At the air show in Singapore this week, you may have heard that it's been a real hot one. In more ways than one. It's been rather humid and in the upper 80s. I know that our exhibits are drawing huge crowds, but the air conditioning here inside might have just a tiny bit to do with it too!

Anyway, yes, there's been big traffic at Asian Aerospace 2006. The buzz is this is one of the busiest shows in a long time. And that's great.

I'd have to say the best word to describe this show in Singapore is "excitement." All week people have been coming up to tell us that Boeing was clearly seen by the industry as in charge, on the move, and on the right strategy. That's compelling feedback.

In Singapore, Day 3, the 747-8's new design wing looms over visitors at the Boeing exhibit's interactive screens.

The other day I mentioned that one of the best things about air shows for me is meeting up with all of our friends and associates in the aviation business, including journalists. But another good thing about air shows is having a forum to talk about our new products, and about what's new with our ongoing programs.

Wednesday morning, our vice president of product development, Dan Mooney, gave reporters an update on the new 747-8 family - the 747-8 Intercontinental passenger airplane, and the freighter model, also known as the 747-8F.

Now for those of you who haven't seen me in person, one of the trademarks of my media briefings is my sizeable deck of PowerPoint slides. So I think I can say with some authority that Dan Mooney's presentation on the 747-8 really nailed it.

What has all these people mesmerized? Click here to find out.

As Dan pointed out, this new airplane incorporates great new technologies. The "Shape of the Future" means fuel efficiency and aerodynamic performance from 787 engine technology, as well as an enhanced wing design. The 747-8 incorporates the latest in flight deck features as well as our new Boeing Signature Interior. And it's a low-risk solution for infrastructure and flight operations.

Dan also talked a bit about the SkyLoft concept that has been really catching the attention of our exhibit visitors. A great new widescreen video has been playing that actually "flies" you through this new 747-8 interior. It shows what can be done in that space above the main cabin, beyond the 747's famous hump, stretching back toward the tail section. It's a lot of fun to talk about these features, and to watch our visitors really taking a long look at the possibilities.

You can watch this video for yourself here.

Of course, at the show we've been getting a lot of questions about the market for airplanes the size of the 747 and larger. And as I've said many times before, we see the market for 400 seats-size aircraft and above to be about 900 airplanes. Specifically, 300 of those airplanes will be passenger aircraft at 400-500 seats; 300 will be passenger aircraft above 500 seats; and 300 will be freighters.

Airbus forecasts the passenger aircraft market to be much larger, and it's no surprise that the media is reporting on our contrasting market projections. It wouldn't be an air show without this kind of lively difference of opinion.

And I'm sure the questions will keep on coming as I continue an extended Asia-Pacific swing next week. In keeping with my reputation as Boeing's Intercontinental "man with a mission," I'm off to a series of visits and media events in New Zealand and Australia.

I'll talk with you from Down Under.