Boeing 777 First Flight

4/7/2022by admin

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On March 13, the very first Boeing 777X was presented to company employees, inside the airframer's main wide-body manufacturing facility in Everett, Washington. Planned press fanfare was canceled. Due to the Boeing 737 MAX groundings and the delayed first flight of the 777-9, Boeing pushed back design and development of the 777-8 until at least 2021, for first deliveries in 2023 or beyond. The delays should not affect Boeing's participation in Qantas' Project Sunrise, for which it has proposed a 777-8 variant. Boeing 777-9X First Flight – January 25, 2020. The world’s longest and largest twin-engine airliner, the Boeing 777-9X, has finally taken to the skies for its maiden flight, offering a ray of hope for the troubled US aviation company following months of grim headlines. After days of abysmal weather, airplane WH-001 took from Paine Field, home of Boeing’s wide-body factory, north of Seattle, on Saturday morning. Boeing 777 A Boeing 777 operated by Cathay Pacific in 2011. The 777 is a low-wing twinjet; the original -200 is the shortest variant. Role Wide-body airliner: National origin: United States Manufacturer Boeing Commercial Airplanes: First flight June 12, 1994 Introduction June 7, 1995 with United Airlines: Status In production Primary users Emirates.

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The Boeing 777 wide-body is the world’s largest twin-engine jet airliner, first flown in June of 1994. Commonly referred to as the ‘Triple Seven,’ the 777 is Boeing’s first fly-by-wire airliner (an electronic system that replaces the conventional manual flight controls of an aircraft) and the first commercial aircraft entirely computer-designed. The aircraft is used on long-range flights where the capacity of the much larger 747 is not required. Up to 451 people can be carried in some versions of the aircraft, making it an attractive fuel-efficient option since it can fly on only two engines.

Boeing 777 Facts

The Boeing 777 is the world’s largest twinjet.
The first Boeing 777 model, the 777-200, entered commercial service with United Airlines in 1995.
Ranks as one of Boeing’s best-selling models.
Typical seating capacity of between 314 and 451 passengers.
Flight range between 5,235 and 8,555 nautical miles.
Direct competitors: Airbus A330-300, Airbus A350 XWB, Airbus A340 (out of production), and McDonnell Douglas MD-11 (out of production).
Asiana Airlines Flight 214 crash represented the first fatal Boeing 777 crash in roughly 18 years of service.
Boeing now working on the 777-8X and 777-9X, new variants with improved engines and other technologies. Should be available in 2020.

Boeing 777 Aircraft Variants

There are several different variants of the Boeing 777. The company defines their 777 models based on fuselage length (which determines how many passengers can fit within the plane) and range (how far the plane can fly between takeoff and landing, as allowed by fuel capacity).

Range is categorized by three different market segments:

A Market – Up to 4,200 nautical miles
B Market – Up to 6,600 nautical miles
C Market – Up to 7,800 nautical miles

Boeing 777-200 – The first Boeing 777-200 was delivered to United Airlines in 1995 as the initial A Market 777. The 777-200 has a maximum range of 5,240 nautical miles (9,700 km) and was aimed at U.S. domestic airline operators.

At present, there are nine different airlines with Boeing 777-200 planes in their fleet. The closest competitor to the 777-200 is the Airbus A330-300.

Boeing 777-200ER – The major difference between the Boeing 777-200 and the 777-200ER (ER stands for ‘extended range’) is that the 777-200ER has a longer range with a higher maximum takeoff weight. As the first B Market 777, the Boeing 777-200ER was aimed at international airlines that operate transatlantic routes.

The first airline to add the Boeing 777-200ER to its fleet was British Airways in 1997. Singapore Airlines is one of the largest Boeing 777-200ER customers.

Boeing 777-200LR – The LR stands for ‘long-range’ and was specifically developed for ultra-long-haul routes, one of which being the Los Angeles to Singapore route. Developed alongside the 777-300ER, the 777-200LR belongs to the C Market. It has been nicknamed the ‘Worldliner’ because, in theory, it can connect any two airports in the world. The Boeing 777-200LR holds the record for the longest nonstop flight by any commercial airliner.

