I accomplished a lifetime goal of mine last week--I flew on TWO airplanes I helped design!
airplanenut
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I started collecting coins when I was in 3rd grade, and I fell in love with airplanes the summer before 6th grade (1998). Since then, coins and airplanes have consistently been my two hobbies. On the aviation front, after a short time wanting to be an airline pilot, decided I'd rather be an engineer, and after touring the Boeing factory in 2001 (after 8th grade), I decided I wanted to work there and design a commercial jet (at first I wanted to be the one person to design it, and then reality set in that it's a bit more work than one person can do, but I digress). Coins and airplanes continue to be my life in college, in particular with coins paying for my flight training. A week after I graduated, I set off for Seattle. That was 2009.
In November of 2010, work sent me to the UK for a few weeks to work on a wind tunnel test for an updated 737. That project would eventually become the 737 MAX, and while I didn't do too much work on the plane, I did a bit of analysis for the winglet design. Shortly after I got back, I began doing analysis work on a new variant of the 777, eventually dubbed the 777X. I spent years working on this plane, including heading up one of our wind tunnel tests and laying the groundwork for the main landing gear door's design (that's the first part I can point to and say "I did it").
In October, I got to go along on two test flights onboard the 777-9 (the official model for the first 777X), and that leads us to last week, when everything came together: I was in Fort Myers, FL, to do more flight testing onboard the 777-9, and when it came time to return home, I got my first-ever ride on a 737 MAX, my first in-service ride on a plane I worked on. The 787-9 is the first plane I worked on to enter service (back in 2014, though I've yet to have a chance to fly one), and I always get a kick out of seeing one fly by knowing that my work lives there. What a thrill to finally step on board instead of just see one fly by!
Now back to coins. I was daydreaming a bit yesterday morning and my NJ copper came across my mind. I got this coin from John Agre (incidentally, my first passenger once I got my license) at the Baltimore show held the weekend between my graduation and leaving for Seattle. I've always liked 1787 because it's 200 years before my birth year, but yesterday, the 787 part struck me. (My fugio, which I've had longer, but is a bit less sentimental, also fits the bill) Somewhere, I think I have a 1757 British silver (it's not in my records, so I either have to dig to find it, or I'm wrong). All of a sudden, I want to put together a date run of 17X7--a coin a decade corresponding to the Boeing models. I'm not sure how this never occurred to me before--I've handled tons of 1700s coinage over the years--but I was just a bit giddy all day when this idea came to me. I still need to decide what I'll do--each coin totally random, keep it to just silver or just copper, one country or many?--but I'll get there. I like the idea of an open-ended little set that gives me a lot of options and no wrong answers.
Leaving Fort Myers (on an older 737) and passing by my office for the week
A few miles from SeaTac, aboard the 737-MAX9. Directly below is Boeing Field, from which all 737s are delivered (you can see many ready to go at the bottom of the photo), and the light building at the south end of the lake on the right edge of the photo is the 737 factory.
Comments
Congratulations, Jeremy! I've known you for a long time and you have always done things first rate. I have no doubt you will continue to do so and will continue to find success.
In honor of the memory of Cpl. Michael E. Thompson
Congratulations! That's a great accomplishment.
I finished a development project for a new ceramic material in an aircraft engine component and it was recently approved for use. Looking forward to the time when I can fly on a plane with that engine.
Best I can do tying ceramics to numismatics is a German Porcelain Notgeld
Congratulations; and I like the 7x7 theme. A 1777 8 Reales would be nice.
Now, when you get back to Boeing, please find the guy who decided to downsize the rest rooms to only fit Gerbils and slap him for me!
Airlines decide what interior to use... we just install what they send us
I love Boeing. I have taken the tour with my wife and when I was working, got a tour from the rafters with one of the production engineers. Watched the area by the wings come to a halt while 1 wing was moved. Really a fascinating plant and process! After all…. “If it’s not Boeing I’m not going,”
I didn't realize you were such a young shaver!
My sister earned a PhD in engineering and spent some time in Seattle working on overhead luggage bins for the 747. It’s a bit amazing to me how super sub-specialized it all is now. An extra few ounces of weight here and there all adds up….. Fly an extra hundred pounds a few million miles and you’ve wasted tons of fuel.
Cool collecting theme. Flying is in my blood too, and I’ll be starting work on my private license as soon as the youngest leaves home. I’m a little scarred about what it could do to the collecting budget.
No 737 Max for me. No, no, no, no!
Pretty darn cool!
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Neat accomplishment and a cool new collecting venture. I know many of the engineers at the Boeing plant here, the specialization that each piece/assembly requires is amazing.
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Congratulations Jeremy!!!
I realize it was well before your time, but will you try and get a 1700 for a B-17?
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Congratulations Jeremy.... I recall when you first came to Seattle. Did not manage to meet you then...but have followed you hear for many years. Prior to retirement, my company was a supplier to Boeing (lights, switches and displays). Cheers, RickO
I was just thinking in this line
You can do a date and make it include world coins circulated in the us.
Congratulations Jeremy!
That's a very neat accomplishment and one you worked very hard to make happen. Not a whole lot of people can say they flew on a plane they had a real hand in designing, much less two of them.
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Congrats Jeremy . . . . we met during your fundraisers years ago . . . . . . . . .
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Congratulations! A great story.
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Cool! I'm a flight test engineer so I can relate. I did some cool stuff with the Air Force and Navy, getting rides in the C-17 and F/A-18. My most recent work is in unmanned aviation so I won't get a chance to fly in aircraft I work on anytime soon.
