777x First Flight
17 hours ago MIAMI – Emirates Airlines (EK) is considering switching between 30 to 40 of its Boeing 777x orders for those of the smaller Boeing 787 Dreamliner. This is more than a third of the airline’s initial 777x order. Though COVID-19 has had a massive impact on the demand for twin-aisle aircraft, EK had previously swapped 777X orders for the Dreamliner before the. The first flight, which took place at Boeing's Seattle-area factory, is a key milestone that finally starts the widebody jet's delayed test program. The Boeing 777X includes the 777-8 and 777-9. Boeing successfully flew and landed its new 777X aircraft, the first commercial airplane with folding wingtips. Watch a full recap of the day's events.Subsc.
The first ever Boeing 777X has flown for the first time from Paine Field airport, Everett WA. The aircraft (WH001), a 777-9 registered as N779XW, took off at 10:09 local time (PST) on Saturday morning.
Boeing’s new flagship was initially scheduled to fly in June 2019, but was delayed due to problems with the new engine. General Electric exclusively provides the GE9X engine for the 777X family. Incidentally, the first 777-200 also had issues with it’s Pratt & Whitney PW4000 engine before its entry into service. The first flight was scheduled to take place on January 23rd, but was pushed to the 24th due to weather. The flight was cancelled after the aircraft held short of the runway for 3 hours on the 24th, once again due to weather.
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
An updated original
The Boeing 777X is a lengthened and modernised version of the legacy Boeing 777 which first flew in 1994. The Boeing 777 is almost solely responsible for the demise of four engined long-haul airliners. In the 90’s it offered unparalleled efficiency for its size, when compared to the Boeing 747 and Airbus A340.
777x First Flight Path
Some of the new features of the 777X include the aforementioned new engines, an updated cabin with larger windows and LED lighting as has become commonplace for new airliners since the 787 Dreamliner a decade ago. The 777X’s party piece, however, is its massive new wing. Coming in with a span of 235 feet, 5 in (71.75 m), the 777X is too wide for any current 777 compatible gate. Therefore Boeing and Liebherr Aerospace have developed a folding wingtip, reminiscent of military aircraft built for storage on aircraft carriers. The outer 11 feet (3.5 m) of each wing folds upwards whilst the aircraft is on the ground, extending before take-off and folding after landing.
There are two variants of the 777X family; the 777-9 is the larger and most popular variant which also carried out the first flight today, while the first 777-8 is still yet to be built. The 777X is set to replace larger, ageing aircraft such as the 747 and Airbus A380, as well as older previous-generation 777-300ER. The 777-9 will seat up to 426 passengers over a range of up to 7,285 nmi (13,500 km). There are currently 309 orders for the type, with Lufthansa set to be the launch customer in 2021. The German flag carrier plans to use the new aircraft to introduce its new Business Class product.
Matt is a London-based writer and reporter for International Flight Network who has been involved in aviation from a very young age. He has a particular focus on aircraft safety, accidents and technical details.
Last year, Boeing was scheduled to take to the skies with the newest updated version of their Boeing 777 wide-body jet, called the Boeing 777X. However, the aircraft, which was unveiled in a very muted manner due to the media event coming very close after the Boeing 737 MAX grounding, had to push back its schedule of test flights and entry into service due to the issues that were discovered with the GE9X engine which was specifically designed for this aircraft. In the meanwhile, Boeing continued testing of the aircraft on the ground.
Now, Boeing has revealed that the Boeing 777X will be all set to fly for the first time on or after January 23, 2020. Here is the update they published online.
777x First Flight Live Stream
After years of design and testing, it’s almost time to fly. The #777X will make its first flight as early as January 23, subject to weather and other factors.
Learn more about the airplane: https://t.co/M5gH0ZMlCcpic.twitter.com/KRsZdDKA8q
— Boeing Airplanes (@BoeingAirplanes) January 21, 2020
The first flight will be one of the many flights the aircraft will have to undergo for testing and certification. The test flight will be held on the morning of January 23, from the Everett facility, The Air Current wrote this morning before confirmation came from Boeing. But flight testing, just like rocket launches, is subject to all technical and weather-related criteria being a go, so I won’t be surprised in case they decided to take an extra day on the effort.
Update: Boeing has postponed the First Flight from January 23 to January 24, 2020, on account of the weather.
Boeing 777x First Flight
We are postponing the #777X first flight that was scheduled to take place tomorrow, Jan. 23, due to weather. The team is currently assessing the possibility of flying on January 24. Stay tuned for updates.
— Boeing Airplanes (@BoeingAirplanes) January 23, 2020
The 777X will be the largest twin-engine passenger jet to be built, which would be able to seat well over 400 passengers for the 777-9 variant.
You should be able to track the Boeing 777X first flight updates here.