Even then, many 'classic' 777s in fleets all around the world still have a lot of life left in them, with many airlines having refurbished their cabins in recent years. With delivery anticipated to be in 2021, there is still some time before the 777X comes onto the scene. These aircraft will fill the long-haul, high-capacity needs of airlines until its successor arrives: The 777X. It's most recent customers include SWISS with its 2016 deliveries and Kuwait Airways taking its aircraft as recent as 2017. This was below typical conditions as the 777's cruise altitude is 35,000 feet (10,668 meters), and its cruise speed is Mach 0.84, about 557 miles (896 kilometers) per hour.ĭuring the flight, test pilots tested some of the airplane's systems and structures, with data being recorded and transmitted to a flight-test team at Boeing Field.īoeing has had a somewhat steady stream of customers since 2004. Being at the controls of an airplane on its first flight is a rare and unique opportunity, and it always is exciting.' -Frank Santoni, Chief 777 Test PilotĪccording to Boeing's press release on that day, the 777-300ER climbed to an altitude of 15,000 feet (4,572 meters) and reached an airspeed of Mach 0.50, or about 370 miles (600 kilometers) per hour. It's no wonder pilots call it the 'World's Greatest Airplane'. 'The Boeing 777 is an incredible flying machine.

The first flight lasted a little over three hours, landing at 13:02 at Seattle's Boeing Field. It was on February 24th, 2003 at 10:00 local time that the test aircraft took off from Paine Field in Everett, Washington.

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