Second Boeing 777X completes first flight

On April 30, Boeing (Chicago, Ill., U.S.) reported a productive and successful first flight of its second 777X airplane, a commercial widebody aircraft sporting the largest carbon fiber composite wingspan currently built, at 71.75 meters (235 feet).

Capt. Ted Grady, 777X project pilot, and Capt. Van Chaney, 777/777X chief pilot, flew for 2 hours and 58 minutes over Washington state before landing at Seattle's Boeing Field at 2:02 p.m. Pacific.

Designated WH002, this airplane is the second of four in a dedicated flight test fleet (the first made its first flight in January 2020) and will test handling characteristics and other aspects of airplane performance. An array of equipment, sensors and monitoring devices throughout the cabin allows the onboard team to document and evaluate the airplane's response to test conditions in real time.

The 777X test plan lays out a comprehensive series of tests and conditions on the ground and in the air to demonstrate the safety and reliability of the design. To date, crews have flown the first airplane nearly 100 hours at a variety of flap settings, speeds, altitudes and system settings as part of the initial evaluation of the flight envelope. With initial airworthiness now demonstrated, the team can safely add personnel to monitor testing onboard instead of relying solely on a ground-based telemetry station, unlocking testing at greater distances.

The 777X includes the 777-8 and the 777-9, the newest members of Boeing’s widebody family:

Seat Count (Typical 2-class)	777-8: 384 passengers 777-9: 426 passengers
Engine	GE9X, supplied by GE Aviation
Range	777-8: 8,730 nautical miles (16,170 km) 777-9: 7,285 nautical miles (13,500 km)
Wingspan	Extended: 235 ft, 5 in (71.8 m) On ground: 212 ft, 8 in (64.8 m)
Length	777-8: 229 ft (69.8 m) 251 ft, 9 in (76.7 m)
Program Launch	2013
Production Start	2017
Ground Testing	2019
First Flight	January 25, 2020
First Delivery	2021