The entire Puget Sound region (Seattle / Everett) has been in economic distress. With Boeing's launch of the new 7E7 Dreamliner and its first order - for an unprecidented 50 airplanes, things are finally looking up.

All Nippon had announced earlier in the day its order for 50 wide-body 7E7s with a list price of $6 billion. The deal received endorsements from virtually all corners of the aviation and financial worlds.

All Nippon's is the largest single launch order ever for a new Boeing jet and will stabilize hundreds of production jobs and thousands of engineering jobs in the Puget Sound region, home to the 7E7 design team and to the jet's final-assembly production line in Everett.

One note...neither George W. Bush nor John F. Kerry created these jobs. They were created by the business sector. Boeing took a risk in designing a new product and now American workers and airlines across the globe will be reaping the benefit.

And not just American workers...

The company adopted a novel global strategy for the 7E7, which is not expected to make its first test flight until 2007. Boeing is seeking some of the $7 billion to $10 billion in development costs from potential contractors, according to industry analysts. In a break from Boeing's previous aircraft manufacturing programs, much of the plane is expected to be built by subcontractors domestically and overseas. Several Japanese companies, for example, will make the plane's wings.

One question: Is it outsourcing if the product doesn't currently exist and is being created by a joint international venture? Your answer does not matter much to me. Our economy is tied in with the world economy. The development and manufacture of this airplane helps both.

And I know my friend Sam is already anxious to fly in one.