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2019-01-01

Boeing Launches Record Range BBJ 777X

Boeing Business Jets has announced it is launching the BBJ 777X, a new Boeing Business Jet model capable of flying more than half-way around the world without stopping, farther than any business jet ever built.

Appearing at the bi-annual Middle East Business Aviation Association Show (MEBAA), Greg Laxton, Head of Boeing Business Jets, assured delegates that with “Our most exclusive customers want to travel with the best space and comfort, flying directly to their destination. The new BBJ 777X will be able to do this like no other airplane before it, redefining ultra-long-range VIP travel.”

Customers can choose between two models with the BBJ 777-8 offering a longer range of 11,645 nautical miles (21,570 km) and a spacious 3,256 sq. ft. (302.5 sq. m) cabin. The BBJ 777-9 provides an even larger cabin measuring 3,689 sq. ft. (342.7 sq. m), while still offering ultra-long range of 11,000 nautical miles (20,370 km) and presenting an almost unlimited number of interior design options to ensure ultimate comfort for long-distance travel.

Innovative Design Concept

To demonstrate the versatility of the airplane’s spacious cabin, BBJ has unveiled interior concepts from three leading design firms - Greenpoint Technologies, Jet Aviation and Unique Aircraft Design. Each concept shows how the BBJ 777X can be transformed to suit the tastes of high-profile customers.

In addition, Boeing Business Jets has partnered with the Jet Aviation Design Studio in Basel, Switzerland, to unveil the globe-spanning wide-body BBJ 777X whose interior is designed to accommodate 43 passengers along with a crew of eleven. The BBJ 777X is large enough to include lounges, a game and cinema area, a stately office, private work spaces, three guest bedrooms, while the master suite features its own lounge, luxurious bedroom, spacious dressing/bathroom area and a very large shower and hammam.

Combined Production Process

From the official launch of the 777X in 2013 to the building of the cavernous $1 billion Composite Wing Centre (CWC) where the skin and bones of Boeing’s first in-house, large-scale non-metallic wings are formed, the process of crafting the company’s new high-capacity flagship has culminated with the unveiling of the innovative aircraft. With the first 777-9 fuselage panels having arrived in Everett, Washington from Japan, assembly of the production wing spar for the first flight-test began in October 2018, although all six 777-9 airframes were assembled in 2018, four of them for flight testing and one each for the static and fatigue tests.

Mitsubishi Heavy Industries supplies panels for the aft fuselage section, Kawasaki Heavy Industries produces panels for the centre and forward fuselage section, while Subaru (formerly Fuji Heavy Industries) makes the 11/45 centre wing-box. Developed primarily for the new Boeing 777X, the world’s largest jet engine, the GE9X is wider than the fuselage of a 737 jet and can generate more than 100,000 pounds of thrust while wielding a 134-inch-wide fan.

Touchscreens and Algorithms

The cabin interior of the 777X is inspired by the comforts of the 787 Dreamliner, boasting the conveniences of larger windows, a wider cabin, new lighting and enhanced architecture – each custom-tailored for a unique 777X customer experience. Moreover, to streamline the low-speed wind tunnel testing, a team of engineers and applied mathematicians have developed a new software program that improves how Boeing tests model aircraft.

The 777X software uses a complex algorithm to find the most efficient sequence to perform each test, so minimising the extensive time engineers and technicians spend making changes to various parts on the small-scale model aircraft. Hence, 777X testing has amply shown the program’s capacity to reduce by 25 percent the time needed to adjust the model.

Boeing’s innovation in the flight deck continues today with a first in the air transport industry - the introduction of touchscreens in the 777X forward displays enabling pilots to work more efficiently while maintaining significant operational commonality with today’s 777. The widespread use of touchscreens entails that pilots are already bringing tablets into the flight deck, making the 777X even more intuitive and easy for pilots is a logical next step.

Boeing requirements for touch capability include bezel features designed to provide bracing and added stability in turbulence, and pilots can also interact with displays with rotary cursor controls. Moreover, Boeing’s 777X flight deck hardware can support multiple touch points entailing that two pilots can simultaneously interact with their half of the lower display.

Customised Global Appeal

In summary, Boeing Business Jets brings the best of commercial aviation into the realm of private air travel, offering customers a wide range of Boeing products that can be uniquely customised for the private, business or governmental sectors. The robust characteristics of these airplanes also provide an excellent value proposition when outfitted for the private market; offering larger, more personalised space, unmatched reliability and worldwide support.

Boeing customers put a high premium on quality, convenience and mobility but, more often, they want access to the same amenities in the air as they have on the ground. Boeing Business Jets can deliver all these comforts and more to provide a better way to fly.

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