After years of delays, the fifth and final test aircraft for Boeing’s 777-X program took its maiden flight from Paine Field on Tuesday. The aircraft, which has 14-foot folding wing sections and the largest jet engines ever used in a plane, was hung up in the aftermath of the crashes of two Boeing 737 MAX planes in 2018 and 2019. The first flight took place about 11 a.m. Here’s a video of an airshow demo from a few days ago in Seattle of an earlier 777-9.
Four versions of the wide-body have been flying since 2017 and have amassed about 1400 hours. There have been some hiccups with engine mounts and a few other things, but Boeing says the addition of the fifth test article should help it achieve certification in 2026, years behind schedule. The long wings will make the plane among the most efficient in the air at altitude, but they do create issues on the ground. The folding tips will allow them to fit in a standard gate and use most taxiways. It’s not clear when the first deliveries are planned.
Those indeed are some huge engines! I wonder how much cross wind clearance they give. Although, crabbed landings seem to be pretty standard on most of these newer mega jets.