Boeing’s 777X, WH001, is out of paint shop and being prepared for the first flight, which is expected this month.
According to @mattcawby the 777X left the paint hangar on January 7 and was moved to the fuel dock for primary flight control system testing.
He suggests that taxi tests will start “very soon.”
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The 777X WH001 is for electromagnetic compatibility antenna scan testing on January 11.
Upgraded GE engines were installed in December.
The upgrade incorporates improvements to fix durability problems that were unearthed late in the engine test program last summer.
The issue, centred on the stator vanes in the compressor and forced Boeing to delay the start of flight tests of the 777-9 from July 2019 to early 2020.
Deliveries of the Boeing 777X are delayed till early 2021.
The aircraft combines the best features of the current 777 with a longer and wider internal fuselage, new engine and the composite wing design from the Boeing 787.
It also features 20 per cent larger windows and has lower pressurization altitude to reduce jet lag.
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The 777-9X seats more than 400 passengers, depending on an airline’s configuration choices.
With a range of more than 8,200 nautical miles (15,185 km), the aircraft will have the lowest operating cost per seat of any commercial aircraft says, Boeing.
The second member of the family, the 777-8X, will be the most flexible jet in the world claims Boeing. The aircraft will seat 350 passengers and offer a range capability of more than 9,300 nautical miles (17,220 km).
The driving force behind the aircraft is Emirates President Sir Tim Clark, whose airline is the lead buyer with an order for 126. This order was originally 150, however at the Dubai Air Show in November the airline exercised substitution rights and converted 24 Boeing 777X aircraft into 30 787-9s.
With the conversion, Emirates remains the world’s biggest 777X customer with 126 aircraft on order and the largest 777 operator with 155 aircraft today.
