The pace of the construction of our first 737-800, N8301J, is progressing at a crisp rate. Did you know that the assembly line is always moving once the landing gear are installed? It moves about two inches a minute, but any worker who sees a problem can stop the line until the problem is corrected. In this installment, we get our first look inside the cabin. Finishing an airplane interior is a lot like finishing a house: First you complete all the framing before you complete the interior. Today’s photos from our Boeing friends look at the “kitchen” of our new “house.”
The aft galley is loaded as a unit inside the aircraft, and it is being moved down the floor toward the rear of the cabin. This shot offers a good view of the floor of the cabin before the carpeting is installed, and we also see the insulation/sound proofing on the walls. The duct running down the length of the cabin will be hidden by the ceiling.
Workers position the galley unit into its new home aft of the rear doors. It’s pretty obvious that this portion of the -800 cabin will be a lot different looking than our other aircraft, and I’m getting anxious to see the rest of the interior.
I first thought those were our new beverage carts, but they are ingenious galley movers. Blocks are placed between the galley and the top of the cart, and hydraulics lift the galley unit off of the floor. It can then be moved around using the wheels of the carts.
In our final picture for this chapter, the galley sits in its permanent location. We get a first glimpse at the various galley storage bins. It looks like the coffee maker is going to be behind the head of the worker on the left. Because the galley fills the space behind the doors, the aft lavs and the jumpseats will be located differently on this aircraft. So, there’s a first look inside the doors of our new airplane, and I will share the updates as we get them.