The 777-8 will seat up to 395 people, and the 777-9, up to 425 people, making it the world's biggest twin-engine jetliner.
Posted on 05/04/2019 2:26:46 AM PDT by CondoleezzaProtege
In the wake of two recent crashes seemingly caused by Boeing's design decisions for their 737 Max 8 and Max 9 airplanes, is it any wonder that people are concerned about Boeing's new models, the 777-8 and 777-9, that feature folding wing tips?
The new planes are scheduled for delivery in 2020...
The reason for the folding wing tips is that the wingspan of the new aircraft, at 235 feet, is too long to fit at the gates of most airports. Once folded, the wings will be only 212 feet in length. The purpose of the longer wing is to reduce drag caused by vortices, or wake turbulence, that form at an aircraft's wing tips. The less drag, the greater the fuel efficiency, and the more cheaply the aircraft can be operated.
According to Boeing, the wings will only fold when the plane is on the ground, and jet fuel will not be stored within the folding sections. Normally, jet fuel is stored within the wings of an airplane. For years, military planes on aircraft carriers have had folding wings so that they take up less space.
To get approval for the folding wing from the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration, Boeing submitted a "Special Conditions" request, and the final decision by the FAA was made public on May 18, 2018 in the Federal Register...
This document has some pretty sobering language regarding the 777-8's and the 777-9's new design:
"Boeing has determined that a catastrophic event could occur if the Model 777-8 and 777-9 airplane wingtips are not properly positioned and secured for takeoff and during flight. In service, numerous takeoff operations with improper airplane configurations have occurred due to failures of the takeoff warning systems, or inadvertent crew actions.
The 777-8 will seat up to 395 people, and the 777-9, up to 425 people, making it the world's biggest twin-engine jetliner.
Ping!
“Boeing’s New 777-X’s Folding Wings, Are They Safe?”
Just don’t tell the pilots about them....and then they find out the hard way like they did with the 737 Max.
In the wake of two recent crashes seemingly caused by Boeing’s design decisions for their 737 Max 8 and Max 9 airplanes,
...
That’s because the Fake News has only focused on Boeing and ignored the performance of the pilots.
They have had them for decades on milcraft.
I just wonder if Boeing can survive thd 737 Max thing. I think the public will refuse to fly on them ever. That is a LOT of inventory to ge restocked with no buyers.
I know orders have halted and production stopped. The inevitable lawsuits from airliners are already queuing up.
Next thing you know they’ll be putting slats and spoilers on the wings, too. And then there will be horizontal stabilizers that can move as a whole and cause the plane to crash if not set correctly.
Point taken. The public’s general ignorance is vast when it comes to commercial aviation.
CC
Boeing’s stock price is the same as it was last October. The Fake News is distorting the situation.
I still am wondering how bad the 737 thing will be. We will see when they put them back in service.
Do you remember the 737 rudder problems back in the 1990’s? That was worse, and Boeing has done well since then.
I’m not worried. I’m confident that Boeing has some excellent software developers who can write code to detect improperly locked folding wings. Plus, I’m sure they will get thorough test pilot input.
"....this really pisses me off"
Love ole Grumpy Cat.
Cat abuse for sure.
I think you are ignorant of what happened in putting the blame on the flight crews.
Several flight crews, including Boeing's own test pilots, failed to handle the plane in a simulator when under the same conditions as the Ethiopian Air crew.
They had 40 seconds to figure things out and do everything perfectly in that time.
That is a faulty system which requires perfect human beings to survive....hence a faulty system.
The fault lies 100% with Boeing and the criminally negligent design of the MCAS system.
I am not one to blame big corporations, but this is an example of a massive failing in design....and it is 100% on Boeing and the FAA.
Ya think?
And while you're at it (securing those wings), don't forget to re-fuel. A catastrophic event might occur if we run out of gas mid-flight.
We can rest assured that their will be plenty of "fail-safes" to make sure the plane doesn't take off with having its wings secured.
Sheesh.
The more likely glitch is a pilot pulling up to a gate and forgetting to fold up the tips.
But when I do have to fly - for work because personal travel is now only ground based - i would not hesitate to fly on a 737, or a 737 MAX. Heck, i would get on a MAX today, even with the issues with MCAS. No, I don't have a death wish. The issue is now known. You can bet every 737 pilot worthy of the title pilot knows about MCAS and runaway trim. There are multiple ways to deal with a faulty sensor and the resulting MCAS issue. So I would fly now, I'll certainly fly on one in the future if and when I need to fly.
I’m sure there will be a sensor that reports wing position and all kinds of warnings from the aircraft if you were to try to initiate a takeoff with it out of position. Ditto a sensor for the locking pin. Further, I’m sure the locking pin is designed such that in flight, under load it cannot move in case you were stupid enough to try it. Once you land and start taxiing I’ll bet if you don’t fold the wings within a few seconds- maybe a couple dozen, you start getting all kinds of warnings well before you get a chance to approach the gate.
As safe as a Samsung folding phone.
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