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American Airlines Boeing 777. For more images of the 777 see list at bottom of page
The Boeing 777 is a family of long range widebody twin engine airliners built by Boeing Commercial Airplanes. It carries between 305 and 550 passengers and has a range spanning from 5,600 to 8,870 nautical miles (10,400 to 16,400 km). Its first flight was in 1994.
Distinguishing features of the 777 include the set of six wheels on each main landing gear, its perfectly circular fuselage cross section, and the blade like rear tailcone.
Early history
In the 1970s Boeing unveiled its new models to replace and expand its then current line up. They are the twin engined 757, to replace the venerable 727; the twin engined 767 to challenge the Airbus A300 and the 777 trijet to compete with the DC-10 and the Lockheed Tristar.
It was essentially a trijet airplane based on a re-winged 767 design, and it had two main variants: a transcontinental airplane transporting 175 on trips up
to 5,000 km (2,700 nautical miles) as well as an intercontinental version capable of flying over 8,000 km (4,320 nautical miles) with the same passenger load.
The twinjets were launched and the 777 trijet was cancelled. Boeing's choice to not proceed with the 777 was influenced by the design complexities of trijet aircraft, the absence of an engine with thrust in the range of 40,000 lbf (178 kN), and the success of the 757 and 767, particularly with the benefit of ETOPS regulations of the 1980s.
But Boeing had a big gap in its product line between the 767-300ER and the 747-400 in terms of size and range, and realized the potential of such an airplane. The DC-10 and Lockheed Tristar, being of 1960s design, were also ripe for replacement. In the meantime, Airbus developed the A330 and A340 to fulfill that requirement.
The initial proposal from Boeing was simply to enlarge the 767, resulting in the 767-X concept. It was essentially a 767 with a longer fuselage and larger wings seating about 340 passengers and with a maximum range of 7,300 nautical miles (13,500 km).
The airlines were unimpressed with the 767-X. They wanted from short to intercontinental range capability, cabin cross section similar to the 747, a fully flexible cabin configuration and an operating cost lower than any 767 stretch. The result was a totally a new design, the 777 twinjet.
The design phase of the 777 differed from all previous Boeing jetliners that had gone before it. For the first time, the airlines and their passengers had an integral role in the development of the plane, the so called "Working Together" philosophy, as Boeing called it, meant that the 777 was the most customer oriented aircraft ever built.
The 777 was also the first commercial aircraft ever to be designed 100% by computer. No paper drawings were ever produced; everything was created on a 3D CAD software system known as CATIA. This allowed a virtual 777 to be assembled in cyberspace, allowing engineers to examine for interferences, and to test if the many thousands of parts would fit together properly before costly physical prototypes were manufactured.
Technological features
To satisfy the demanding airline requirements, a lot of technology new to Boeing had to be employed, although much of this technology was already in service on Airbus aircraft. These new features included:
- Honeywell LCD glass cockpit flight displays
- Fully digital fly-by-wire flight controls
- Fully software configurable avionics
- Large scale use of composites (10% by weight)
- Fiberoptic avionics network
- Very large turbofan engines, with the highest thrust rating by far
Fortunately for Boeing, work done on the previously cancelled Boeing 7J7 validated the chosen technologies. The 777 first flew on June 14, 1994 and underwent a flight test programme more extensive than any other Boeing models. Boeing pioneered the Early ETOPS process giving the 777 180 min ETOPS rating entry into service. The FAA awarded full 180 minutes ETOPS clearance for PW4074 777-200s on May 30, 1995.
Variants
Boeing uses two different characteristics to define their 777 models. The first characteristic is the airframe size, which affects the amount of passengers and cargo that can be carried. The 777-200 and derivatives are the base size, while the aircraft was stretched into the 777-300.
The second characteristic is range. Boeing defines three segments:
- A market - 3,900 to 5,200 nautical miles (7,200 to 9,700 km)
- B market - 5,800 to 7,700 nautical miles (10,800 to 14,250 km)
- C market - 8,000 nautical miles (14,800 km) and greater
These markets are also used to compare the 777 to its archrival, the Airbus A340.
