Boeing: That's what makes the new 777X so special

Boeing is struggling with the aftermath of the 737 Max disaster. As a result, the new 777X will become the group's hope. The world's largest twin engine has successfully completed its first flight. What distinguishes the Boeing 777X from its predecessor 777?

Without a doubt: Before the first flight, excitement can be felt among the workforce of the aircraft manufacturer – after all, the fruits of several years of work will soon take off. For the Boeing employees, the maiden flight of the 777X was also a nerve-racking test of patience. Because of bad weather it has to be moved twice.

The test pilots were finally able to take off last Saturday (January 25). The first flight took 3:50 hours and everything went as planned. This is good news for Boeing. The group recently suffered from the problems with the 737 Max and can now prove what it really can with the imposing 777X.

Boeing 777X is the longest passenger plane in the world

The latest Triple Seven in the 777-9 variant replaces the predecessor 777-300 ER and is the longest passenger aircraft in the world. It overtakes the Boeing 747-8. A successor is also planned for the smaller 777-200 LR with the 777-8. In addition to more space for passengers, the new versions of the long-distance classic offer many other innovations:

Straight hull: One reason that the 777-9 and 777-8 outdo their predecessors in terms of dimensions is that Boeing has stretched their hulls. The 777-8 increases from 63.7 meters to 69.8 meters. The length of the larger 777-9 increases from 73.36 meters to 76.7 meters.

New wings: While Boeing's engineers essentially used a stretch of the previous design for the fuselages, they gave the Boeing 777-8 and 777-9 completely new wings based on the design of the Boeing 787. In contrast to the wing of the previous Boeing 777, they are made of lighter carbon fibers. In addition, the wings are significantly longer than their predecessors.

The wingspan of the 777-200 ER and 777-300 ER is 64.8 meters. For both successors, this increases to 71.8 meters. The wing's extension also increases: the ratio of the length and width of the wings increases in favor of the length. This reduces the so-called induced drag – this force is a side effect of the lifting force and now slows the aircraft down less.

Folding mechanism: The new wings have a special feature. At some airports, the 777X may experience space problems due to its wide range. Boeing solved this with a method that is otherwise used on cramped aircraft carriers for fighter jets: a mechanism on the ground can fold up the outer wing tips of the Boeing 777X.

This reduces the wingspan of the aircraft to 65 meters. Overall, it takes about 20 seconds to retract or extend the wing tips. The US Aviation Authority has introduced new certification standards for the new technology. The folding system of the wing tips is manufactured by the German-Swiss family concern Liebherr.

Greater range: The folding mechanism makes the aircraft more complex and heavier. But this fact is worth it: the larger wings offer more space for the fuel. Together with the aerodynamic advantages of the larger aspect ratio, the wing improves the range in the case of the Boeing 777X in two ways.

The short 777-200 LR and 777-8 are the range masters among the Boeing 777s. In contrast to their counterparts 777-300 ER and 777-9, they have shorter fuselages, but the wings are the same size. Because they generate more buoyancy, they can climb higher and travel in thinner layers of air with less air resistance. Together with the lower weight, this ensures the better range of the shorter planes.

The range of the 777-8 increases from around 15,840 to around 16,100 kilometers. The longer 777-9 increases the value from 13,650 kilometers to 13,940 kilometers.

Wider cabins: While airlines look forward to more passenger capacity with the 777X, some improvements are also waiting for the travelers: The width of the cabin in the new planes increases from 5.87 meters to 5.97 meters. To do this, Boeing does not increase the fuselage diameter, but lines it with thinner walls and insulation.

Larger windows and higher pressure: It will also be brighter in the cabin in the future. Boeing is equipping the Boeing 777X with larger windows. Similar to the 787, these can be dimmed electronically. As in the 787, the cabins are ventilated with a higher air pressure.

New cockpit: The pilots will also notice that the Boeing 787 had an impact on the development of the 777X. The cockpit with large touchscreens and head-up displays will be more reminiscent of the 787 than the previous 777.

New monster engines: Anyone who spots a Boeing 777X sees two world records at once. The largest twin-engine in the world is powered by the largest aircraft engine that has ever been built. General Electric developed the GE9X, a successor to the GE90 that powers the 777. With a total diameter of 4.4 meters, the GE9X is wider than the fuselage of the two most common short and medium-haul aircraft Airbus A320 and Boeing 737.

This article was written by Felix Stoffels