picture....

    • "Launch aid"

      The notion of government subsides for the major airplane manufacturers is at the heart of a debate that’s now before the World Trade Organization (WTO). When it comes to “launch aid,” does everyone do it? No, everyone does not do...

    • Big delivery

      SEOUL – I’m in Korea for the Seoul Air Show. But at the moment a lot of eyes are watching the developments elsewhere – the delivery of the first A380 to Singapore Airlines. No doubt, the first delivery for a...

    • A change of flight plan

      AUCKLAND, NEW ZEALAND - Clearly, as our company’s top executives expressed this week, the 787 schedule change is disappointing for all of us at Boeing. The 787 rightly has generated so much excitement inside and outside Boeing that even a...

    • Final frontier

      SYDNEY - Space may be the final frontier. But in this case I’m talking about space inside an airplane cabin. What traveler hasn’t wished that economy seating could incorporate more of the space and comfort features of business and first...

    • Bringing techie back

      I started my career with Boeing on the technical side, and I guess when that’s in your blood, you never quite lose that interest in the nuts and bolts of our business. So it’s a good thing that we brought...

    • Flying high .. on the hog

      I’m not one to typically “ham” it up, but I didn’t want the summer to go by without at least mentioning something neat that’s been going on in Seattle for the past several months. This little piggy went to market,...

  • September 2007

    • FAQ on BBJ & VIP

      A big conference going on in Atlanta this week focuses on a more glamorous, but at the same time lesser known, area of our industry. That’s the VIP or business jet category. In my last job I was able to...

    • Forecast: Hot

      BEIJING – Since my last trip to China, some things have changed, and some haven’t. The Sichuan dishes are just as spicy – and as good - as I remember them. No change there. But the Beijing skyline is boasting...

    • Testing, testing

      The 787 Dreamliner program has completed the third of three large-scale structural tests - to determine whether the actual airframe performs in a simulated “crash landing” condition the same way as software modeling predicts. Much of the results are in...

    • Delta dawns

      Doing a blog is challenging – all the more so in the consumer-focused world of the airline industry. So my hat is off to Delta Air Lines. They just started a blog called Under the Wing. Delta launched the blog...

    • Wake up call

      Like many of you, I woke up a bit earlier than usual yesterday. It was a big day at the house - the first day of the school year. So my normal routine got a bit changed - I managed...

  • August 2007

    • 7/8/07

      No doubt a lot of people enjoyed the excitement of the Dreamliner Premiere and the great coincidence of the date 7/8/07, for the July 8 rollout of the first airplane. But did you know there was another milestone marked by...

    • Top of its game

      A lot of the attention in the widebody market has been on the record-setting pace of orders for the 787 Dreamliner. That’s to be expected. But quietly, the 777 has just reached its own record milestone – achieving 1,000 orders...

    • It's a wrap

      Talk about “building” momentum. Korean Air has taken the Dreamliner Premiere to new heights. They’ve wrapped their entire headquarters building in Seoul with a giant image of a 787 taking off – in Korean Air blue – along with the...

    • 100 days

      It’s been a little over a hundred days now since I’ve been the “Randy” in Randy’s Journal. And borrowing a page from American political tradition, I thought it would be “prudent” (with apologies to Dana Carvey) to look at where...

    • Life begins @ 40

      The thing about airplane manufacturing is, it’s constantly evolving and improving with technology. Clearly, the revolutionary 787 Dreamliner, and the evolutionary 747-8 are already carrying on the story into the 21st Century. But as we look ahead, I also want...

    • Sound of silence

      How quiet do you want it to be on the airplane next time you fly? Sounds like a rhetorical question, but it’s not as simple as it seems. When we develop an airplane like the 787 – or any airplane...

    • 7,000

      It’s a nice round number, and looks pretty darn good from overhead, especially when several hundred Boeing employees are actually forming the numerals. We just reached an amazing milestone – the 7,000th Boeing 737 order. And to mark the occasion...

