Side view templates of the Boeing 797 concept

By Norebbo •  6 min read

If you know me at all, you’re fully aware of the fact that I am a total perfectionist when it comes to my side view aircraft templates. However, I needed some illustrations of the Boeing 797 for another project I was working on, so I rolled up my sleeves and did what I could.

Disclaimer: The side view templates in this article is NOT the actual aircraft! The 797 isn’t even official yet, so there was no reference material to go off of. I simply had to take some guesses in terms of its overall size and shape. Only time will how accurate these illustrations end up being….

What exactly is the Boeing 797?

Up until about six months ago, nobody really knew. Not even Boeing. Yeah, there were some illustrations floating around the Internet depicting what it might look like, but all of that has been thrown out the window in recent months.

The original plan for the 797 was for it to be a midsize aircraft to compete directly with the Airbus a 321. This would essentially place the 797 between the 737 and 787 in Boeing’s commercial aircraft aircraft lineup. It seemed like the logical, but as we all know, things can change. And they have.

My proposal for what the 797 should be

Instead of the 797 being a midsized aircraft, I am proposing a single-aisle 737 replacement. But that’s not all! It’s not like I have a degree in aerospace engineering or anything, but I have to ask: wouldn’t it make more sense to have the 797 fill the role of a variety of different aircraft types?

For example, smaller variants of the 797 could be the successor to the 737 platform. However, with additional fuselage and wing modifications, it could be an aircraft larger in size to compete directly with the Airbus a 321.

That has essentially been the Airbus strategy all along with the A320 series. There are a wide variety of aircraft types based on that single platform (A318, A319, A320, A321), and there’s no reason why Boeing couldn’t go down that same path.

white Boeing 797 side view

No, it’s not a 787! As much as I hate to admit it, this is probably what a mid-size variant to the 797 could look like.

boeing 797 blueprints

Who would have thought that I’d have 797 blueprints before Boeing? I’d totally be honored if they stole my design though…

buy the Boeing 797 template source files

Here are some key features of my Boeing 797 concept:

787 vs 797

Before anyone accuses me of just scaling down a 787 and calling it a 797, here is a side by side comparison (787 on top, 797 on the bottom). See? The changes are more significant than you thought!

Potential problems for the 797

Boeing is in an incredibly difficult position at the moment. At the time of this writing, they are up to their eyeballs trying to get the 737 MAX recertified. Not only that, the 777X program is facing delays up to several years. To make matters even worse, the commercial airline industry has been absolutely decimated due to COVID-19, and very few airlines are ordering new aircraft right now. But it doesn’t stop there:

Reasons why the Boeing 797 program is so important for Boeing

Even though I’m just lowly illustrator and designer with no formal business training, I’m going to say it anyway: Boeing is spending far too much time working on the 737 program. Of course I’m not privy to all the insider information, but I just don’t see how it’s logical to be spending so much time and energy on a platform that has so little time left.

The 797 will be the opportunity for Boeing to turn a new leaf. The 737 has reached the end of his life, which is perfectly OK. They got 60 successful and profitable years out of that design, and it was largely responsible for the growth and overall success of Boeing as we know it today. Nothing lasts forever though, so it’s time for a change. The 797 will:

When will be the first flight of the Boeing 797?

Considering that the 797 design program has been halted and they’re not even working on it right now, your guess is as good as mine. However, based on the current market and where things are going, it wouldn’t surprise me to see the final design announced sometime by 2024. As far as a first flight goes, it could be as early as 2026 with the first entry into service by 2028 or so. That’s my guess.

A few final words about the design of this 797 concept

Because I like to keep things interesting, I’m not going to update this particular post once the final design of the 797 is revealed. I personally find it amusing to go back and look at old design concepts of different objects, only to laugh and giggle about how silly and ambitious they may have seemed at the time.

I’ll create an entirely different post for the final version of the 797 templates, whenever that comes. It’s probably going to be a while, so don’t expect anything soon…

Norebbo

My name is Scott, and I started in the design industry over 20 years ago with a bachelors degree in Industrial Design from the College for Creative Studies in Detroit, MI. I have an extensive background in both 2D and 3D illustration, and these days, I spend a majority of my time creating aircraft templates and airliner art. I’m basically an airplane dork.

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