When referring to variants of the 777, Boeing and the airlines often collapse the model (777) and the capacity designator ( 200 or 300) into a smaller form, either 772 or 773. Subsequent to that, they may or may not append the range identifier. So the base 777-200 may be referred to as a "772" or "772A," while a 777-300ER would be referred to as a "773ER" or "773B." Any of these notations may be found in aircraft manuals or airline timetables.
777-100 Series (771B)
This would have been a lower capacity, B market version of the 777. As the aircraft would have been heavy and had high per passenger costs, it was not selected for production. History has not been kind to "shrinks" of aircraft—the Airbus A318 and Boeing 747SP and 737-600 are excellent examples. The 7E7-9 will be targeted at this market segment.
777-200 Series (772A)
The initial model A market 777 was the 777-200. The first customer delivery was to United Airlines in May 1995. It is available with maximum take-off weight (MTOW) from 229 to 247 tonnes and range capability between 3780 and 5150 nautical mile (7000 to 9500 km).
The basic 777-200 is powered by two 74,000 lbf (329 kN) Pratt & Whitney PW4074 turbofans, 75,000 lbf (334 kN) General Electric GE90-75Bs, or 75,000 lbf (334 kN) Rolls Royce Trent 875s.
The direct Airbus equivalent is the A330-300.
777-200ER Series (772B)
The increased weight, longer-range B market 777-200ER features additional fuel capacity, with increased MTOW range from 263 to 286 tonnes and range capability between 6000 and 7700 nautical miles (11,000 to 14,300 km). The first 777-200ER was delivered to British Airways in February 1997.
The 777-200ER can be powered by any two of a number of engines: the 84,000 lbf (374 kN) PW4084 or Trent 884, the 85,000 lbf (378 kN) GE90-85B, the 90,000 lbf (400 kN) PW4090, GE90-90B1, or Trent 890, or the 92,000 lbf (409 kN) GE90-92B.
On April 2, 1997 a Boeing 777-200ER, tail registration 9M-MRA (dubbed the "Super Ranger") of Malaysia Airlines, broke the Great Circle Distance Without Landing record for an airliner by flying east (the long way) from Boeing Field, Seattle, to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, covering the distance of 20,044.20 km in 21 hours, 23 minutes.
The direct Airbus equivalent is the A340-300.
777-200LR Series (772C)
Boeing claims the C market 777-200LR will be the longest ranging airliner, capable of flying 9420 nautical miles (17,446 km) for 18 hours. It will achieve this with huge 110,000 lbf (489 kN) thrust GE90-110B1 turbofans, a significantly increased MTOW and optional auxiliary fuel tanks in the rear cargo hold. Other new features include raked wingtips, a new main landing gear and additional structural strengthening. Afther the introduction of the 777-200LR, the only mass-produced aircraft with greater unrefuelled range will be the KC-10 Extender.
The direct Airbus equivalent is the A340-500.
777-300 Series (773A)
The stretched A market 777-300 is designed as a replacement for 747-100s and -200s. Compared to the older 747s, the stretched 777 has comparable passenger capacity and range, but burns one third less fuel and demands 40% lower maintenance costs.
It features a 33 ft. 3 in. fuselage stretch over the baseline 777-200, allowing seating for up to 550 passengers in a single class high density configuration
and is also 13 tonnes heavier. The 777-300 has tailskid and ground manoeuvring cameras mounted on the horizontal tail and underneath the forward fuselage to aid pilots during taxi due to the aircraft's enormous length.
It was awarded type certification simultaneously from the U.S. FAA and European JAA and was granted 180 min ETOPS approval on May 4, 1998 and entered service with Cathay Pacific later in that month.
