SEATTLE, Jan. 29, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- The Boeing
[NYSE: BA] 737 MAX 8 took to the skies for the first time today.
The 737 MAX program achieved the milestone on schedule which begins
a comprehensive flight-test program leading to certification and
delivery.
With the latest technology LEAP-1B engines from CFM
International and Boeing-designed Advanced Technology winglets, the
first member of the efficient 737 MAX family completed
a two-hour, 47-minute flight, taking off from
Renton Field in Renton, Wash., at 9:46 a.m. local time
and landing at 12:33 p.m. at Seattle's Boeing Field.
"Today's first flight of the 737 MAX carries us across the
threshold of a new century of innovation – one driven by the same
passion and ingenuity that have made this company great for 100
years," said Boeing Commercial Airplanes President and Chief
Executive Officer Ray Conner. "We
are tremendously proud to begin testing an airplane that will
deliver unprecedented fuel efficiency in the single-aisle market
for our customers."
During the flight, 737 MAX Chief Pilot Ed Wilson and Boeing
Chief Test Pilot and Vice President of Flight Operations
Craig Bomben departed to the north,
reaching a maximum altitude of 25,000 feet (7,620 meters) and an
airspeed of 250 knots, or about 288 miles (463 kilometers) per hour
typical of a first flight sequence. While Capts. Wilson and Bomben tested the airplane's
systems and structures, onboard equipment transmitted real-time
data to a flight-test team on the ground in Seattle.
"The flight was a success," said Wilson. "The 737 MAX just felt
right in flight giving us complete confidence that this airplane
will meet our customers' expectations."
With the other three members of the 737 MAX 8 flight-test fleet
currently in different stages of final assembly, the 737 MAX
remains on track for first delivery to Southwest Airlines in the
third quarter of 2017.
The new 737 MAX 8 will deliver the highest efficiency,
reliability and passenger comfort in the single-aisle market with
20 percent lower fuel use than the first Next-Generation 737s – and
8 percent per seat lower operating costs than the A320neo. The 737
MAX 8 is the first member in Boeing's new family of single-aisle
airplanes – the 737 MAX 7, MAX 8, MAX 200 and MAX 9 – to begin
flight testing. The 737 MAX will extend the Next-Generation 737
range advantage with the capability to fly more than 3,500 nautical
miles (6,510 km), an increase of 340 - 570 nmi (629-1,055 km) over
the Next-Generation 737. The 737 MAX family has 3,072 orders from
62 customers worldwide.
Contact:
Lauren Penning
737 MAX Communications
+1 425 306-3691
Lauren.L.Penning@boeing.com
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SOURCE Boeing