Boeing 777 (Triple Seven)

The History of the Boeing 777 (Three Seven)

In the 1970s, Boeing operated the huge four-engine long-haul "widebody" 747. In 1978, it was decided to replace the 747 with the "narrowbody" 757 series, the widebody 767 series, and the Trijet 777, a three-engine Aircraft - This design was very popular at the time. The 757 and 767 both excel in handling durability, while the Trijet 777 falls out of favor. To fill the void left by the Trijet 777, the company embarked on a new adventure, modifying its existing 767 design.

When potential airlines seemed lukewarm about a modification to the 767, dubbed the "767-X," Boeing ordered an all-new design that would evolve into the wide-body twin-engine 777 family. The Boeing 777 was developed entirely from computer-aided design, making it the first airliner to be so designed. It also became the first digitally assisted "fly-by-wire" aircraft in Boeing's history.

In addition, feedback was collected from eight major airlines, including American Airlines, British Airways, Cathay Pacific, Delta Air Lines, Japan Airlines, Qantas, United Airlines and All Nippon Airways.

Despite the involvement of so many companies, the 777 was a commercial success for Boeing. Production of the series began in 1993 and the first flight was recorded on June 12, 1994. The first 777 customer became United Airlines in October 1990.

United Airlines officially entered service on May 15, 1995, and was officially introduced on June 7. On June 7, 1995, the first commercial flight was recorded, from London to Washington DC. Production has since exceeded 1,360 units and is still in progress at the time of writing (2012).

Dispatch reliability (up to 99.3 percent) and economics have proven to be major selling points for the 777 family among airlines. All passenger-oriented aircraft versions can be arranged in a typical "three-class" seating configuration as required, and offer amenities compatible with evolving technologies such as personal electrical outlets, in-flight entertainment and the latest on-demand features. Since June 1995, the 777 Series has completed 5 million flights, totaling 18 million flight hours. The 777 series completed the 11,664 nautical mile range from Hong Kong to London on November 9-10, 2005, setting a world record for non-stop commercial jet travel.

The journey took almost 23 hours.

The 777 also developed into a passenger-free cargo transport aircraft, referred to simply as the 777F ("Freighter"). Based on the 777-200LR production model, this type has all of its inherent range and transport advantages (up to 4,900 nm with a 37 pallet load limit). The 777 BCF ("Boeing Converted Freighter"), based on the production 777-200ER model, is in development. At one point, Boeing offered the 777 as a possible replacement for the U.S. Air Force's KC-767 -- which is based on the Boeing 767 product line -- that would serve the same purpose as the KC-767 aerial tanker.

However, the proposal ended up with the 767, which would be known as the "KC-46A" in U.S. Air Force nomenclature. 18 of these are expected to be delivered by 2017.

All 777 models are certified to operate at altitudes of 43,100 feet. Maximum range varies by model available, 777-200, 777-200ER, 777-200LR, 777F (freight), 777-300 and 777-300ER or [/p ]

The 777-200 uses Pratt & Whitney PW4077, Rolls-Royce 877 and General Electric GE90-77B engines delivering 77,000 lbf, 76,000 lbf and 77,000 lbf lbs of thrust respectively. The 777-200ER uses General Electric Pratt & Whitney PW4090, Rolls-Royce 895 and GE90-94B engines, producing 90,000 pounds, 93,400 pounds and 93,700 pounds of thrust, respectively.

The 777-200LR and 777F freighter models share GE's GE90-110B1 and GE90-115B1 series of engines, rated at 110,000 lbf and 115,540 lbf, respectively. The 777-300 is powered by Pratt & Whitney PW4098, Rolls-Royce 892 and General Electric GE90-92B and GE90-94B engines rated at 98,000 lbf, 93,400 lbf, 92,000 lbf and 93,700 lbf, respectively.

The 777-300ER will be powered by General Electric's GE90-115B1 family of engines, rated at 115,540 lbf.

As of July 6, 2013, the Boeing 777 Series has not recorded any fatal loss of passengers or crew during its more than 18 years of service. However, that perfect record changed when Asiana Airlines Flight 214 from Seoul, South Korea, crashed while trying to land at San Francisco International Airport in California. Two students were killed in the incident, and 182 of the 305 people on board suffered varying degrees of injury (some paralyzed, others spinal trauma).

The other major problem before the crash was ice crystals that formed in the engine, which clogged the fuel heat exchanger. It was the cause of the 2008 Heathrow crash, which reportedly injured 47 people.

The fuel oil heat exchanger has since been modified on behalf of accident investigators and business on the 777 has returned to normal.

The upcoming Boeing 787 "Dreamliner" shares many of the design lessons and lessons and features inherent in the 777 product line.

Specification

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