Boeing 777x Maiden Flight
Seven years since the program was launched, Boeing’s newest, state-of-the-art airliner, featuring cutting-edge technology such as folding wingtips and the biggest turbine engine in the world, the Boeing 777X, finally embarked on its maiden flight, taking off for the first time on January 25, 2020.
After several delays due to bad weather, Boeing's 777X has successfully completed its maiden flight. On January 25, 2020, at 10:09 am PST, WH001, the latest version of the 777 family, took off. Boeing 777X makes maiden flight Video Seven years since the program was launched, Boeing’s newest, state-of-the-art airliner, featuring cutting-edge technology such as folding wingtips and the biggest turbine engine in the world, the Boeing 777X, finally embarked on its maiden flight, taking off for the first time on January 25, 2020. Boeing’s new 777X made its maiden flight Saturday (25 January) as it begins its flight-test programme. The plane took off from Paine Field in Everett, Washington, at 10:09am local time for a three-hour, 51 minute flight over Washington state before landing at Seattle’s Boeing Field.
The first of four dedicated 777X-9 flight test aircraft, the WH001, took off from Paine Field (PAE) in Everett, Washington, United States. After a three hour, 51-minute flight over Washington state, it successfully landed at Seattle’s Boeing Field.
The first Boeing #777X is in flight. After a few hours of flying, the jet will land at Boeing Field in Seattle, Washington.
Track the flight here: https://t.co/ekfjglCcb7pic.twitter.com/XRTetREL4M
— Boeing Airplanes (@BoeingAirplanes) January 25, 2020
Over the coming months, the test aircraft would be used in a series of tests both on the ground and in the air. But prior to the resumption of testing, which is expected “in the coming days” according to the manufacturer, the aircraft would first undergo checks.
Previously, the airliner was expected to have it’s first go for the skies in the middle of 2019, around the time of the Paris Air Show (June 17-23, 2019). However, problems in the development of the massive GE9X engine, purpose-designed for the new jet, pushed the schedule by several months.
The engines were finally installed on the aircraft in December 2019. Boeing’s new wide-body airliner left the paint shop and was moved for primary flight control system testing on January 7, 2020.
Congratulations to our customers and #777X team on today’s safe and successful flight, the first of many for the 777X as we continue our rigorous test program.
Continue the journey with us, signup for updates here: https://t.co/n7t9Os5Q6Ypic.twitter.com/rawf73V6x5
— Boeing Airplanes (@BoeingAirplanes) January 25, 2020
“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.”
What is all the fuss about?
The Boeing 777X, which includes the 777-8 and 777-9 variants, is a successor to the manufacturer’s previous Triple Seven aircraft models. Once it debuts, the newest Triple Seven will be the largest plane Boeing ever built, powered by the biggest turbine engine in the world. The 777-9 variant is also going to be the first twin-engine jet to be able to carry more than 400 passengers.
With a truly impressive 235 ft, 5 inches (71.8 m) extended wingspan (both 777-9 and 777-8 versions), the 777X is the first commercial aircraft to feature folding wing technology. The aircraft’s tips can be folded up to decrease the wingspan to 212 ft, 8 inches (64.8 m) when the aircraft is on the ground, thus allowing it to fit onto taxiways and into regular gates. Extended, the larger wingspan increases lift capacity and allows to maximize fuel efficiency, according to Boeing.
As no similar technology exists on a commercial aircraft, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) had to create airworthiness conditions from scratch. However, while folding wing technology is a novelty for commercial passenger aircraft, it already exists on military planes operating from aircraft carriers, such as the Boeing F/A-18E/F Super Hornet.
GE Aviation, an operating unit of General Electric (GE), is building the GE9X exclusively for the latest version of Boeing’s long-haul wide-body 777 airliner. The engine is developed on the foundations of the GE90, which powers the earlier versions of Boeing 777.
Launched in 2013, the GE9X engine will be the most fuel-efficient jet engine the company has ever produced on a per-pounds-of-thrust basis, according to GE. When it enters service with the 777X, power plant, which is roughly the size of a 737’s fuselage, will be the largest commercial jet engine available.
The 777-9, which is the one that has just entered flight testing /entered the flight testing on January 25, is the larger of the two versions, seating up to 426 passengers in a typical two-class configuration. Its range is 7,285 nautical miles (13,500 km). Meanwhile, the smaller 777-8, could seat up to 384 passengers but has a longer range of 8,730 nautical miles (16,170 km).
Boeing expects to deliver the first 777X in 2021.
Source: https://bit.ly/36tDEwX
Image: Dan Nevill, Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 2.0)
Events in recent years have seen the Boeing 737 MAX become one of the most controversial aircraft of its generation. Today, it sees limited (but increasing) commercial service after almost two years on the ground. But where did it all begin for Boeing’s next-generation single-aisle twinjet airliner?
Yesterday marked half a decade since the 737 MAX’s first flight. It has been a difficult five years for the American manufacturer’s next-generation narrowbody. Photo: Vincenzo Pace JFKJets.com
The first test flight
Five years ago yesterday, on January 29th, 2016, the Boeing 737 MAX took to the skies for the first time. This maiden voyage involved the MAX 8, the type’s second-smallest variant after the MAX 7. It marked the latest step in almost half a century of 737 history, with the original 737-100 having made its first flight 49 years previously in 1967.
The flight departed Renton Municipal Airport, Washington (RNT) at 09:46 local time. After two hours and 47 minutes of flight, the MAX landed just outside Seattle at the nearby Boeing Field/King County International Airport (BFI) at 12:33 local time.
The test flight did not particularly push the aircraft towards its operational limits, flying up to 25,000 feet at speeds of up to 250 knots (463 km/h). Nonetheless, it provided a good opportunity to test its structures and systems.
