Triple Seven flies

With doom and gloom around the place the second development Boeing 777X has taken to the sky.  (See Boeing’s problems in this issue)

Designated WH002, this aircraft is one of four in a dedicated fleet and will test handling characteristics and other aspects of airplane performance. An array of equipment, sensors and monitoring devices throughout the cabin allows the on-board team to document and evaluate the airplane's response to test conditions in real time.

The 777X test plan lays out a comprehensive series of tests and conditions on the ground and in the air to demonstrate the safety and reliability of the design. To date, crews have flown the first airplane nearly 100 hours at a variety of flap settings, speeds, altitudes and system settings as part of the initial evaluation of the flight envelope. With initial airworthiness now demonstrated, the team can safely add personnel to monitor testing on-board instead of relying solely on a ground-based telemetry station, unlocking testing at greater distances.

Orders for the 777X stand at 309 but it remains to be seen how many will be taken up.  Airlines include IAG (18), Lufthansa (20) and ANA (20).  In a two-class layout it can accommodate up to 426 passengers.

Boeing said last week it would cut its 160,000 person workforce by about 10%, mainly in the commercial airliner area, as it further reduced 787 Dreamliner production and is trying to boost liquidity as it prepares for a year-long industry recovery from the pandemic.

The 737 MAX jet is expected to remain grounded at least until August due to software issues, people briefed on the matter told Reuters last Tuesday.

www.boeing.com/commercial

Index/Home page
 

OUR READERS' FINEST WORDS (All times and dates are GMT)

All comments are filtered to exclude any excesses but the Editor does not have to agree with what is being said. 100 words maximum