1. Matt Lauer drops in on Boeing factory. This video starts with Matt standing in the turbine from a Boeing 777. He talks about characteristics of this engine like, it produces 115,000 pounds of thrust and it would take eight engines from the old B-52 bombers to compare to a single of these modern engines. The wings come in sections called spars and there are four of them, upper and lower half, the front and back sections. To attach the wings to the center of the plane, a crane carries them but first they are individually painted before attaching to the fuselage. The airplane is rotated by a machine called turn vector. This machine turns to fit all the pieces into place and then it puts the parts together into a long tube which forms the cabin. After these steps, employees assemble all internal electronics and other pieces in the final installation. Then Matt interviewed the director of manufacturing, Elizabeth Lund. During the interview. She mentioned that it is very important to have people you trust doing all the assembly process to have a beneficial outcome. She mentioned how they learned a lot from Toyota regarding the moving line and other industrial aspects.
2. Matt take SA flight in a 777. After showing a six minute summary of the first video Matt talks about the employees and the facility they have. He says it is so big that sometimes clouds are formed in the inside and it might occasionally rain. Then he talked about the history of the company right before Tom Costello came and talked about their competition with Airbus and Boeing’s economic impact. After going through the assembly and history of a Boeing, Matt jumps into a flight simulator and learned how to fly a 777 along with an instructor. Lester came after and talked about the strict regulations and testing the planes and parts have to go through before they go out to the real world.
3. Back to the flying future. After experiencing flight simulations, Matt brought on the NBC travel expert and talked to Blake Emory, a Boeing executive, about their new 787 Dreamliner. He said that it’s a better all-around plane because it is easier for the passengers to use, and the airlines have more customizability options. Also, it is made from composite materials and these allow for better fuel efficiency. Boeing is allowing airline executives one stop shopping for all their custom needs. Matt then talks to the people that make the plane come alive and are in charge of all the dreams behind the Dreamliner. They put themselves in a customer’s perspective and make sure that the planes are more accommodated for different needs like for people that are growing old. And not only that but they also give nutritional and health guidelines for flying.
4. New travel gadgets. Matt talked to Paul Hackeman who is the NBC’s tech editor. They talked about different technology and other related topics with the aircraft’s operations. One of them is a solar powered charger that charges almost everything with an usb cord. The next thing he mentions is an all in one power inverter that will adapt to whatever country you are going to. He also mentions the MYVU, which is a pair of glasses for the iPod that allows you to watch video as if you were watching it on a 50 inch screen. Also they show a portable UV ray that cleans surfaces and many other technological