Test Equipment Snag Hinders Planned Circuit
The first Boeing 777 Freighter successfully took to the sky
Monday morning for the first time, and completed an initial series
of tests during a flight lasting more than three-and-a-half hours.
Boeing says airplane performed well; the testing equipment... not
so much.
The newest member of the 777 airplane family took off at 10:00
am PDT from Paine Field in Everett, WA. "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," which prevented
the plane from landing at BFI due to FAA regulations.
Instead, the plane returned to Paine Field, landing at 1:38 pm.
Boeing says it will identify and fix the problem to resume the
flight test program as soon as possible.
During Monday'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 and an air speed of 270 knots, or about 311
miles per hour, customary on a first flight. Typically, the 777s
cruise altitude is 35,000 feet, and its cruise speed is Mach
0.84.
"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 is the sixth member of the 777 airplane
family, and will be capable of flying 4,885 nautical miles with a
full payload, making it the world's longest-range twin-engine
freighter.
Boeing says 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 Monday
and a second one. The two aircraft will be tested over
approximately 270 flight hours and more than 450 ground test
hours.
Boeing's plan is to earn certification from the 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.