777X: Boeing’s new giant flagship has just made its first successful flight

Boeing has just had a new passenger plane going into history.

The Boeing 777X became the latest aircraft to fly over Washington state on Saturday, when the test aircraft took off from Paine Field in Everetts after a day of weather delays.

The aircraft is the first generation variant of the popular Boeing 777 product line, which was first launched in the 1990s and is now trusted by leading airlines. world. With new engines developed by General Electric, along with a longer pair of wings, the 777X can carry more passengers while operating more efficiently than the previous generation, perfect replacement for the Boeing 747 Jumbo Jet.

When making its flight on Saturday, the Boeing 777X became the largest dual-engine aircraft ever flying in the sky. While this was a memorable milestone for Boeing, the 777X’s initial launch last year was affected by Ethiopian Airlines’ Boeing 737 Max 8, resulting in the 737 Max 8 being discontinued. global because of software-related issues stemming from the development process.

Here is some interesting information about the aircraft that Boeing hopes to help the airline “set up atonement”:

The Boeing 777 became popular in the mid-1990s when it was upgraded from 767. This large twin-engine aircraft was popular because of its efficiency and changed the attitude of passengers towards its safety. .

An experimental Boeing 777-200

Fast forward to the present: Boeing, looking back at the famous 777, realized that it could improve its old model with technology from the smaller Dreamliner787, and its newest wide-body model.

Rolls Royce Trent 1000 engine of Boeing 787 Dreamliner

As a result, we have 777X.

The Boeing 777X is being assembled in the factory

Like the 777, Boeing created 2 variants: -8 and -9.

The -9 model was manufactured first, starting in October 2017.

“Naked 777” version of the Boeing 777X

With a length of 76.7 meters, this is the largest dual engine aircraft ever flying in the sky.

And when finished painting

Its wingspan is nearly the width of the fuselage length: the distance from one end of the wing to the other is up to 64.9 meters.

And the width of its wingspan can be changed thanks to a unique feature: the wing tip will be lowered, horizontally with the rest of the wing before the plane takes off, in order to improve fuel economy.

The pilot will activate this function with a switch in the cockpit and will retract the wing immediately after landing to avoid collision with anything on the ground.

The width of the wingspan when lowering the wing tip is 71.6 meters, nearly the length of two Boeing 757 combined.

Although the flight distance of the -9 and the 777-300ER models is equal, the advantage of the 777X is that it is more fuel efficient and can accommodate more goods.

More fuel economy, constant flight distance, though heavier cargo – all thanks to General Electric Aviation’s new GE9X engine.

General Electric GE9X engines are for Boeing 777X only

This engine is so big that the fuselage of the Boeing 737 can fit inside!

Boeing advertises that their new aircraft burns less fuel, as well as emits less and has 10% lower operating costs than the previous generation.

Boeing also estimates that the -9 model can carry 426 passengers in two cabins, up to 30 people more than the -300ER model.

The aircraft has a bigger window, more natural light, a quieter engine, and a more spacious cabin.

Its first flight was originally scheduled for January 24, 2020, three years after production began. But because of the bad weather in the area, the schedule was canceled.

The next day, it was sunny, and the plane successfully departed from Paine Field in North Seattle, flying to Boeing Field.

What a memorable day for Boeing. Their new aircraft conducted periodic tests before returning to Seattle.

The Boeing 777X will continue to test flight until it has received certification from aviation regulatory authorities around the world. After that, the aircraft will be officially put into passenger transport, and Emirates Airlines will be the first to do so.

Emirates’ Boeing 777-300ER is parked in Dubai

Seven other airlines are also ordering 777X: Lufthansa, Singapore Airlines, Qatar Airways, British Airways, All Nippon Airways, Etihad Airways, and Cathay Pacific.

In the tradition of Boeing, the side of the test plane will be painted with the tail of the aircraft that the companies have ordered.

The price of each 777X is $ 442.2 million, but some airlines have been discounted because of bulk purchases.

For the vast majority of carriers that have ordered Boeing aircraft, the new Airbus aircraft is considered the flagship aircraft, but the 777X is likely to replace that position.

The first passenger flight of 777X is expected to take place in 2021.

Until then, Boeing can confidently celebrate the achievement, because 777X is the first step to help the company “redeem” because of past troubles.

Reference: BusinessInsider