Boeing 777-300 – The Boeing 777-300 was designed to be a replacement option for the Boeing 747-100 and 747-200. The Boeing 777-300 shares a similar passenger capacity to the 747-100’s and 747-200’s, but consumes about a third the amount of fuel and is estimated to cost 40 percent less to maintain. As an A Market aircraft, the Boeing 777-300 is most widely used by Asian airlines flying heavily-traveled Japanese routes.

Boeing 777-300ER – The Boeing 777-300ER (extended range) features raked and extended wingtips, a larger wing aspect ratio (9.0), reinforced nose gear, new main landing gear, and additional fuel tanks. The aircraft was also built with a strengthened engine attachment, fuselage, empennage, and wings. The 777-300ER features GE90-115B turbofan engine, the most powerful jet engine currently in use. As a C Market aircraft, the Boeing 777-300ER can fly roughly 30 percent further than the 777-300, even when loaded with passengers and cargo.

The Boeing 777-300ER is the highest-selling Boeing 777 variant.

Boeing 777F – The Boeing 777F (the F is for Freightliner) has the same features as the 777-200ER, only geared toward hauling cargo instead of passengers. The aircraft’s cargo capacity is similar to that of the Boeing 747-200F. The cargo plane has a maximum range of 4,900 nautical miles (at maximum payload).

Boeing 777-8X and 777-9X – The Boeing 777-X family of aircraft are currently under development. The 777X series will have new engines, composite wings, and technology similar to that of the Boeing 787. The 777-8X and the larger 777-9X are intended to compete with the Airbus A350. Sources have indicated that the 777-9X will be service ready in 2020.

Boeing 777VIP – The Boeing 777VIP (777 Business Jet) was designed for corporate customers. The company has received orders for the 777VIP to be constructed similar to the 777-200LR and 777-300ER. The main difference: the 777VIP will feature private passenger cabins. Boeing 777VIP’s serve as official government transports for the nations of Gabon (VIP-configured 777-200ER), Turkmenistan (VIP-configured 777-200LR), and the United Arab Emirates (VIP-configured 777-200ER and 777-300ER operated by Abu Dhabi Amiri Flight).

Boeing KC-777 – A tanker version of the 777, the Boeing KC-777 (777 Tanker) was proposed in September 2006. Boeing announced that the KC-777 would be produced for the U.S. Air Force if it required a larger tanker aircraft than the KC-767. Boeing officials have indicated the KC-777 would be a suitable replacement for the wide-body McDonnell Douglas KC-10 Extender.

Largest Boeing 777 Operators

As of July of 2015, Emirates is the airline with the largest fleet of Boeing 777 aircraft. Emirates is also the only airline in the world that has operated all 777 variants (777-200, 777-200ER, 777-200LR, 777-300, 777-300ER, and 777F). The International Lease Finance Corporation (ILFC), Singapore Airlines, United Airlines, and Air France are the other largest consumers of Boeing 777 aircraft.

Boeing 777 Incidents and Accidents

The 777 has an enviable safety record since its introduction in 1995, though the aircraft has been involved in a number of serious incidents and accidents. Below are several of the most serious Boeing 777 incidents and accidents:

