Boeing's 777X jetliner successfully completes maiden flight

By Tim Hepher

 

A Boeing 777X airplane takes off during its first test flight from the company's plant in Everett, Washington, U.S. January 25, 2020. REUTERS/Terray Sylvester

 

SEATTLE (Reuters) - Boeing Co successfully staged the first flight of the world's largest twin-engined jetliner on Saturday in a respite from the crisis over its smallest model, the grounded 737 MAX.

 

The 777X, a larger version of the 777 mini-jumbo, touched down at the historic Boeing Field outside Seattle at 2 pm (2200 GMT) after a debut which began almost four hours earlier at Boeing's revamped wide-body assembly lines north of the city.

 

The decision to take advantage of a gap in clouds to start the months of testing needed before the jet can carry passengers came after two attempts had to be postponed due to high winds.

 

"It's a proud day for us," said the chief executive of Boeing's commercial airplane unit, Stan Deal.

 

As the 252-foot-long aircraft - the longest commercial jet by a whisker - drew to a halt before waiting VIPs, rows of undelivered 737 MAX stood idle nearby in a reminder of the crisis that has engulfed Boeing since it was grounded last year.

 

"It made all of our employees proud one more time of who we are and what we get to do, by flying a brand new airplane that is going to change the world one more time," Deal said.

 

The aircraft is the larger of two versions planned by Boeing and will officially be called 777-9, but is better known under its development codename, 777X.

 

Hallmarks include folding wingtips - designed to allow its carbon wings to fit the same parking bays as earlier models - and the world's largest commercial engines from General Electric, wide enough to swallow a 737 MAX fuselage.

 

FAA COOPERATION

 

While eyeing hundreds of sales this decade, Boeing's new 406-seater must overcome hurdles from regulators and buyers.

 

The 777X will be the first major aircraft to be certified since the role of software flaws in two fatal 737 MAX crashes prompted accusations of cosy relations between Boeing and the Federal Aviation Administration and heralded tougher scrutiny.

 

The FAA has pledged to ensure the 777X review is conducted rigorously, while launch customer Emirates wants the plane to be put through "hell on Earth" during testing to ensure it is safe and meets performance expectations.

 

Boeing's chief test pilot, who co-piloted Saturday's sortie, said it would work closely with regulators.

 

"We are going to follow the normal processes we always follow and work with the FAA and they are going to work hand-in-hand with us," Craig Bomben told reporters.

 

"We took the time to get the airplane ready for flight test so I think we are going to march through flight tests successfully and quickly and get it certified to the FAA standards."

 

The 777X is expected to enter service in 2021, a year later than originally scheduled because of development snags.

 

It will compete with the Airbus A350-1000 which seats about 360 passengers. Big twinjets are steadily displacing the older four-engined Boeing 747 and soon-to-be-axed Airbus A380.

 

Yet experts cite worries about wide-body demand due to overcapacity and economic weakness. Airlines canceled more than twice as many big jets as they ordered last year, according to Rob Morris, consultancy chief at UK-based Ascend by Cirium.

 

While Boeing says it has sold 309 777X - worth $442 million each at list prices – many in the industry have questioned its dependence on Middle East carriers who are scaling back orders.

 

"Longer-term, they'll need more than those guys for that airplane. They'll need the big network carriers to find routes that it works on," said Aengus Kelly, chief executive of leasing giant AerCap.

 

(Reporting by Tim Hepher; Additional reporting by Laurence Frost; Editing by Daniel Wallis)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2020-01-26

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6 minutes ago, rooster59 said:

"We are going to follow the normal processes we always follow and work with the FAA and they are going to work hand-in-hand with us," Craig Bomben told reporters.

Oh, please don't follow the normal processes you have always followed.

 

If 737-Max teached anything, it teached that Boeing needs to update and improve its processes. These planes are not cruise missiles. 

Cool here’s ho hoping for many many safe flights 

Yes don't use any name with "max" in it we want low impact planes with enough ground clearance if the future????

2 hours ago, sammieuk1 said:

Yes don't use any name with "max" in it

Even reconsider the "X" ?

Boeing are cutting corners.

A grammar police troll post and a reply has been removed. 

Postponed because of winds ?????

Unstable is it ???

Don't trust Boeing. Don't trust the FAA. So, I don't trust this plane.

