Boeing...

[trojan rabbit]

What's Boeing going to do after the 797?  would they go on into the 800's?

[bok269]

The rumor is that 8 will be the way to go.  One popular theory is that The Aircraft companies have realized that 8 is lucky in Asian culture, and given the size of the Asian market, have been putting a lot of 8s into designators.  787-8, 747-8, A350-800, A380-800, etc. Its all up for debate.  If they go with the 8, im hoping it will be a 8_7 pattern.  I still like the way ending with 7 sounds.  Plus Boeing was ending in 7s before they were starting with them to.

[C]

I don't think they're too worried. The 797 may be a little time yet...

[pepper_airborne]

Time will come and go, so eventualy they will go into the 800 range, i suppose. Though they could also got for a other last digit. Given that they can do a 10 x 10 x 10 = 1000 a thousand different aircraft types with a 3 letter combination, then they can add the different versions behind, ranging up to another 1000, so a 1000 x 1000 = a million. So yeah, not too much to worry about if we would follow sheer statistics.

[Felix/FFDS]

Given that they can do a 10 x 10 x 10 = 1000 a thousand different aircraft types with a 3 letter combination,.

Why don't I expect to see a "Boeing GTO" or "Boeing SLK" anytime soon?

Then again, they may re-use numbers, like the Boeing 717 ..  ;)

[bok269]

I don't think they're too worried. The 797 may be a little time yet...

EIS is around 2015.

[DizZa]

797 hasn't been launched yet though...

[bok269]

797 hasn't been launched yet though...

That's based on reports from sources inside Boeing as well as considering that the 787 and 748 will both be in service by that time, as well as all three 787 variants will be fully developed, if not in service.

[chornedsnorkack]

Once upon a time, there were Boeing 1, and 40, and 247, and 377... After 377, they decided to continue with 7x7 for civil planes, and reserved 4xx, 5xx and 6xx for various military products. There are a plenty of Boeing 464-s flying.

Was Boeing 8xx also reserved and in use, or is it free to be assigned when Boeing runs out of 7x7?

[pepper_airborne]

Given that they can do a 10 x 10 x 10 = 1000 a thousand different aircraft types with a 3 letter combination,.

Why don't I expect to see a "Boeing GTO" or "Boeing SLK" anytime soon?

Then again, they may re-use numbers, like the Boeing 717 ..  ;)

I actualy meant number, though letters wouldnt be bad either, that would give you a 26 X 26 X 26 = 17576 combo

[born_2_fly]

The rumor is that 8 will be the way to go.  One popular theory is that The Aircraft companies have realized that 8 is lucky in Asian culture

I know this is widely accepted throughout aviation but I find it rather bemusing.. Would an Asian carrier honestly choose one aircraft over another purely based on a number 8 being included in its name?

If Boeing make a flying brick that burns 1 tonne of fuel every Minute and carries 4 passengers, and is named the Boeing 888 are they going to choose that over something with better fuel burn, simply because of the number 8?

I'm sorry but I think that this number 8 business is bullcrap quite rather.

If there were 2 identical aircraft, with exactly the same specs, it would seem marginally more believable but other than that I'm not buying it...

Alex

[bok269]

[quote][quote]The rumor is that 8 will be the way to go.

[DizZa]

747-8 has the 8 to signify its simularity to the 787. As with A350.

[bok269]

747-8 has the 8 to signify its simularity to the 787. As with A350.

Correct.  However, there could be other influences.  Key word being could.

[Xyn_Air]

The rumor is that 8 will be the way to go.  One popular theory is that The Aircraft companies have realized that 8 is lucky in Asian culture

I know this is widely accepted throughout aviation but I find it rather bemusing.. Would an Asian carrier honestly choose one aircraft over another purely based on a number 8 being included in its name?

If Boeing make a flying brick that burns 1 tonne of fuel every Minute and carries 4 passengers, and is named the Boeing 888 are they going to choose that over something with better fuel burn, simply because of the number 8?

I'm sorry but I think that this number 8 business is bullcrap quite rather.

If there were 2 identical aircraft, with exactly the same specs, it would seem marginally more believable but other than that I'm not buying it...

Alex

I think if you are using the number 8 (or any other naming scheme) as the sole reason why an aircraft is purchased, then I would agree that that seems highly improbable (I think you used the technical term 'bullcrap').

However, that is not to say that naming conventions that weigh cultural considerations (among other things) have no place in marketing strategy.  Without a doubt, names for new products are carefully considered, and woe to the company that does not consider the impact their name will have on sales in their international markets (an anecdotal example would be the Chevy Nova and Mexico).  It is probably a fair assumption that Boeing did not pick the name 'Dreamliner' out of a hat filled with other options such as 'Baconliner', 'Flying Death Tube', or 'Bullcrapliner'.  One hopes that whoever within Boeing is responsible for such decisions did not tempt fate in such a manner (though '787 Flying Death Tube' could have been marketable to various amusement ride theme parks, but '787 Baconliner' would probably be a no-sell for many Middle East markets, not to mention rich cardio-vascular surgeons).

As an anthropologist, I can say that cultural considerations are given to international marketing.  Unfortunately, as Boeing, Airbus, and other industry participants don't include me in their planning sessions, I cannot tell you if Asian cultural norms regarding the number 8 and future naming conventions are part of their future marketing strategy.  All I can say is many such cultural considerations are possible and probable as part of a larger composite strategy (which would include pricing, technology, and other considerations) for selling anything on an international level, including aircraft.

I hope some part of that was useful or interesting.