A special Boeing 747 test aircraft flew on Tuesday from Victorville, California, with the new E9X engine mounted under its left wing, dwarfing the plane’s three other engines.
The huge powerplant - as wide and tall as the fuselage of a Boeing 737 - is being built for the latest version of Boeing Co’s long-haul 777, the 777X, which is due to enter service in 2020.
During Tuesday’s flight, engineers completed their test list and ensured key characteristics were working properly, GE said in a statement confirming the flight, reported earlier by Reuters.
The flight marks the beginning of a flight-test campaign scheduled to last several months, before the aircraft itself takes to the skies in the first quarter of next year.
GE had been expected to start flight trials in December, but announced in February it had found technical problems with both the engine and the test plane during preparatory work.
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The engine glitch will require the redesign of a part in the compressor, which is near the front of the engine and does not handle the hottest air flows.
Despite the delay, GE feels “very confident” it will meet a 2019 target date for safety certification, a spokeswoman said.
GE’s partners on the engine include France’s Safran, Japan’s IHI Corp and Germany’s MTU Aero Engines.
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Indoor cricket World Cup:
Insportz, Dubai, September 16-23
UAE fixtures:
Men
Saturday, September 16 – 1.45pm, v New Zealand
Sunday, September 17 – 10.30am, v Australia; 3.45pm, v South Africa
Monday, September 18 – 2pm, v England; 7.15pm, v India
Tuesday, September 19 – 12.15pm, v Singapore; 5.30pm, v Sri Lanka
Thursday, September 21 – 2pm v Malaysia
Friday, September 22 – 3.30pm, semi-final
Saturday, September 23 – 3pm, grand final
Women
Saturday, September 16 – 5.15pm, v Australia
Sunday, September 17 – 2pm, v South Africa; 7.15pm, v New Zealand
Monday, September 18 – 5.30pm, v England
Tuesday, September 19 – 10.30am, v New Zealand; 3.45pm, v South Africa
Thursday, September 21 – 12.15pm, v Australia
Friday, September 22 – 1.30pm, semi-final
Saturday, September 23 – 1pm, grand final