LANDING SPOT
Boeing sends newest passenger jet to rural Oklahoma airport for testing
A Boeing 777- 9 landed at a remote Oklahoma airport Tuesday to begin flight tests proposed by the company last year.
The 777-9 is Boeing's newest commercial wide- body j et.
It's the longest aircraft of its kind in the world at over 251 feet, and can carry more than 400 passengers. Its two GE9X engines are the biggest and most powerful turbine engines in operation.
The airplane arrived Tuesday afternoon at ClintonSherman Airport in Burns Flat, about 100 miles west of Oklahoma City.
“We are scheduled to perform testing in Oklahoma with our new Boeing 7779,” a company spokesperson told The Oklahoman. “This is part of our rigorous test program for the 777X, which is progressing well. We' re conducting a comprehensive series of tests and conditions, on the ground and in the air, to demonstrate the safety and reliability of the design.”
The 777X moniker refers to two new variants of Boeing's popular twin-aisle, twodecade-old 777. Neither the 777-8 nor its larger sibling, 777-9, is in service for
commercial passengers but Boeing has taken 340 orders from airlines around the world.
Delivery to the first airline is expected in 2023. Each aircraft lists for more than $400 million.
Unlike previous version soft he 777, this aircraft does not have the same Pratt & Whitney engine as the flight that landed in Denver Saturday after experiencing an engine failure. The newer airplane sent to Oklahoma is powered by two massive turbofan engines developed and built by General Electric.
Boeing test operati ons are based at Seattle' s Boeing Field where the 777-9 took its maiden flight 13 months ago, but the company likes ClintonSherman Airport for its long, wide runway that accommodates the large aircraft.
The airport and facilities were first built at the start of World War II. It served as a naval air station until after the war. In the late 1950s, control of the base was handed over to the U.S. Air Force and the Strategic Air Command.
Boeing has used t he airport and its massive 2.55-mile-long runway for testing before. In 2013, the company tested an auto-landing system on a new 737 aircraft. A 747- 800 performed proficiency training and flight tests there in 2015.
Also known as the Oklahoma Space port, the airport is managed by the Oklahoma Space Industry Development Authority, which has begun a hard push to market the rural western Oklahoma airfield and its facilities for both aviation and space-related projects.
“Boeing' s start this week of a commercial flight testing program at the Oklahoma Spaceport in Burns Flat underscores the opportunities for our state,” said OSIDA Executive Director Craig Smith. “The 13,000-foot runway — one of the longest in the world — and un congested air space makes our space port perfect for the Boeing project. Boeing's presence is a reminder that Oklahoma has a role as a flight test center and as a future site for commercial and passenger spaceflights.”