Who will trust that thing? Airbus is the best! 

it's likely to take time before people can trust boeing again

2 hours ago, natway09 said:

Postponed because of winds ?????

Unstable is it ???

You don't do maiden flight in a hurricane... Geez...

3 hours ago, natway09 said:

Postponed because of winds ?????

Unstable is it ???

You are showing your ignorance !  When a plane does its maiden test flight the pilot want good conditions so he can make initial assessments on performance and handling and many other things where strong wind and bumpy conditions would upset the data.  This all has to be analysed by the ground experts to set up the plane properly. Bad weather conditions come later in the test proramme 

3 hours ago, zydeco said:

Don't trust Boeing. Don't trust the FAA. So, I don't trust this plane.

Rather fly a russian built aitcraft?

 

1 hour ago, RJRS1301 said:

Rather fly a russian built aitcraft?

 

There are American, there are French, there are Italian, there are Canadian, there are Brazilian, there are Chinese, there are Japanese, there are Russian.... There aren't only Boeing and Suhoi (or did you think about Tupolev or Antonov?) on this planet... But yes, the comment you responded to is quite unfortunate. Boeing certainly messed up MAX series of 737 by military jets borrowed idea of using software to stabilise a very unstable plane; but 777-9 is basically yet additionally stretched version of what started with 757, got stretched to 767, and then 777. With basically same design concept as previous iterations, the 737 Max issue should not demonstrate on this model. However another issue, cracks in the materials from added stresses, could.

6 hours ago, RJRS1301 said:

10 hours ago, zydeco said:

Don't trust Boeing. Don't trust the FAA. So, I don't trust this plane.

Rather fly a russian built aitcraft?

Or a Chinese-built?

6 hours ago, RJRS1301 said:

Rather fly a russian built aitcraft?

 

 

the 737MAX episode at least had the benefit of shutting up the usual USA plane fanboys that usually badmouthed Airbus on this forum.

6 hours ago, RJRS1301 said:

10 hours ago, zydeco said:

Don't trust Boeing. Don't trust the FAA. So, I don't trust this plane.

Rather fly a russian built aitcraft?

No. Greta fan boy.

15 hours ago, natway09 said:

Postponed because of winds ?????

Unstable is it ???

What an ignorant comment regarding a first test flight. Washington State in middle of winter.

5 hours ago, rabas said:

No. Greta fan boy.

Is that a demonstration of your rapier wit?

9 hours ago, tomazbodner said:

There are American, there are French, there are Italian, there are Canadian, there are Brazilian, there are Chinese, there are Japanese, there are Russian.... There aren't only Boeing and Suhoi (or did you think about Tupolev or Antonov?) on this planet... But yes, the comment you responded to is quite unfortunate. Boeing certainly messed up MAX series of 737 by military jets borrowed idea of using software to stabilise a very unstable plane; but 777-9 is basically yet additionally stretched version of what started with 757, got stretched to 767, and then 777. With basically same design concept as previous iterations, the 737 Max issue should not demonstrate on this model. However another issue, cracks in the materials from added stresses, could.

Isn,t that why they do test flights and hopefully report and correct deficiencies. Hopefully lessons learned from the 737 max failures.

I quite liked flying on the 777 series 

 

14 hours ago, tomazbodner said:

You don't do maiden flight in a hurricane... Geez...

And in fact during the test program Boeing's flight test pilots will seek out strong crosswinds 

in order to evaluate  crosswind limitations. Probably around 38 knots on dry runway as other 777 variants and will these be published in the FCOM as maximum demonstrated value for the benefit of mere mortals like myself.

13 hours ago, RJRS1301 said:

Rather fly a russian built aitcraft?

 

European would do me. I didn't know Russia built aitcraft, I don't think anybody does.

4 hours ago, Captain Monday said:

And in fact during the test program Boeing's flight test pilots will seek out strong crosswinds 

in order to evaluate  crosswind limitations. Probably around 38 knots on dry runway as other 777 variants and will these be published in the FCOM as maximum demonstrated value for the benefit of mere mortals like myself.

Very true. But generally not in the maiden flight.

6 hours ago, RJRS1301 said:

Is that a demonstration of your rapier wit?

I think like your post it is an example of ad hominem.