Boeing 777X achieves first successful flight

 

 

The Boeing 777X jetliner took to the skies on Jan. 25 for the plane’s first successful flight test, moving the widebody commercial aircraft into the next phase of testing. The 777X, which features the largest carbon fiber composite wingspan currently built, at 71.75 meters (235 feet), took off from Paine Field in Everett, Wash., U.S. for a 3-hour, 51-minute flight before landing at Boeing Field in Seattle.

Boeing reports that the 777X, which is based on the 777 aircraft, will deliver 10% lower fuel use and emissions, and 10% lower operating costs than the competition through advanced aerodynamics, its latest-generation carbon fiber composite wings and GE Aviation’s GE9X engine.

The carbon fiber composite wings for the 777X, which feature 11-foot-long folding wing tips, are manufactured at Boeing’s Composite Wing Center in Everett, Wash., U.S., using automated fiber placement (AFP) systems and the world’s largest autoclaves. 

 

Boeing expects to deliver the first 777X in 2021. The program has won 340 orders and commitments from leading carriers around the world, including ANA, British Airways, Cathay Pacific Airways, Emirates, Etihad Airways, Lufthansa, Qatar Airways and Singapore Airlines. Since its launch in 2013, the 777X family has outsold the competition nearly 2 to 1, Boeing says.

“The 777X flew beautifully, and today's testing was very productive,” said Capt. Van Chaney, 777/777X chief pilot for Boeing Test & Evaluation, in a Boeing press release the day of the event. “Thank you to all the teams who made today possible. I can't wait to go fly your airplane again.”

On Jan. 25, Capt. Chaney and Boeing Chief Pilot Craig Bomben worked through a detailed test plan to exercise the airplane’s systems and structures while the test team in Seattle monitored the data in real time.

“Our Boeing team has taken the most successful twin-aisle jet of all time and made it even more efficient, more capable and more comfortable for all,” said Stan Deal, president and CEO of Boeing Commercial Airplanes. “Today's safe first flight of the 777X is a tribute to the years of hard work and dedication from our teammates, our suppliers and our community partners in Washington state and across the globe.”

 

 

The first of four dedicated 777-9 flight test airplanes, WH001 will now undergo checks before resuming testing. The test fleet, which began ground testing in Everett last year, will endure a comprehensive series of tests and conditions on the ground and in the air over the coming months to demonstrate the safety and reliability of the design.

According to Boeing, the 777X also combines the best of the passenger-preferred 777 and 787 Dreamliner cabins with new innovations to deliver next-generation flight experience, including a spacious cabin, large overhead storage bins, larger windows, better cabin humidity, less noise and a smoother ride.