The MAX’s inaugural test flight in January 2016 lasted just under three hours. Photo: Getty Images
Stay informed: Sign up for our daily aviation news digest.
While 737 MAX Chief Pilot Ed Wilson and Boeing Chief Test Pilot and Vice President of Flight Operations Craig Bomben flew the aircraft, a team on the ground was able to receive and analyze flight testing data in real-time. Onboard data transmission on the test aircraft made this analysis possible.
Positive reactions
The test flight was met with a highly positive reaction from Boeing. In a press release seen by Simple Flying, president and CEO Ray Conner stated afterward that:
“Today’s first flight of the 737 MAX carries us across the threshold of a new century of innovation – one driven by the same passion and ingenuity that have made this company great for 100 years. We are tremendously proud to begin testing an airplane that will deliver unprecedented fuel efficiency in the single-aisle market for our customers.”
Boeing’s test pilots were pleased with how the MAX performed during its first flight. Photo: Getty Images
The test flight’s pilots also shared Conner’s positivity towards the new aircraft. Captain Wilson said the following in the release:
“The flight was a success. The 737 MAX just felt right in flight, giving us complete confidence that this airplane will meet our customers’ expectations.”
At this stage, Boeing was expecting to complete the MAX’s “first delivery to Southwest Airlines in the third quarter of 2017.” However, the type’s commercial introduction came quicker than the American manufacturer was expecting.
Introduction into commercial service
In May 2017, Malaysian full-service carrier Malindo Air became the first airline to receive a 737 MAX, taking delivery of a MAX 8 on May 16th. It entered service with the Lion Air subsidiary six days later.
Boeing 777x First Flight Live
The MAX was well-suited to Norwegian’s lower-demand ‘long thin’ transatlantic routes. Photo: Valentin Hintikka via Flickr
Norwegian soon became the second airline to receive the MAX, operating its first transatlantic flight with a MAX 8 between Edinburgh and Bradley International, Connecticut on July 15th. As planned, Dallas-based low-cost carrier Southwest received its first MAX in 2017’s third quarter. Specifically, this occurred on August 29th.
Overall, the first year of MAX service saw a total of 130 deliveries to 28 customers worldwide. However, not long afterward, the type became infamous after a pair of strikingly similar accidents.
A tale of two tragedies
In October 2018, a Lion Air MAX 8 crashed in the sea just north of Jakarta shortly after takeoff from the Indonesian capital. Just five months later, in March 2019, an Ethiopian Airlines MAX 8 suffered a similar catastrophe after departing from Addis Ababa. Overall, all 346 passengers and crew onboard flights JT610 and ET302 perished in the two crashes.
The MAX crash involving Ethiopian Airlines flight ET302 suffered a similar flight control system malfunction to Lion Air flight JT610 five months previously. Photo: Getty Images
The second of these disasters was soon found to have striking similarities to the first. This led to the type’s grounding by various aviation safety agencies worldwide over the following days. The last of these was the FAA (Federal Aviation Administration), which banned MAX operations in the US on March 13th, 2019, following an executive order by then-President Donald Trump. Thus began a 20-month grounding period for the 737 MAX, which would last until November 2020.
Recertification and reintroduction
The MAX’s Maneuvering Characteristics Augmentation System (MCAS) played a deadly role in the two crashes. As such, Boeing spent months of the grounding period redesigning the computer architecture that supported it. It also slowed production of the aircraft, although it still had a backlog of around 450 undelivered but complete aircraft at its peak.
The company made huge losses as a result of the negative publicity generated by the MAX accidents. These were compounded by the arrival of the coronavirus pandemic in 2020, which led to a loss of more than $2 billion in last year’s second quarter.
Boeing built up a significant backlog of MAX aircraft that it could not deliver during the type’s 20-month grounding period. Photo: Vincenzo Pace JFKJets.com
Towards the end of last year, Boeing finally turned a crucial corner with the MAX. Having met standards put in place by the FAA, the aircraft was recertified for service in the US on November 17th. Eight days later, Brazil became the second country to recertify the MAX. Brazil was also where its first post-recertification commercial flights took place, operated on December 9th by low-cost carrier GOL.
Boeing 777x Test Flight Today
2021 – a key year for the MAX
Despite the positive end to 2020 in the form of recertification, 2021 has got off to a difficult start for Boeing. Earlier this month, the company was ordered to pay multiple penalties amounting to a total of $2.5 billion. The crux of the matter was a conspiracy to defraud the FAA’s Aircraft Evaluation Group concerning their evaluation of the 737 MAX.
As more and more countries grant the type recertification, 2021 is likely to prove a crucial year for the MAX. Photo: Getty Images
Nonetheless, this year is set to be a hugely significant one for the aircraft, even with coronavirus continuing to impact the industry. This month saw a spate of recertification, beginning with Canada, where WestJet operated the country’s first commercial MAX flight since March 2019. Earlier this week, the EASA also granted the type recertification to operate commercial flights in the EU, with the British CAA following suit shortly afterward.
As more and more countries recertify the MAX, Boeing will increasingly be able to deliver its backlog of aircraft. Correspondingly, more and more airlines will be able to introduce, or re-introduce, the type into active commercial service. It is vital that they can quickly build customer confidence in the aircraft. With 450 seamless MAX flights operated in its first month at the carrier, American Airlines has certainly made an encouraging start in this matter.
Boeing 777x First Flight Time
What do you think the next five years hold for the 737 MAX? Have you flown, or do you plan to fly, on one? Let us know your thoughts and experiences in the comments.
Boeing 777x First Flight Schedule
Article Source simpleflying.com