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Old Aug 17, 2000 | 11:02 am
  #15  
MRLIMO
 
Join Date: Mar 1999
Location: (SNA) Orange County, California USA
Posts: 3,641
L-1011, I apologize for any confusion my earlier post may have caused. Next time I'll take copious notes rather than rely on my memory. I've listed my original statements below and have made corrections and clarifications, as necessary.
[*]The only planes in production at Long Beach at this time are the 717 and C17.
CORRECTION AND CLARIFICATION: Two MD-11 freighters are in various stages of final production; ship 645, already painted, sitting on the West Ramp (the Delivery Center area) ready for delivery and ship 646, sitting outside Building 58, (adjacent to Lakewood Blvd.) waiting to be painted. These are the final two MD-11s being produced at Long Beach.
[*]Freighters are no longer in production at Long Beach.
CORRECTION AND CLARIFICATION: The final freighters being produced at Long Beach are the two MD-11s mentioned above.
[*]The MD-11, ship number 646 you saw was sitting on the West Ramp waiting to be painted. No additional MD-11s are scheduled for production in Long Beach.
CORRECTION: One of the two or three MD-11s you saw was ship 645. It was sitting on the West Ramp (the Delivery Center area) already painted waiting for delivery. Another one was ship 646, sitting outside Building 58 waiting to be painted. These are the final two MD-11s being produced at Long Beach. A third one you may have seen was ship Test-1, also known as ship T-1, a passenger ship which is painted with the McDonnell Douglas colors. Ship T-1 would most likely have been the first MD-11 built and has been completely through "all" possible testing, etc. Boeing usually keeps the first built on their premises, or at least readily available, for various reasons. This may explain the MD-11 you saw with all the windows.
[*]During various stages of production the MD-11 rests on hydraulic jacks until the landing gear is installed. This all occurs indoors. MD-11s never sit outside without landing gear.
CORRECT AS STATED
[*]No more MD-90s are being produced in Long Beach. The last MD-90 "went over the fence" in January 2000.
CORRECTION: February 2000.

Additional Information from unnamed sources and contacts:
[*]Building 80 is the production line for 717s.
[*]Building 84 was the production line for MD-11s. It is currently empty and soon "to go dark."
[*]The two MD-11 freighters, ship numbers 645 and 646 are scheduled for delivery to Lufthansa.
[*] Lufthansa will send Lufthansa pilots to Long Beach to fly their planes "over the fence" home.
[*]CL and CM are "tracking or configuration numbers" and identify the "owner" or "customer of record" as well as the ship and its respective configuration requirements. These tracking numbers are used throughout the entire building process.
[*]During various stages of production, the installed windows have a durable protective film on them. Prior to painting, with the protective film intact, the windows are masked and covered with additional materials which further protect the windows during the painting process.
[*]For the curious minds that want to know (including mine), an MD-11 sits "extremely high" with the landing gear in place. This would give it the appearance of sitting twice as high off the ground as one would expect.
[*]MD-11 tail sections were always installed outside due to their height. The tail sections are never installed inside any of the buildings.

I hope I got it right this time around. In the future I'll respond only to posts that I have direct knowledge or I'll do a personal on-site inspection of Long Beach Boeing. L-1011, I wish I could have answered all your questions but I do believe I may have worn out my welcome with my Long Beach Boeing contacts, at least for this month.
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