The Boeing 737 MAX 8 has taken to the skies for the first time. 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.
