If you are going to become an Airline Pilot, chances are very high that you will end up flying either an aircraft made by Boeing or one made by Airbus.
Currently Boeing aircraft account for approximately 56% of the airliner market and Airbus 38%, leaving other airline manufacturers with just 6% of market share.
So who is Boeing?
The Boeing Company is an American corporation that designs, manufactures, and sells aircraft, rotary aircraft, rockets and satellites. Boeing also provides leasing and product support services. It is the largest global aircraft manufacturer, is the second-largest defence contractor in the world based on 2013 revenue and is the largest exporter in the United States by dollar value.
The company is organized into five primary divisions: Commercial Airplanes (BCA); Defence, Space & Security; Engineering, Operations & Technology, Capital; and Shared Services Group. In 2013, Boeing recorded $86.623 billion in sales and ranked 30th on the Fortune magazine “Fortune 500” list.
History
In March 1910, William E. Boeing bought Heath’s shipyard in Seattle, which later became his first aeroplane factory. Boeing was incorporated in Seattle by William Boeing, on July 15, 1916. In the early years the company built the B&W Seaplane and Boeing B-1 Flying Boat that was used for carrying two passengers and the mail along the West Coast USA and BC in Canada.
On July 27, 1928, the 12-passenger Boeing 80 biplane made its first flight. With three engines, it was Boeing’s first plane built with the sole intention of being a passenger transport. An upgraded version, the 80A, carrying eighteen passengers, made its first flight in September 1929.
In 1933 the Boeing 247 was introduced, the first truly modern airliner. The 247 was an all-metal low-wing monoplane that was much faster, safer and easier to fly than other passenger aircraft
Over the years Boeing grew and manufactured many of the worlds most used and recognised airliners like the 307 Stratoliner (1937, the first pressurised cabin transport aircraft), the 707 in the 1950’s and the development in the 1960’s the worlds largest, most successful big passenger aircraft, the Boeing 747 (often referred to as the “Jumbo Jet”).
Despite its current range of passenger aircraft that include the 747, 767, 777 and 787 Dreamliner, it is the 737 that many new pilots will end up flying.
The 737 has been Boeing’s most sort after aircraft type and currently accounts for about 75% of Boeings Commercial Aircraft business. Over 8000 737’s have been built and there are unfulfilled orders for 4000 more. Being recently announced that to meet demand it aims to be able to produce fifty two 737’s per month by 2018.
So with a long history and as the market leader in commercial passenger aircraft, there is a high probability that you will become one of the lucky few that ends up flying a Boeing Aeroplane.