Boeing’s 777X, the world’s largest twin-engine jet, takes off in maiden flight [1/2] - boeing 777.jpg (1/1)

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The first flight, which took off from Everett, Washington on Saturday, is part
of testing that will occur throughout the year as the company works toward
winning regulatory approval. That process promises receive more scrutiny after
the two crashes of the 737 Max.

Boeing’s 737 Max single-aisle jetliners have been grounded since March after the
second of two crashes that together killed 346 people. Boeing this month halted
production of the planes, a move that has rippled through its supply chain and
already cost close to 3,000 jobs at one manufacturer.

Boeing had aimed to first fly the 777X, a plane it launched at the 2013 Dubai
Air Show, last year but the company faced delays because of snags with the
General Electric GE9X engines, the largest aircraft engine in the world. The
diameter of the engine fan is 11 feet, a foot wider than a NBA basketball hoop
is high off the ground.

The plane is the largest twin-engine jet ever built and has a wingspan so wide —
more than 235 feet — it features folding wingtips that reduce that width by more
than 20 feet so the plane can fit into various airport taxiways and gates. The
777X-9 is slightly longer than Boeing’s most iconic plane: the hump-backed 747,
which is fading away as airlines opt for twin-engine aircraft that require less
fuel.



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