Boeing's Big Orange

The artist Alexander Calder, famed for his mobiles and outlandish Braniff International Airways liveries of the 1970s, would have been proud of Boeing. Earlier today the company rolled out its first 747-8 Intercontinental in a startlingly un-Boeing like livery of reds and orange in front of a crowd of around 10,000 inside its Everett assembly site. The result, as seen in the following shots, was reminiscent of something not seen since the days of Braniff's 'Big Orange' - a nickname given to the now definct airline's garishly painted all-orange 747. Fortunately, the scheme on today's 747 is more tastefully done, and designed to impact a message to the world that Boeing is "vibrant and dynamic" says Pat Shanahan.














(All photos - Guy Norris)