It feels good to see a lot of hard work come together, congrats!
I like that idea. It'll rein in the options, which will help make choices, not to mention be a bit closer to home since I'd straight-up do US if those existed.
I doubt it only because my real love is commercial aviation, so while the B-17 (and many others) are cool planes in their own right, nothing turns my head like a commercial jet. Plus, if I did that I'd have to go find something dated 377, and that would be a bear.
So cool. Here are photos I took last month as I flew over Boeing Field. Can you confirm that the planes in position there include the 737s you describe - or even one of the 777s?
Kudos - Unfortunately I have that "Scared to death of flying" problem. Getting 20 feet off the ground on my CR250 is about my limit!
"When they can't find anything wrong with you, they create it!"
Congratulations! Very interesting post as well. It's always interesting to me to hear about how others have decided what to collect.
I admire your pursuit of an aviation career. I loved watching planes as a kid - took my 1st flight in a 727 from MPLS to ORD in 1968 - it was a real thrill, even if it meant sitting in the smoking section.
Hope Boeing can get it's act together with the 787 and other series.
You got a few wind tunnels in that photo 🙂
Great thread and congrats! I admire the engineering that Jeremy does, and after taking a couple of "aerodynamics for engineers" classes I realize how complex that field is. Jeremy and I went for a walk through the Everett factory, must have been in 2009. I work in production engineering for tooling, a world away from Jeremy's work, although the production tools must conform exactly to the engineering design specs. I have worked on all Boeing commercial airplanes, since 2000 mostly on the 787, and then 777X with the composite sections. I am honored to be a member of Boeing Technical Fellowship for the past five years. After 36 years at Boeing, I find it difficult to plan for retirement as I love my career and the company.
Forging dies and coinage dies - a lot of similarities!
Congrats Jeremy ! I remember when you first starting talking about being an engineer (I was posting here under a different name in 2002... ) I once represented Boeing so I was always interested in your dream...
And its great to hear that you made it all come true. The next time I fly in January it will be on a 777 and I'll be thinking of you when I take my seat....
Well Congrats! If by chance you come to the Charleston plant for business give me a shout and we can meet up for lunch.
WS
Congrats! What a great story. I'm going to Europe next week on Delta, so I assume it will be a Boeing plane. I just checked and the aircraft is listed as TBD.
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Whoops... I didn't actually answer your question. Your first photo (not reproduced here) shows the east side of BFI, where general aviation (little guys, private jets) and UPS park, so none there. The second photo you got a TON of 737 MAX airplanes. On the airport grounds, there are 3 parked just south (up in your photo) from the control tower. The main Boeing ramp, where you'll find more being prepped for delivery, is just north of that area and out of your photo. Assuming they weren't in the air or on a remote trip, a few 777X's would have been at the very north end of the ramp. The parking lot of planes is actually across the street from BFI and is quite literally a car parking lot. When they halted deliveries and were still running the line, they needed places to park extra planes, and they packed many in that parking lot. They're slowly getting them delivered so there aren't as many as there once were, but I was over there in July and parked right next to one when my computer needed to go in the shop. The buildings just north of that parking lot include a few of our wind tunnels and the model shop (where master craftsmen make our wind tunnel models--I've spent a lot of time in that building and you can't beat the view!), and the very far part of the picture shows the Boeing military ramp, where the various military derivatives of our commercial models (a sub-hunting 737, mid-air refueling 767...) do their testing and get prepped for delivery. The museum of flight--a true gem of Seattle--is just north of there, and you can see a Lockheed Constellation out front, and among other planes under the roof across the street are the first 737, 747, a Concorde, and a former Air Force One. I took another photo on my way in last week to catch those planes; I miss flying over when they didn't have the roof and you could see all that history, but the roof protects the planes, so I can't complain too much.
Congrats! That's so amazing! That has the be a very satisfying feeling!
Are you part of the Boeing Coin Club or do you collect their medals?
There are a few medals for the737 and 777.
Much appreciated.
Yes, I have visited the Museum of Flight and agree it is a gem. Just getting to go inside the Concorde and the former Air Force One made the event worth it alone. There was a lot of interesting trivia history provided for both that added to the experience.
Should add that getting to see one of those automobile transforming planes that used to be featured in Popular Science was a treat as well.
I was a member early on when I moved out here (I was also on the board for a year), but while I enjoyed it, the meetings were at a time/location that was consistently difficult to make and it got out-prioritized. I do try to go to the show each year, and a few pieces I really love came from it. This is by far the best one:
There's a chance, but while they used to be all-Boeing, after the merger with Northwest they took on a large Airbus fleet, and while they do have some 777s, their long-haul fleet is dominated by A330s. Continental was similar in that they were all-Boeing until the merger with United.
Congratulations!
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How about an 8 Escudos, instead.
Or if you're feeling a little wild:
You might want a dated cob 8 reales, since they leave off the pesky 1 in the date and will have just an airplane model on them.
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Love those! If I go for a big gold coin, it'll be the 1747, because the 747 is the greatest airplane ever made and it deserves all the attention of the set
Yeah, but usually those last 3 digits are a bear to find.
What a great post, if my memory is correct you joined us here when you were still in 3rd grade lol, but seriously Jeremy this is seriously cool.
9th, but close
Wow! I am very late to the game to congratulate you…CONGRATULATIONS! That is amazing. I am in awe of your accomplishments.