January 6, 2018 – Two Boeing 777s clipped each other at John F. Kennedy Airport in New York. The accident happened when a China Southern aircraft was being towed and its right wing tip clipped the tail of a Kuwait Airways aircraft that was parked while awaiting take-off. No one onboard the Kuwait Airways plane was injured but the flight was canceled due to the Boeing 777 being deemed inoperable. There were no passengers or crew on the China Southern aircraft.
September 8, 2015 – British Airways Flight 2276 caught fire on a runway at McCarran International Airport in Las Vegas. Initial reports indicate the General Electric GE90-85B engine suffered a serious engine failure. The flight was aborted and the passengers and crew members were evacuated using the emergency slides. Minor injuries were reported.
July 17, 2014 – Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 was heading to Kuala Lumpur from Amsterdam when the Boeing 777-200ER was hit by an anti-aircraft missile. The plane went down in the Donetsk province in eastern Ukraine. All 283 passengers and 15 crew members on the plane were killed.
March 8, 2014 – Boeing 777’s most recent hull loss was Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 that was reported missing en route from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing. The Boeing 777-200ER was carrying 227 passengers and 12 crew-there were no survivors. The last reported coordinates for the missing jumbo jet were over the South China Sea. However, one year later on July 29, 2015, plane debris, confirmed by French investigators to be from MH370, was found on Reunion Island, a French island in the Indian Ocean.
July 6, 2013 – The Boeing 777’s first accident that resulted in fatalities happened when Asiana Airlines Flight 214 (a Boeing 777-200ER) crashed during a botched landing attempt at San Francisco International Airport (SFO). The tail section of the plane collided with a seawall short of one of the airport’s runways. Surviving passengers and crew evacuated before the aircraft was destroyed by fire. Out of the 307 people on the plane, three were killed. These were the first deaths in a 777 crash since the aircraft entered service back in 1995. Baum Hedlund represents 17 passengers injured in this crash.
July 29, 2011 – A Boeing 777-200ER (operating as EgyptAir Flight 667) suffered a cockpit fire while the aircraft was sitting at a gate at Cairo International Airport. EgyptAir Flight 667 was successfully evacuated and no injuries were reported. Fire officials at the airport were able to extinguish the blaze, though the aircraft sustained structural, heat and smoke damage. The aircraft was taken out of the fleet.
January 17, 2008 – The Boeing 777’s first hull-loss incident was on January 17, 2008. A total of 47 people aboard British Airways Flight 38 sustained injuries, though no fatalities were reported. In that incident, ice crystals formed in the fuel-oil heat exchanger, which restricted flow to the engines as the British Airlines plane was landing at London’s Heathrow Airport. The Boeing 777s with Rolls-Royce engines were subsequently modified to avoid such a reoccurrence of the fuel problem.
September 5, 2001 – A British Airways flight was refueling at Denver International Airport when a groundworker was burned to death. The plane sustained fire damage, but was repaired and eventually returned to service.

Boeing 777 Information

Construction Number: 29171
Registration Number: HL7742
Configuration: C32Y271
Engines: 2x PW PW4090
Type: 777-28E(ER)
First Flight: February 25, 2006

(CNN) — The world’s longest and largest twin-engine airliner, the Boeing 777-9X, has finally taken to the skies for its maiden flight, offering a ray of hope for the troubled US aviation company following months of grim headlines.

After days of abysmal weather, airplane WH-001 took from Paine Field, home of Boeing’s wide-body factory, north of Seattle, on Saturday morning.

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The flight had been postponed twice earlier in the week because of poor conditions, but as the aircraft taxied past the press viewing area ahead of takeoff, a rainbow appeared — perhaps offering a positive portent.

When the moment did finally arrive, WH-001 was greeted by a light eight knot tailwind, six miles visibility, and broken clouds at 3,000 feet as it rocketed down runway 34Left at 9:08 a.m. local time.

As Boeing’s newest flagship quickly gathered speed, it left a torrent of spray in its wake. After a takeoff roll of just 30 seconds, the behemoth rotated gracefully into the skies.

The relieved and excited crowd erupted into thunderous applause, though it was masked somewhat by the symphony of the roaring engines.

Long road to certification

Designed to carry up to 425 passengers on routes of 7,600 nautical miles — a distance that would cover most long-haul routes — the 777-9X is expected to become one of Boeing’s key aircraft in the years ahead.

However, uncertainties in the wake of deadly crashes that resulted in the worldwide grounding of Boeing’s 737MAX series, have cast a shadow over the manufacturer’s future.

Once airborne on Saturday, the first 777X was swallowed quickly into the clouds as it headed north out of unpopulated areas and the Washington Coast on a flight path chosen for safety reasons.

It climbed to an altitude of 14,000 feet and turned back east where it entered looping patterns over central Washington state, beginning the first of many test flights on the arduous road to certification and eventually passenger service over the next 18 months.

The road to this moment has been difficult to say the least. And the obstacles Mother Nature threw in front of its path for the first flight could easily be seen as a metaphor for Boeing and the entire program.

