The Boeing 777 is a family of long-range wide-body twin-engine jet airliners developed and manufactured by Boeing Commercial Airplanes. It is the world’s largest twinjet and has a typical seating capacity for 314 to 451 passengers. If you’ve flown to Europe or Asia from the United States in the past decade, there’s a good chance you’ve been onboard a 777.
Here are 11 things you might not have known about this incredible airplane:
#1. Flight time
Boeing Triple-7s have a lot of flight time, amassing over 35 million hours since they first took to the skies in 1994 (First flight June 12, 1994).
#2. Travel through the air
At an average cruise speed of 560 mph, that’s enough time for a total of over 19.6 BILLION MILES flown. That’s enough to make over 13 roundtrips from the Earth to Saturn.
#3. Fly-by-wire
In designing the 777 as its first fly-by-wire commercial aircraft, Boeing decided to retain conventional control yokes rather than change to sidestick controllers as used in many fly-by-wire fighter aircraft, as well Airbus airliners.
#4. Computer-aided design
The 777 was the first commercial aircraft designed entirely by computer. How much work went into designing the Boeing 777? A lot – 1.847 trillions bytes worth of data to be exact.
#5. Engine during takeoff
During takeoff, the 777’s engines push 2 million cubic feet of air per minute. That’s enough air to keep a human breathing for 44 days!
#6. Largest-diameter turbofan engines
Each 777 engine is larger in diameter than the cabin of a Boeing 737 – by more than half a foot. With a 13 foot diameter, you could fit 6 seats across the inside of a 777 engine.
#7. Have you ever wondered where the crew goes to sleep?
In 2003, Boeing introduced overhead crew rests as an option on the 777. Located above the main cabin and connected via staircases, the forward flight crew rest contains two seats and two bunks, while the aft cabin crew rest features multiple bunks.
#8. 777 Freighter
The 777 Freighter (777F) is an all-cargo version of the twinjet, and shares features with the -200LR; these include its airframe, engines, and fuel capacity. With a maximum payload of 226,000 lb (103,000 kg), cargo capacity is similar to the 243,000 lb (110,000 kg) of the 747-200F.
#9. Over 50 airlines fly the 777.
#10. Unit cost
The newest 777-300ER costs over US $320 Million.
#11. Boeing’s best-selling model
By April 2014, with cumulative sales surpassing those of the 747, the 777 became the best-selling wide-body airliner. At existing production rates, the aircraft is on track to become the most-delivered wide-body airliner by mid-2016.
11 Things You Didn’t Know About The Boeing 777
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