10 Years Of The Boeing 777-300ER

softrally · Mon Mar 04, 2013 1:36 pm

I know this topic is a little late, but I only noticed it today. 10 years ago, on February 24th, 2003, the Boeing 777-300ER made its maiden flight. Since, it turned out to be one of the most successful widebodies produced, and is Boeing's "cash cow".

Article: http://www.boeing.com/news/releases/2003/q1/nr_030224g.html

[Edited 2013-03-04 05:43:22]

na · Mon Mar 04, 2013 1:39 pm

10 years, sigh, I´m getting old. Three cheers for the engineers, three Boohs for the exterior designers!

Hamlet69 · Mon Mar 04, 2013 2:18 pm

Congrats to Boeing on a great milestone for this outstanding technical marvel. Both a brilliant piece of engineering, and one of the best-looking birds to grace our skies!!

Hamlet69

jfk777 · Mon Mar 04, 2013 2:21 pm

Quoting na (Reply 1):
10 years, sigh, I´m getting old. Three cheers for the engineers, three Boohs for the exterior designers!

Its time for the next version of the 777, let not rest on past glory. Airbus does have an answer this time in their A350-1000 which heavy 77W user Cathay has already ordered.

817Dreamliiner · Mon Mar 04, 2013 4:29 pm

Congrats to Boeing and every one involved in the 777 program for creating such a wonderful aircraft!

Quoting na (Reply 1):
three Boohs for the exterior designers!

As they say Beauty lies within the eye of the beholder... Though im not surprised you would say such a thing....

factsonly · Mon Mar 04, 2013 4:46 pm

So....let us celebrate with 10 beauties:

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Photo © Johannes Klinghardt

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Photo © Jimmy LWH

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Photo © Ian Lim

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Photo © Radu Dobrescu - RoSpotters

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Photo © Matt Kostelnick

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Photo © laura witts

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Photo © Radu Dobrescu - RoSpotters

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Photo © Kazuchika Naya

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Photo © Mark McGrath

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Photo © Daniel Lapierre Forget

MEA-707 · Mon Mar 04, 2013 5:56 pm

Quoting factsonly (Reply 5):
So....let us celebrate with 10 beauties:

Photo © Johannes Klinghardt

Your first picture was a 777-300 (non ER) with noticably smaller engines and wings. Also this aircraft was already flying in the late 1990s.

travelavnut · Mon Mar 04, 2013 6:00 pm

I'm a massive Airbus fan, but for me the 77W still takes the cake as the most bad-ass looking current flying airliner. Those awesome engines, 3 wheel bogies, the length, the nose...I love it!! Knowing it can continue take-off at MTOW after V1 on one engine is just mind boggling.

Not surprisingly the GE90-115B is my favorite current engine

BoeingGuy · Mon Mar 04, 2013 6:35 pm

Quoting 817Dreamliiner (Reply 4):
Congrats to Boeing and every one involved in the 777 program for creating such a wonderful aircraft!
Quoting na (Reply 1):
three Boohs for the exterior designers!

As they say Beauty lies within the eye of the beholder... Though im not surprised you would say such a thing..

What do you mean? The 777-300ER is a beautiful airplane. We aren't talking the A310 here. It's stunningly beautiful and graceful.

More importantly, IMHO it's the best airplane ever designed. Until the 787 proves itself, the 777 - especially the -300ER - is hands down the best airplane overall to ever grace the skies. You name it - economical, reliable, safe, durable, easy to fly, etc.

I agree that the Boeing people who designed the -300ER should be very proud.

sassiciai · Mon Mar 04, 2013 6:36 pm

In my humble opinion, the 777 in all incarnations is one of the least comfortable aircraft around for long flights! It is the noisiest (by far) with these 2 great engines just outside. With the ever-more popular 3-4-3, is rather cramped, and when the cabin crew is doing service, there's no way to pass in the aisle, it's too narrow!

I quite often fly from BRU to MNL (and back), and those flights via Abu Dhabi or Qatar are very revealing. The first leg is an A330, with 2-4-2 in Y and relative peace and quiet (P&Q), followed by a 777 3-4-3 with no P&Q at all, and shouted communications with the cabin crew about everything! On rare occasions, I have benefited from an upgrade - then everything changes! On an EY upgrade flight on an A330, I didnt want to get off! LOL!

777 - great plane for its economics, but certainly not for the quality of service to the passenger! I now actively try to avoid 777 flights to get away from the noise!

A388 · Mon Mar 04, 2013 7:00 pm

Quoting travelavnut (Reply 7):
I'm a massive Airbus fan, but for me the 77W still takes the cake as the most bad-ass looking current flying airliner. Those awesome engines, 3 wheel bogies, the length, the nose...I love it!! Knowing it can continue take-off at MTOW after V1 on one engine is just mind boggling.

