Boeing has released new images and video from its 777-X aircraft program.
In a post on Boeing’s Twitter page dated October 24, the aircraft was shown rolling out of the hangar at Boeing’s Everett facility.
The ground test aircraft aircraft will never fly. Instead, it will be used to test the structural limits of the airframe.
The first completed aircraft first emerged from final assembly in mid-September.
We completed the first #777X ground test airplane. @BoeingAirplanes $BA pic.twitter.com/8J9lN2fxtQ
— The Boeing Company (@Boeing) October 24, 2018
Meanwhile, Boeing published on its Facebook page images of the composite wings being joined to the fuselage.
https://www.facebook.com/Boeing/posts/2326189214076269
The 777-X family of aircraft comprise the 777-8X and 777-9X variants. The pair is an upgrade from Boeing’s in-production 777-200LR and and 777-300ER.
The 777-8X and 777-9X will be powered by General Electric GE9X engines. Flight tests for those engines began in March 2018.
Other new features include composite wings with folding wingtips to maintain its Code E rating at airports, as well as in-cabin enhancements such as larger overhead stowage and a wider cross section.
The first wing structures for the 777-9X were completed in May.
Further, the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said it had certified the folding wingtips that will be featured on the 777-X program.
The 777-9X is 77 metres in length, has a total wingspan of 72 metres and is capable of flying 7,600nm when carrying 400-425 passengers in a two-class configuration according to Boeing figures.
Meanwhile, the 777-8X is still in development and yet to reach firm configuration. The Boeing website lists the aircraft as having a range of 8,700nm and a passenger capacity of 350-375 passengers. The aircraft is expected to enter service in 2022.
The 777-8X is a candidate for Qantas’s Project Sunrise challenge to Airbus and Boeing to have an aircraft capable of operating nonstop between Australia’s east coast and New York and London.
There have been 326 orders for the 777-X program at the end of September 2018, according to the Boeing website.
Boeing chief executive Dennis Muilenburg said at the company’s third quarter results briefing on October 24 it had started building 777-X flight test aircraft on the low-rate initial production line.
“We plan to start flight testing in 2019 and remain on track for the first 777-X delivery in 2020,” Muilenburg said.
“As we transition production to the 777-X, we expect 777 deliveries of approximately 3.5 per month through 2019 as previously announced.”
VIDEO: Boeing details on its YouTube channel the 777-X’s flightdeck design and philosophy.
