THE LATEST generation Boeing 777X has finally entered flight testing, nearly a year after its roll-out, The initial flight-test 777-9, N779XW (test serial WH001, c 64240), lifted off from a very wet Paine Field in Everett, Washington, on January 25. The trip lasted 3hrs 51mins, with the aircraft landing at Boeing Field outside Seattle. Captain Van Chaney, the 777/777X chief pilot for Boeing Test and Evaluation, was at the controls alongside Craig Bomben, Boeing chief pilot. He reported that N779XW "flew beautifully" The maiden flight took place after two earlier attempts were cancelled due to poor weather, Boeing planned to begin flight testing the 777-9 last year, with deliveries to the initial customers in mid-2020, but problems with the General Electric GE9X engine and a depressurisation on a static test airframe pushed back the schedule. The company is now targeting early next year as the service entry date with initial operators Emirates and Lufthansa. N779XW is one of four 777Xs that will undertake a comprehensive series of tests over the coming months.
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