Not surprisingly the GE90-115B is my favorite current engine

I totally agree with you on this too

Quoting Sassiciai (Reply 9):
777 - great plane for its economics, but certainly not for the quality of service to the passenger! I now actively try to avoid 777 flights to get away from the noise!

Well the 77W is a game changer in its category and still going very strong so I don't think all the airlines who have ordered the 77W, purely ordered it due to its economics alone.

A388

Alitalia744 · Mon Mar 04, 2013 7:12 pm

It would only be appropriate to pay homage to the airline that launched and was first to fly the 777-300ER:

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Photo © Nicholas Young

FWAERJ · Mon Mar 04, 2013 7:18 pm

The funny thing is that ten years ago, everyone thought that the "world-proven" and "lower-risk" A346 would kill the 77W in sales.

In the end, it was the inverse: the 77W's economics killed the A346 completely, especially during the first oil price spike.

Happy birthday, 77W!

Oykie · Mon Mar 04, 2013 7:39 pm

Quoting Sassiciai (Reply 9):

In my humble opinion, the 777 in all incarnations is one of the least comfortable aircraft around for long flights! It is the noisiest (by far) with these 2 great engines just outside. With the ever-more popular 3-4-3, is rather cramped, and when the cabin crew is doing service, there's no way to pass in the aisle, it's too narrow!

In my humble opinion, I disagree. I found the 777 to be very comfortable on long-haul. I have also flown on the A330 prior to entering the 777 sitting in the rear of both airplanes is very similar experience. Both in terms of noise and comfort. I do enjoy the larger space onboard the 777 and have not been in at 3-4-3 configured 777. Both the A330 and 777 are very comfortable

Happy birthday 777-300ER! Time flies

manny · Mon Mar 04, 2013 7:39 pm

Its been so successful that it made its competitor obsolete. Congrats to Boeing.

manny · Mon Mar 04, 2013 7:45 pm

Quoting factsonly (Reply 5):
So....let us celebrate with 10 beauties:

Some of those liveries are the blandest.

AF should be in the 10. So too AI, Thai and the latest entrant AA should be the beauties on the list!

rotating14 · Mon Mar 04, 2013 7:46 pm

Quoting Sassiciai (Reply 9):
I quite often fly from BRU to MNL (and back), and those flights via Abu Dhabi or Qatar are very revealing. The first leg is an A330, with 2-4-2 in Y and relative peace and quiet (P&Q), followed by a 777 3-4-3 with no P&Q at all, and shouted communications with the cabin crew about everything! On rare occasions, I have benefited from an upgrade - then everything changes! On an EY upgrade flight on an A330, I didnt want to get off! LOL!

Hello,

While I agree with the engines being quite loud, the peace and quiet, intercom communications and the seating layout is fairly relative to the airline itself. I'd avoid ten a breast everyday but there are only a handful of carriers who do this. With respect to the A330 and its accomplishments and robust sales record, the article says enough in my opinion.

http://www.smh.com.au/travel/blogs/t...assenger-plane-20130107-2cbzr.html

L0VE2FLY · Mon Mar 04, 2013 8:03 pm

Quoting factsonly (Reply 5):
So....let us celebrate with 10 beauties:

You forgot the newest and most beautiful of them all:

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Photo © Russell Hill

Eightball · Mon Mar 04, 2013 8:29 pm

Quoting factsonly (Reply 5):
So....let us celebrate with 10 beauties:

I think this beauty should be on the list:

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Photo © Bill Shemley

Quoting BoeingGuy (Reply 8):
The 777-300ER is a beautiful airplane. We aren't talking the A310 here. It's stunningly beautiful and graceful.

More importantly, IMHO it's the best airplane ever designed. Until the 787 proves itself, the 777 - especially the -300ER - is hands down the best airplane overall to ever grace the skies. You name it - economical, reliable, safe, durable, easy to fly, etc.

You just described why the 777-300ER is my favorite aircraft. Big grin

[Edited 2013-03-04 12:49:43]

jporterfi · Mon Mar 04, 2013 8:39 pm

Personally, I really like this one.

Viscount724 · Mon Mar 04, 2013 9:02 pm

Quoting softrally (Thread starter):
and is Boeing's "cash cow".

Is the 77W really a bigger "cash cow" than the 737? Total 77W orders stand at 671 compared to 7,369 737NG and MAX models (not counting earlier 737 models).

DL_Mech · Mon Mar 04, 2013 9:11 pm

Congrats Boeing....Going on 60 years of Jet Transport history.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YmQE05i1l0s&t=2m8s

lightsaber · Mon Mar 04, 2013 9:11 pm

How time slips by.

I still vividly remember the ETOPS debates that seemed to peak in 2007. Instead of all the proclaimed 'you will regret walking off a cliff,' we have had an amazingly safe and efficient decade of long haul air transit.

I'll let everyone else debate on the liveries. I'm happy for the continents connected.

