Synopsis
Describes the enormous building north of Seattle, Washington, where Boeing passenger jets are manufactured.
Sue Reichard - Children's Literature
This slim publication is packed with fascinating facts about the Boeing manufacturing plant in Everett, Washington. Part of the series by The Learning Channel, "Super Structures of the World," the fact-filled text is easy on the eyes and is accompanied by vibrant color photographs on every page. Some photographs are full page. The Boeing plant is where the original jumbo jet and now wide body planes are built. The plant covers 98 acres and is so huge that all of Disneyland—or 75 footballs fields—can fit inside. The plant itself is like a small city and employs over 40,000 workers. The plant contains its own fire department, its own pharmacy, food service and day care center. The kitchen bakes over 500 pizzas for workers every single day. They also serve 500 cases of soda and hundreds of pounds of coffee every week. Because the huge building has 98 acres of flat roof, snow becomes a big problem. Snow is taken off the roof almost immediately and holding ponds around the plant control runoff from rainstorms. This huge company started with a small manufacturing plant where Bill Boeing built bombers for World Wars I and II. The plant is divided into sections with each section doing a different job—such as functional testing—on the big planes. The planes are built in different sections according to their size. Each section is proud of their work on the big planes. An index and glossary are provided. This book is a useful resource and will be a favorite with reluctant readers. 2004, Blackbirch Press, Ages 9 to 12.