The day before, with cloud ceilings down to 2,000 feet, pelting rain, and winds gusting up to 29 knots, over 10,000 disappointed employees, journalists, and VIPs shivered for nearly five hours while the enormous 777-9X sat tantalizingly just off the runway, waiting for clearance to takeoff.

Appalling conditions

It wasn’t meant to be. At 1:30 p.m. Friday with conditions not improving and the flight window closing, her first sortie was scrubbed. It’s almost tradition that Boeing first flights occur in abysmal conditions, but this is the first time in memory that a flight had to be canceled due to elements.

In normal times, a first flight of a new airliner is a cause for celebration. Events like these happen maybe twice a decade.

But for Boeing, these are anything but normal times. Following two fatal crashes of the 737MAX, the continued grounding of Boeing’s most important aircraft — which is reportedly responsible for 40% of the company’s profit — has prompted one of the 104-year-old airframer’s biggest ever crises.

The effects have been felt across the global aerospace industry and the broader US economy. It’s been estimated that the MAX grounding may cost a third to a half a point loss in the US economy’s GDP short-term.

With MAX production now at a standstill, plus Boeing’s revelation earlier this week that it doesn’t expect the US Federal Aviation Administration to re-certify the MAX as safe to operate until June or July of this year, the timing was hardly optimum for a new Boeing aircraft model to take to the skies..

Though there is continued speculation of a new Boeing airplane to replace the 757/767 as a middle of the market airliner or the 737MAX with the future small airliner, Boeing has no entirely new models announced beyond the 777X.

Bringing an entirely new aircraft to market takes at least five-to-seven years.

The 777X, a program launched back in November 2013, is the successor to the most successful wide-body airliner ever built: the 777, which first entered service nearly 25 years ago.

The 777X is chock full of superlatives.

At 251 feet long, the 777-9 variant is the longest commercial airliner ever built. With a fuselage stretch of 9.4 feet over its predecessor 777-300ER, the 777-9 is able to accommodate up to three additional rows of economy seats 10 abreast, for a total of up to 426 passengers in a typical two class configuration.

All that and an increased range of 7,285 nautical miles — 220 miles more than the airplane it replaces.

Record breaker

With the A380 and 747-8 Intercontinental ending their runs, the 777-9 stands alone as the largest airliner by passenger capacity being built in the world. Its main competition, Airbus’ A350-1000, is proportioned more like the smaller 777-300ER.

To lift the maximum takeoff weight of this 775,000 pound beast into the air, Boeing has built a new carbon-fiber-reinforced polymer wing with a wingspan of just over 233 feet, with raked wingtips.

Each wing is the largest single composite structure in the world.

To fit on the same gates, taxiways and runways as the current 777-300ERs, Boeing has designed distinctive 11-foot folding wingtips that deploy just before take-off and retract upon landing. Though this is common on Navy fighter aircraft built for landing on an aircraft carrier, folding wingtips on an airliner are a commercial first.

Under the wings are the largest, most powerful engines ever mounted on a commercial airliner: General Electric GE9X.

These develop an incredible 105,000 pounds of thrust apiece while reducing fuel burn by 10% from their predecessor GE90 engine

The engines’ diameter are as wide as a 737 fuselage.

In spite of or because of their cutting-edge design and immense power demands, design flaws in the compressor of the engines have been a significant contributing factor to delaying the first flight of the 777X from 2018 to early 2019 and then to January 2020.

That said, this isn’t an unusually lengthy gestation in the recent history of new airliner programs.

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In an era of flight shaming and airlines’ increased emphasis on eco-friendliness and efficiency, the 777X is claimed by Boeing to deliver a net efficiency gain of 13% on a cost per seat basis compared to the 365-seat 777-300ER with a 29% reduction in emissions.

Indeed Boeing says its newest flagship is 22% more efficient than the world’s largest airliner, the A380.

“The operating ecomomics of previous generation 777s, which could carry nearly as many people as the 777X with just two engines were already considerably better than those of the A380,” said airline analyst Seth Kaplan.

“Considering the 777X will be even more efficient, there’s long-term hope for this airplane program even though the market reception hasn’t been great so far.”

