Aircraft
Boeing Starts Building First 777 at New Rate
Assembly mechanic Ryan Hoover monitors 777 drilling progress of the Flex Track on his laptop computer. Flex Track fuselage drilling equipment consists of numerically controlled drill machines riding on flexible tracks that attach to the exterior of the fuselage skin with vacuum cups. (Photo: Boeing)
Assembly mechanic Ryan Hoover monitors 777 drilling progress of the Flex Track on his laptop computer. Flex Track fuselage drilling equipment consists of numerically controlled drill machines riding on flexible tracks that attach to the exterior of the fuselage skin with vacuum cups. (Photo: Boeing)

Boeing on Tuesday began building the first 777 at the highest rate ever for any of its twin-aisle models, the company said today. The rate of 8.3 airplanes per month amounts to a nearly 20-percent increase over the previous rate of seven per month.