Model Airplanes

EVERETT — Call it a window of opportunity.

Three years ago, the Boeing Store obtained 16 airplane windows from a decommissioned Boeing 747. Employees decided to polish the pieces and sell them as home decor.

“We thought we had enough supply for a year, but we sold out in a day,” said Madia Logan, the Boeing Store marketing manager.

All of a sudden, the Boeing Store had a new line of business.

The company decided to work with artisans to create a line of furnishings and decor made from aircraft parts. Now the Boeing Store offers more than 100 mainly high-end items under a product line called Custom Hangar.

The pieces include a chair made from an F-4 Phantom II ejection seat that retails for $19,500; a conference table made from slats of a 727-200 wing that goes for $18,000; and even a wine bar made from a 727 airliner rear-mounted jet engine offered at $10,500.

While those pieces are out of reach for most households, the Boeing Store has also added some more affordable options.

One is a ballpoint pen with the Boeing logo made with a circuit-breaker tab as the pusher. That sells for $50. Another option is a $55 wallet made from the leather of a 737 seat.

The Boeing Store, which has six public locations, including one at the Future of Flight at 8415 Paine Field in Everett, has seen impressive growth in sales for the unique items, Logan said. Sales doubled the first year after they put those 747 windows on sale.

This past

Article source: https://www.heraldnet.com/business/boeing-store-finds-new-life-for-old-parts/

Supersonic passenger airplanes are another step closer to reality as NASA and Lockheed Martin begin the first high-speed wind tunnel tests for the Quiet Supersonic Technology (QueSST) X-plane preliminary design at NASA’s Glenn Research Center in Cleveland.

The agency is testing a nine percent scale model of Lockheed Martin’s X-plane design in Glenn’s 8′ x 6′ Supersonic Wind Tunnel. During the next eight weeks, engineers will expose the model to wind speeds ranging from Mach 0.3 to Mach 1.6 (approximately 150 to 950 mph) to understand the aerodynamics of the X-plane design as well as aspects of the propulsion system. NASA expects the QueSST X-plane to pave the way for supersonic flight over land in the not too distant future.

“We’ll be measuring the lift, drag and side forces on the model at different angles of attack to verify that it performs as expected,” said aerospace engineer Ray Castner, who leads propulsion testing for NASA’s QueSST effort. “We also want to make sure the air flows smoothly into the engine under all operating conditions.”

The Glenn wind tunnel is uniquely suited for the test because of its size and ability to create a wide range of wind speeds.

“We need to see how the design performs from just after takeoff, up to cruising at supersonic speed, back to the start of the landing approach,” said David Stark, the facility manager. “The 8-by-6-foot supersonic wind tunnel allows us to test that sweet spot range of speeds all in one wind tunnel.”

Recent research has shown it

Article source: http://www.spacedaily.com/reports/NASA_wind_tunnel_tests_Lockheed_Martin_X_Plane_concept_999.html

25 YEARS AGO — 1992

• North Country Community College’s 12 IBM-compatible PCs were recently infected with the annoying “Music Bug” virus, and programmers had to erase the melodious intruder with computer anti-viral software. Problems were first noticed about two weeks ago when programs would suddenly stop running and musical notes would play through the computers’ speakers.

• Record-store owners agree that the new compact-disc packages will be the best ecologically; however, there is a concern about the way the new boxes will be marketed and the best security for them. The music industry recently decided to replace the long cardboard CD box with a recyclable package that would be half the size. Artists had joined together with small record companies to promote the “jewel box,” a hard plastic case shrink-wrapped in cellophane. Tape World manager Meg Congelosi said the new boxes are more accessible to shoplifters because of their small size.

• Plans have been drafted to celebrate the 90th birthday of the City of Plattsburgh. Former mayors Francis Steltzer, Roland St. Pierre and John Tanelli have already confirmed their attendance and participation in the unveiling of a mayoral portrait gallery. Among other events planned are park tours with the former mayors and open houses at city departments, including the Departments of Public Works, Water and Sewer and Municipal Lighting.

50 YEARS AGO — 1967

• One of the 12 defunct Atlas missile sites ringing Plattsburgh has already been bought, and town supervisors have bid, or plan to bid, on others. According to Champlain Town Supervisor Robert

Article source: http://www.pressrepublican.com/news/lookback-feb-to-march/article_5281913b-f751-5138-9d2f-d8312225d8fa.html

EVERETT — Call it a window of opportunity.

Three years ago, the Boeing Store obtained 16 airplane windows from a decommissioned Boeing 747. Employees decided to polish the pieces and sell them as home decor.

“We thought we had enough supply for a year, but we sold out in a day,” said Madia Logan, the Boeing Store marketing manager.

All of a sudden, the Boeing Store had a new line of business.

The company decided to work with artisans to create a line of furnishings and decor made from aircraft parts. Now the Boeing Store offers more than 100 mainly high-end items under a product line called Custom Hangar.

The pieces include a chair made from an F-4 Phantom II ejection seat that retails for $19,500; a conference table made from slats of a 727-200 wing that goes for $18,000; and even a wine bar made from a 727 airliner rear-mounted jet engine offered at $10,500.

While those pieces are out of reach for most households, the Boeing Store has also added some more affordable options.

One is a ballpoint pen with the Boeing logo made with a circuit-breaker tab as the pusher. That sells for $50. Another option is a $55 wallet made from the leather of a 737 seat.

The Boeing Store, which has six public locations, including one at the Future of Flight at 8415 Paine Field in Everett, has seen impressive growth in sales for the unique items, Logan said. Sales doubled the first year after they put those 747 windows on sale.

This past

Article source: http://www.heraldnet.com/business/boeing-store-finds-new-life-for-old-parts/