The typical operating range with 386 three class passengers is 5720 nautical miles (10,600 km). It is typically powered by two of the following engines: 90,000 lbf (400 kN) PW4090 turbofans, 92,000 lbf (409 kN) Trent 892 or General Electric GE90-92Bs, or 98,000 lbf (436 kN) PW-4098s.
This aircraft has no direct Airbus equivalent, but the A340-600 is offered in competition.
777-300ER Series (773B)
The B market 777-300ER series is a long range version of 777-300, and is designed as a replacement for the 747-400. This is a result of Boeing's strategy to target the 747 series as cargo freighters rather than passenger aircraft.
The 777-300ER contains many modifications, including the GE90-115B engines, which are currently the world's most powerful jet engine with 115,300 lbf (513 kN) thrust. Other features include raked wingtips, a new main landing gear, extra fuel tanks, as well as strengthened fuselage, wings, empennage, nose gear, engine struts and nacelles. The range on initial versions is 7,250 nautical miles (13,400 km) with a 365 passenger three-class configuration, though after July of 2004, the 300ER will have a range of 7,880 nautical miles (14,594). The 777-300ER programme was launched by Air France, though for political reasons, Japan Airlines was advertised as the launch customer.
The direct Airbus equivalent is the A340-600.
777 Freighter (777F)
Boeing has defined a market for a freighter variant of the 777. In July of 2004, they issued statements suggesting that they would begin offering such a model. This variant may offer excellent economics, and an aircraft based upon the 777 would have excellent cargo handling characteristics. The 777 has wide interior volume, and a high thrust to weight ratio. Such an aircraft would likely be based upon the 777-200LR, with the large, high capacity wings. A 777F would probably be without the 200LR's extra fuel tanks, as extreme range is not considered necessary for cargo operations. The aircraft would be marketed as a replacement for McDonnell-Douglas MD-11F and 747F models. One downside versus the 747 would be the lack of direct-entry of cargo via the nose, though this would not be important for all customers.
General Characteristics
- Cruise speed: 0.84 Mach , 550 mph (885 km/h) at 35,000 ft (10,700 m)
- Wingspan: 199 ft. 11 in. (60.9 m)
- Length: 209 ft. 1 in. (63.7 m) (-200), 242 ft. 4 in. (73.9 m) (-300/-300ER) and longer than 747-400
Some Boeing 777 facts
- The 777-300ER is the second largest commercial passenger airplane after the 747-400 and has been tested with a maximum take-off weight (MTOW) of 351 metric tons.
- The 777's undercarriage is the largest ever incorporated into a commercial jetliner, and its tyres are the largest ever fitted to a commercial aircraft.
- The 777-300ER has been tested flying with only one working engine for as long as six hours 29 minutes over the Pacific Ocean as part of its ETOPS trials. (Note: 3 hours successful and reliable operation of one-engine-out is sufficient for ETOPS 180 min certification, based on current rules.)
- The GE90-110B and -115B engines fitted on the 777-200LR and -300ER have a diameter larger than that of a 737 fuselage. The Guinness Book of World Records recognized the -115B, powering the 777-300ER, as the "World's Most Powerful Commercial Jet Engine" with a tested thrust of 127,900 lbf (569 kN).
- The longest ETOPS-related emergency flight diversion (192 min. under one engine power) was conducted on a United Airlines' Boeing 777-200ER, carrying 255 passengers, on March 17, 2003 over the southern Pacific ocean.
- The 777 has substantial non-US designed or non-US manufactured content, to be exceeded only by the 7E7. At least the following companies have made contributions: Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (fuselage panels), Kawasaki Heavy Industries (fuselage panels), Fuji Heavy Industries, Ltd. (center wing section), Ilyushin (jointly designed overhead baggage compartment).
- The 777 has the same Section 41 as the 767. This refers to the part of the aircraft from the very tip of the nose, going to just behind the cockpit windows. From a head-on view, the end of the section is very evident. This is where the bulk of the aircraft's avionics are stored.
External links
List of 777 images
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