Most of you know that, besides anime, my other passion is aviation. It is my first passion, because it existed long before anime was dreamed of. This video gives you a glimpse of what is involved in the final assembly and painting of a Southwest Boeing 737-800.

The subsections arrive by rail at the final assembly plant next to Boeing Field Seattle, Washington and then the fun begins. I know that an in-service overhaul of this airplane takes six to eight weeks to complete. I’ll use those numbers as a guideline as to how long this process takes. So the next time you see one in flight or ride on one remember what it takes to make one. And that video doesn’t even show the full construction. All the subsections–fuselage, wings and tail surfaces–are assembled at the other Boeing Commercial Aircraft Company plants or come from other subcontractor facilities world wide. They took months to complete on their own. Did you know about 50 gallons of paint are used to paint a typical 737? Once the paint is dry, it will weigh approximately 250 pounds.

So many things we take for granted today were only the dreams of visionaries 50 years ago. In this season of dreams, my present to you is another look at the other part of my world. Although I’m fashionably late, enjoy a look as this modern marvel springs to life.