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Aviation History
1997
1997 - 3324.PDF
BOEING 777-300 Boeing's long stretch The biggest, fastest and longest twinjet yet built could notch up an impressive orderbook GUY NORRIS/SEATTLE CUTAWAY DRAWING/JOHN MARSDEN BOEING'S STRETCHED 777-300 car ries a list of superlatives almost as long as the aircraft itself. The latest member of the Boeing family is the largest twin- engined aircraft ever built, the world's fastest widebody twin, the longest airliner ever made and the first transport big enough to replace the company's original leviathan, the 747. Yet, despite this impressive line-up of "firsts", the driving principle behind the -300 was to keep all changes to a minimum. Boeing says that it did not deliberately set out to enter the record books: essentially, it took the 777-200 and enlarged it for one main purpose - to replace its own early "(-lassie" 747s. The company wanted to create a "people mover" with compelling economics, and the new twin, with its big wing and powerful engines, repre sented its best platform for growth into this role. The concept did not emerge overnight, although the 777 (like all Boeing jet airliners, including the 747) was designed from the outset to be stretched. The basic size of the extension was determined by Boeing's tried-and-tested stretching formula. As with its other extended- family members, ranging from the 727 to the 767, the -300 would be viable only if it could carry up to 20% more passengers. This meant growing the fuselage to take an extra 75 seats in two classes, or 60 more in a tri-class layout. That took typical dual-class seating to 451 and tri- class to almost 370. In all-economy, this same fuselage would accommodate up to 550 passen gers, roughly equal to the capacity of the 747SR (short-range) variant. Another key parameter was range. To offer airlines a true 747-100/200 replacement, the 777-300 would need a range of up to 10,500km (5,700nm), giving it the legs to operate trunk routes from San Francisco to Tokyo, or Los Angeles to London. The 777's large wing, and the 171,200-litre fuel capacity developed for die -200IGVV (increased gross weight) model, pro vided a quick and simple solution for the -300 range requirement. By combining this range and payload with the operating costs of a twin, Boeing was able to offer airlines an aircraft that consumes one-third less fuel and will have maintenance costs 40% lower than those of the 747 Classics-particularly the-100s-that it will replace. One of the last parts of the jigsaw to fall into place was the availability of higher-thrust engines. The virtually instant growth of the -200 series from the initial "A" market to the longer-range "B" market (later known as die -200IGW) pushed the equally rapid develop ment of higher-thrust engines from all three manufacturers. With a baseline maximum take off weight (MTOW) of 263,300kg, Boeing sized the -300 to operate with the first genera tion of-200IGVV powerplants rated at 374kN (84,0001b) thrust. With further growth inevitable, the structure was designed for an . 1 • / K5 ) ,<> *~__ / -L ^ 36 FLIGHT INTERNATIONAL 3 - 9 December 1997
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