    • State of the industry

      One of the questions that came up on the Boeing Company earnings teleconference with investors and reporters last week had to do with where we are in terms of the “cycle.” I think my predecessor, Randy Baseler, did a good...

  • July 2007

    • Halfway mark

      Boeing has announced its second quarter 2007 performance results. And the report shows continued strong growth. For Commercial Airplanes, our backlog grew to a record $208 billion in Q2. We received 360 gross orders and delivered 114 airplanes in the...

    • Wildest dreams

      It’s been a blur of activity beginning about six weeks ago with the run-up to Paris, and continuing through some travel in Asia, and of course the Dreamliner Premiere weekend. But while it’s still all fresh in the mind I...

    • "Rock star"

    • In the wings

      The first 787 Dreamliner is now ready, and waiting in the wings, just hours away from its Premiere on the world stage. I have to say it’s hard to believe we are finally at this moment. Hundreds of media from...

    • On a "roll"

      We’re just a couple of days away from what promises to be one of the biggest corporate rollout events anyone has ever seen. I’ll be there in Everett on Sunday when the 787 Dreamliner makes its Premiere. And I hope...

  • June 2007

    • Seven heaven

      This coming week is going to be exceptional for more than just the obvious reason. As part of the 787 “rollout” on July 8, starting today we’re releasing one video a day, leading up to the big event. It’s something...

    • Dream event

      The July 8 rollout - or “Premiere” - of the new 787 Dreamliner is a little over a week away. And it has generated such worldwide interest, that Boeing is going to make the event available to viewers around the...

    • Airshow!

      LE BOURGET - Air shows are a blur of nonstop activity. Seems I’ve tackled questions on everything from, “What’s the wake vortex on a 747?” to “How do you fly an elephant from Anchorage to Tampa?” It’s to the point...

    • If it's Wednesday ..

      LE BOURGET – You ought to know that the people who manage my schedule have kept me pretty busy this week. Some might say, “If it’s Wednesday, I must be in Paris.” But at this point I say, if this...

    • Lundi, Lundi

      LE BOURGET – A guy by the name of Charles Lindbergh landed here 80 years ago after the first nonstop solo flight across the Atlantic. It’s truly a place of aviation history. Paris has hosted air shows virtually since the...

    • The long run

      PARIS - Although I’m not a big fan of the group, I do remember that the Eagles had a hit single and album called “The Long Run.” And that’s the kind of phrase that comes to mind at air show...

    • Back to the future

      LONDON – I just wrapped up a meeting with a group of journalists here in the U.K., as well as conducting an international media teleconference. It’s part of activity around the release of the new Boeing commercial airplanes market outlook....

    • The heat is on

      It’s been a busy June already, and it’s only just begun. This time of year - air show time - is always a little frantic. As I continue to get up to speed on the new job, I’m also preparing...

  • May 2007

    • Conference call

      I was in Chicago last week for an opportunity to talk with a vital audience about how Boeing views the commercial aviation market over the next 20 years - and about how we’re addressing that market. Close to 200 representatives...

    • Arrivals

      The 787 factory is officially open for business. And it’s time to start assembling the first 787 Dreamliners. I have to say there’s no experience quite like watching a new airplane come together. I’ve been with Boeing for more than...

    • KC-767

      Last month Boeing submitted to the U.S. Air Force our proposal for the KC-767 Advanced Tanker. It’s a big milestone, and a big step in a process that has gotten a lot of attention. Our entry in this competition is...

    • The replacements

      Something I talked a lot about in my previous role as Customers Leader for the 747-8 program was the replacement cycle for passenger airplanes in the 400-500 seat category. And since earlier here in the blog we talked about the...

    • Hello, hello

      I think Randy Baseler had it exactly right. Magical Mystery Tour it is. In so many ways. As I find myself stepping into some big shoes, this tour is just beginning for me. And it’s certainly an odd thing to...