Economics, engineering, and efficiency aside, the 777X is being designed to improve the passenger flying experience and not just in the premium cabin section of the plane.

Borrowing from its pioneering stablemate, the 787 Dreamliner, Boeing’s newest 777X has larger windows and a wider cabin translating to wider seats (especially in economy).

Economic uncertainties

A lower cabin altitude of 5,000 feet versus the typical airliner’s 8,000 feet reduces the effects of fatigue and jet lag. The 777X also has higher levels of humidity to abate dehydration, cleaner air, less cabin noise, and smoother ride technology.

So how and when can passengers expect to find themselves sitting aboard a new 777-9?

Even with the increased scrutiny and testing for certification, Boeing projects a service entry in late 2021 with Lufthansa.

Emirates, Etihad, Qatar, British Airways, Cathay Pacific, and ANA round out the customer list.

Boeing has 308 firm orders and 300 options of these $440-million aircraft (at list prices, though discounts can reduce cost by half).

But the stability of these orders is uncertain with Gulf carriers and Lufthansa reportedly re-negotiating and lowering order their commitments, partially due to economic weakness.

Though the 777-300ER is immensely successful in the Americas, North American orders are yet to emerge.

As the replacement cycle for A380s and 777 Classics accelerates, Boeing expects the 777X order book to bulge by the middle of the decade.

But many industry analysts question whether this jumbo twin is now simply too large for the market as smaller Airbus A350s and Boeing 787s have attracted far more orders partially due to the rise of hub by-passing nonstop point-to-point service.

Will the 777X succeed in the market, especially with the specter of the 737 MAX hanging out there?

Industry leader Henry Harteveld, founder of Atmosphere Research, says there’s uncertainty.

“The 777X is an intelligent derivative of the 777, but I’m not sure if the 777X will be raging success for Boeing as orders remain tepid, in part due to the delay of the GE engines, because the smaller 787 Dreamliner is such a good aircraft, and because the MAX has severely damaged Boeing’s reputation,” Harteveld says.

“The 777X is the younger kid whose older siblings are overachievers.

“I think the 777X will have a slow burn as an aircraft where its success may come over time, once the 777X has proven itself as a reliable aircraft that meets or beats Boeing’s performance specifications, and once Boeing has regained airlines’ trust as a manufacturer.”

Safe landing

First flights are very rare and special, so for just a few hours, the business of aviation and Boeing’s travails slipped into the background so everyone could just soak in the moment.

In an email to the Boeing worldwide team, Boeing Commercial Airplanes President and CEO Stan Deal wrote: “I am incredibly proud of all our teammates who meticulously designed, assembled and supported the 777X. This day is ours to celebrate, and proof that if we work together we can achieve big things that make a difference in the world.”

777x Live First Flight

The first flight was originally intended to last nearly four hours, but for reasons not immediately clear, it was cut short.

As the aircraft descended, its landing lights penetrated the 700-foot cloud deck and the crowd gasped with anticipation.

At precisely, 2:00 p.m. local time, the 777-9X kissed the rain soaked runway 15Right at Seattle’s Boeing Field, after three hours and 51 minutes aloft.

The scale of the airplane was apparent as it rolled out past, with the wingtips automatically retracting to their 90-degree locked state at 60 mph just as intended.

In keeping with the current climate, this first flight event was more low key than previous similar events, but the crowd was no less appreciative. Boeing employees needed a morale boost and they got it. The enormous jetliner pulled up to an enthusiastic crowd of employees and customers.

The two pilots Van G. Chaney and Craig Bomben alighted to thunderous applause, cheers, and embracing hugs from their families and co-workers.

Addressing reporters, they could barely contain their enthusiasm.

Boeing 777x Test Flight Schedule

“It was so much fun,” said Chaney, the pilot-in-command and 777/777X chief test pilot. “The moment we rotated and saw the chase plane go by, it was very emotional.”

Boeing 777x First Flight Videos

VP of Flight Operations Bomden added: “To see all the excitement of the employees on the side of the runway who made it happen and the outstanding performance of the plane, it made us extremely proud. We’re going to be very proud of this airplane in service.”