The latest Boeing twin engine jet, called the 777-9X, is so huge that its wings, which spans 35 feet and 5 inches, have a folding wingtip mechanism that let it fit in airport taxiways. The aircraft is poised to become the largest jet in the world as well, capable of carrying 400 passengers housed in wider cabins and taller windows.
The jet's folding mechanism includes a hinge connecting 12-feet wingtips to the rest of the jet's wingspan and will be secured by locking pins. The unprecedented wing length is expected to increase efficiency and give the jet extra lift. Designers also explained that this design will contribute 12 percent greater fuel savings than the Airbus A350, CNN reported.
The 777-9X will begin production in 2017 in Boeing's Everett factory, which is big enough to accomodate 25 football fields, according to the Daily Mail. "Building on the success of the 777 and 787 Dreamliner, the 777X will be the largest and most efficient twin-engine jet in the world, unmatched in every aspect of performance," Boeing said. It will eclipse the size and capacity of its closest rival, the Airbus A350-1000.
Boeing already started preparing the design of the prototype on Aug. 25, according to Aviation Week. Details released include plans to bake parts of the 777-9X's wings. For this purpose, a portion of the Everett facility will be converted into three giant ovens. "An easy way to understand it is, you're baking the material so it forms to the strength and characteristics that you want," Boeing spokesman Scott Lefeber told CNN. The 777-9X will also have 3D-printed fuel nozzle tips, aluminum fuselage and carbon fiber polymer for the wings.
