U.S. regulators have approved a Buck Rogers makeover of Boeing Co.’s revamped 777 jetliner that will allow the tips of its massive wings to fold upward after landing so the plane can park at existing airport gates.
The new wings, the largest ever created by the Chicago-based planemaker, are taking shape as Boeing builds the first of its 777X jetliners in a factory north of Seattle. They will be the most distinctive-feature for the hulking jets, the first twin-engine models built to haul more than 400 travelers.
Once the new planes touch down, the tips of the wings will rotate until they’re pointed skyward, which will make it the only commercial jet in widespread use with such a hinged design. A set of locking mechanisms will make it impossible for them to retract while airborne, according to the company.
Because commercial aircraft design standards didn’t envision a foldable wingspan, U.S. regulators had to craft them from scratch. Those “special conditions” were approved Friday by the Federal Aviation Administration, according to federal documents.
The Boeing plane’s chief project engineer, Terry Beezhold, called it “this beautiful wing” in a recent video made by the company. “This airplane actually will be the most efficient twin-jet ever developed in commercial history,” Beezhold said.
Instead of aluminum, Boeing will make the new wings out of carbon-fiber composites, which are stronger and lighter than the metal they replace. That technology helps enable the company to extend the width of the wings by 23 feet (7 meters), or 11 percent beyond the existing 212 feet.
But the wing also created a new problem: The current 777s barely fit into the standard airport gate for long-range, widebody aircraft. The wider wing on the new 777-8 and 777-9 planes would require airports to build new gates to accommodate the plane’s increased size.
“For that reason, we developed the folding wingtip, so that in flight we can enjoy this very long, efficient span, but it will be able to operate at any airport, any gate, that today’s 777 can service,” Beezhold said.
-
-
30 May 2018
