EVERETT, Wash., July 14 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- The first Boeing
(NYSE: BA) 777 Freighter, the world's most capable twin-engine cargo airplane,
today successfully took to the sky for the first time and completed an initial
series of tests during a flight lasting more than three-and-a-half hours. The
airplane performed well.
"The 777 Freighter completed the scheduled three-hour inaugural flight
with no airplane performance-related issues," said Dennis O'Donoghue, vice
president of Flight Operations, Test & Validation. "The only issue was a
data-communication problem between the airplane and the telemetry room at
Boeing Field."
Boeing will identify and fix the problem to resume the flight test program
as soon as possible. Due to the data-transmission issue, the 777 Freighter was
unable to complete all of the first-flight tests and was returned to Paine
Field in Everett, Wash. per Federal Aviation Administration procedure. The
original first-flight plan called for a landing at Boeing Field.
The newest member of the 777 airplane family took off at 10 a.m. (PDT)
from Paine Field in Everett, Wash. It landed at 1:38 p.m. at Paine Field.
During today's flight, 777 Chief Pilot Suzanna Darcy-Hennemann and 777
Deputy Chief Pilot Van Chaney took the airplane to an altitude of 18,000 feet
(5,486 meters) and an air speed of 270 knots, or about 311 miles (500
kilometers) per hour, customary on a first flight. Typically, the 777s cruise
altitude is 35,000 (10,668 meters), and its cruise speed is Mach 0.84, about
484 miles (779 kilometers) per hour.
"This is the moment that thousands of Boeing employees have worked towards
in the design, build and test of the 777 Freighter. The airplane handled
perfectly," said Darcy-Hennemann after the flight ended. "Being at the
controls of a commercial airplane on its maiden flight is a rare and unique
opportunity and it was a great day."
The 777 Freighter, the sixth member of the 777 airplane family, will be
capable of flying 4,885 nautical miles (9,047 km) with a full payload, making
it the world's longest-range twin-engine freighter. The airplane's range
capability will translate into significant savings for cargo operators: fewer
stops and associated landing feeds, less congestion at transfer hubs, lower
cargo handling costs and shorter cargo delivery times.
"I'm very proud of our 777 team and what they've accomplished with this
airplane," said Larry Loftis, vice president 777 program, Boeing Commercial
Airplanes. "By working together with our customers and suppliers we have built
the best possible new cargo airplane. I couldn't be more pleased."
The flight-test program will involve the airplane flown today and a second
one. The two aircraft will prove the airplane's safety, reliability and
service-ready condition during approximately 270 flight hours and more than
450 ground test hours.
Boeing's plan is to earn certification from the U.S. Federal Aviation
Administration and Europe's Joint Aviation Authority during the fourth quarter
and deliver to launch customer Air France shortly thereafter.
To date, Boeing has secured 78 firm orders from 11 customers for the 777
Freighter.
777 Freighter Web site:
http://www.boeing.com/events/777freighter/index.html
SOURCE Boeing
Tim Bader, BCA Communications, +1-206-859-3633, tim.s.bader@boeing.com
