777X Intro Delayed

[MolaKule]

This is nothing new as it has been reported in most media sources.

"On Thursday, Bloomberg reported that the revolutionary jetliner, featuring folding wingtips and increased fuel economy compared to competitors, is now targeting a 2027 entry to service. That's seven years later than its original 2020 timeline.

The outlet said German flag carrier and launch customer Lufthansa was removing the 777X from its 2026 fleet plan to account for the new delay, citing sources familiar with the program. More than a dozen airlines have placed about 600 orders for the twin-engine 777X...." via the INSIDER.

That's seven years later than its original 2020 timeline statement is incorrect.

While at Boeing, in 1977, we and the Everett design team were already working on the 777X. So the 777X has been in the works for 48 years.

 

[JavierH19]

48 years? that's a good one. Forgot to put it in the humor section.

 

[Dave Hess]

Boeing has lots of problems and hopefully they can deliver a great aircraft in the future.

 

[loneryder]

Boeing has lots of problems and hopefully they can deliver a great aircraft in the future.

They have so many orders, I dob't know how they will fill them.

 

[Astro14]

This is nothing new as it has been reported in most media sources.

"On Thursday, Bloomberg reported that the revolutionary jetliner, featuring folding wingtips and increased fuel economy compared to competitors, is now targeting a 2027 entry to service. That's seven years later than its original 2020 timeline.

The outlet said German flag carrier and launch customer Lufthansa was removing the 777X from its 2026 fleet plan to account for the new delay, citing sources familiar with the program. More than a dozen airlines have placed about 600 orders for the twin-engine 777X...." via the INSIDER.

That's seven years later than its original 2020 timeline statement is incorrect.

While at Boeing, in 1977, we and the Everett design team were already working on the 777X. So the 777X has been in the works for 48 years.

The 1978 777X was a tri-jet, that looked a lot like a DC-10. That program was eventually killed because ETOPS was approved, and the tri-jet was no longer needed for transoceanic flights.

Around that time, there was also 7X7, which became the 767.

In 1989, Boeing began development of the twin jet 777. Launch customer was United. The 777 first flew in 1994, with deliveries to United in 1995.

777X was first announced in early 1997 as a stretched fuselage of the 777, later named the 777-300, with eventual power plant and aerodynamic improvements.

The 777X being discussed in this article is a follow-on to that jet, still a twin jet, still a derivative of the current 777, not a hearkening back to the 1978 DC-10 copycat.

The current 777X is the “third generation” of the 777. It was announced in 2015, and orders were taken then.

So, the article is about an airplane that was announced in 2015 - yeah, it’s still late, but it shares nothing with the 1978 dead end airplane that also had an “X” in the name.

 

[edyvw]

It will take a long time for Boeing to get rid of MD culture, if ever.
Currently, they are on right path, but they are one CEO away from going back to Muilenburg days.

 

[y_p_w]

I remember the 777 as a fictional fighter jet from DuckTales. It was a plane that Launchpad McQuack couldn't manage to crash. I didn't quite understand the name, but I guess it sounded cool enough to kids.

 

[MolaKule]

A number of conceptual designs for the 777 were floated within Boeing from 1977 on, from a 4-engine, widebody double-decker, a Trijet, to a large 2-engine widebody. Internal aircraft concepts may be dubbed 7N7, 7E7, or 7X7.

Any proposed design and development is contingent on future engine technology since the thrust vs. weight ratio is a major factor in any future design. An ETOPS-rated aircraft was a plus if high-thrust, reliable engines could be found, and that was what the customers wanted. After the 2-engine widebody concept was chosen, P&W, Rolls-Royce, and GE were notified of the future engine requirements.

The actual development of the 777 wasn't begun until late 1989-early 1990. People outside of the industry don't realize how much time may elapse from concept to design to the development phase to the build phase. After that, validation and extensive testing is required.

A good review by the 777 chief systems engineer is given here:
https://publications.sto.nato.int/publications/AGARD/AGARD-CP-602/08CHAP05.pdf

Had we not had the 3D digital design software CATIA, I believe the development-to-flight would have taken more than 4 years.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CATIA