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The Boeing 777X And Its Unmatched Foldable Wings
An unusual scene may become commonplace at airports in a few years if Boeing succeeds in making a new system safe for commercial operation. (airlinerwatch.com) Más...Sort type: [Top] [Newest]
As mentioned in the first comment above Boeing originally designed the first 777 (777-200) with the folding wing option. A couple of prominent customers insisted on it. I was a Boeing design engineer at the time. From a pure weight and drag perspective the engineers didn't like it but the market prevailed. Basically all the extra structure and systems runs out to the tip caused the entire wing to be beefed up to carry the loads. The impact on the aircraft was explained to the customers but we were to give them what they wanted. When the orders came in those same customers decided the weight penalty wasn't worth trying to save a few tighter gates at the terminal. Uh huh. That's what we tried to tell them during design.
Boeing did the original B777 folding wing engineering concept back in the 1990's and offered it to its airline customers, but had no takers. The hardware had been designed and tested and was finally used in 2006 -07 on the B747 Dreamlifter to lock/unlock the swingtail. It is a robust ring and lug design and the lock train for the swingtail consists of 21 sets of these locks around the perimeter of the aft fuselage where the tail swings. I had a small part in the operations demos during the FAA certification process in Everett, WA. The 4 Dreamlifters have been working hard ferrying B787 components since 2007 with no problems.
The end of the story says new engine would be put on in Renton.
I think they mean Boeing Field or Everett. Not sure a 777 has ever landed or taken off from Renton.
I think they mean Boeing Field or Everett. Not sure a 777 has ever landed or taken off from Renton.
Probably bringing up a previous post, but.
Two points.
The United States Navy,
Twenty years on and off of flight decks, and I never saw a failure of a folding wing in flight or even on the flight deck or ground.
Remember this minor point, a 777 will probably never pull the G’s that a F18, A6 or the now rolling out F35. If they do, folding wings will be the least of the aircrews concerns.
Two points.
The United States Navy,
Twenty years on and off of flight decks, and I never saw a failure of a folding wing in flight or even on the flight deck or ground.
Remember this minor point, a 777 will probably never pull the G’s that a F18, A6 or the now rolling out F35. If they do, folding wings will be the least of the aircrews concerns.
Small aircraft have different dynamics than large ones and I can guarantee you that military aircraft do not get the use of civilian aircraft
Commercial aircraft are usually retired long before military aircraft are, especially naval flight platforms. Our squadron had the second A6 produced,157001, it was still flying tanker duty when the squadron was shut down, it was then sent to VA 34 which flew it for another 3 years, the wings were folded while on the flight line and deck with no suppimental support until we needed to climb up on the folded part to perform maintenance on the electronic systems that were in the wingtips.
She was built in 1964 and retired when all of the A-6’s were taken out of service in 1993.
She flew combat missions in VN, Beirut, And desert storm.
No commercial aircraft could stand the carrier landings, hot fuels, hot crew swaps and relaunches for days at a time that a carrier aircraft works with.
She was built in 1964 and retired when all of the A-6’s were taken out of service in 1993.
She flew combat missions in VN, Beirut, And desert storm.
No commercial aircraft could stand the carrier landings, hot fuels, hot crew swaps and relaunches for days at a time that a carrier aircraft works with.
How many hours of operation, overall, and takeoffs and landings would a commercial airliner rack up over the course of its lifetime, as compared to the military aircraft you spoke of...I have no idea about any of this "stuff." I've always just been a bit fascinated by aircraft/flight. I've often also wondered if it would have taken longer to develop flight technology...if there were no birds, etc., to show Man that flight was even possible.
I had to kind of laugh when the probability of catastrophe was mentioned...that proof of no chance of catastrophic problem with these wings would have to be given. That's the same kind of thinking, at the time, that caused the claim that the Titanic was unsinkable and, also, that no jet could lose all hydraulics...'til flight 232 crash landed in Sioux City, Iowa, after that very thing happened, and why there was no mention of such a catastrophe (and action to be taken) in the flight manual (and why they had to keep repeating the problem to whomever took the call when they called it in to whatever entity/authority in (I believe) Minneapolis...cuz no one there believed such a thing could happen, either. It's a good reminder, I guess, to "never say never."