Lightsaber

Norcal773 · Mon Mar 04, 2013 9:45 pm

Quoting Sassiciai (Reply 9):
In my humble opinion, the 777 in all incarnations is one of the least comfortable aircraft around for long flights! It is the noisiest (by far) with these 2 great engines just outside. With the ever-more popular 3-4-3, is rather cramped, and when the cabin crew is doing service, there's no way to pass in the aisle, it's too narrow!

I quite often fly from BRU to MNL (and back), and those flights via Abu Dhabi or Qatar are very revealing. The first leg is an A330, with 2-4-2 in Y and relative peace and quiet (P&Q), followed by a 777 3-4-3 with no P&Q at all, and shouted communications with the cabin crew about everything! On rare occasions, I have benefited from an upgrade - then everything changes! On an EY upgrade flight on an A330, I didnt want to get off! LOL!

777 - great plane for its economics, but certainly not for the quality of service to the passenger! I now actively try to avoid 777 flights to get away from the noise!

I understand the noise part, but I think everything else you mentioned comes down to the carrier configuration really. I've flownSQ's 77Ws both in Y and J and it is very comfortable even in Y if you ask me. When the likes of EK pack 10-across on a 77W, don't expect room to pass on the isles but that doesn't mean it's the aircraft type itself that sucks.

Eightball · Mon Mar 04, 2013 9:50 pm

Quoting lightsaber (Reply 22):
I'm happy for the continents connected.

Indeed! Next week I'll be flying on EK 221, DXB-DFW, which is operated by a 777-200LR. The 777 family has arguably reshaped long-haul air travel.

I'm currently in a flight training program in order to get my commercial pilot license, and if my career planning works out and I become an airline pilot, then I would consider becoming a 777 Captain to be the peak of my career. Hey, one can dream.

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Photo © Sam Chui

ual747den · Mon Mar 04, 2013 10:12 pm

Quoting Sassiciai (Reply 9):
777 - great plane for its economics, but certainly not for the quality of service to the passenger! I now actively try to avoid 777 flights to get away from the noise!

That noise is called POWER, pure POWER!! The things that you don't like about the 777 has nothing to do with the aircraft it has to do with the AIRLINE.

Quoting A388 (Reply 10):
Well the 77W is a game changer in its category and still going very strong so I don't think all the airlines who have ordered the 77W, purely ordered it due to its economics alone.

Why do you think that they ordered it then? Because of how it looks? I can assure you that airlines DO NOT order planes for any other reason other than economics!

L0VE2FLY · Mon Mar 04, 2013 10:25 pm

Quoting jporterfi (Reply 19):
Personally, I really like this one.

I'm not a fan of the new AA livery, but it easily trumps the Euro whites JL & EK and even EY, their billboard logo looks so tacky.

UA735WL · Mon Mar 04, 2013 10:46 pm

I don't think there is a livery that looks bad on a 77W (well....maybe JL ...but then again, that looks bad on everything!

)

But if I were to pick a favorite.....

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Photo © Cary Liao - AeroPX

romeobravo · Mon Mar 04, 2013 11:15 pm

I'm not a huge fan of the aesthetics though i wouldn't say it's bad looking - i prefer the shorter 777s however.

It certainly is an amazing piece of machinery though - extremely efficient and reliable. One of Boeing's greatest achievements.

will · Mon Mar 04, 2013 11:27 pm

The W class... Pure Excellence.... Nothing comes close...

BoeingGuy · Mon Mar 04, 2013 11:32 pm

Quoting UAL747DEN (Reply 25):
That noise is called POWER, pure POWER!! The things that you don't like about the 777 has nothing to do with the aircraft it has to do with the AIRLINE.

Yeah, I'd take the "noise" of a 777-300ER than the put-put-put feeling of an A340-200 trying to get off the ground.

Even Boeing pilots are in awe of the -300ER and -200LR's power for such huge airplanes. They've said that when they push the TO/GO switch, they practically get slammed right back into the seat. One pilot said he was doing a paint flight ferry out of PDX and doing a lightweight underrated take off in a -300ER. He got off the ground so fast, that he hear other nearby pilots on the radio saying "WOW!". I hear stories about stuff like 17 second takeoff rolls. And we aren't talking a Lear Jet either. The -300ER is big mother airplane.

markusburkhard · Mon Mar 04, 2013 11:46 pm

Quoting travelavnut (Reply 7):
Knowing it can continue take-off at MTOW after V1 on one engine is just mind boggling.

Uh... all twin-engined airliners can do this. Otherwise they'd never be certified to fly and no-one in their right minds would ever fly on it

Cheers,
Markus

starbucks · Mon Mar 04, 2013 11:59 pm

Quoting markusburkhard (Reply 31):
Uh... all twin-engined airliners can do this. Otherwise they'd never be certified to fly and no-one in their right minds would ever fly on it

I guess travelavnut knows that too, I think he/she meant to say it in a way like "I know how it works, but I'm still amazed by the fact that the A380/B747 can fly"

Airbusfan too, but if I have to choose something from the "otherside" it would be the 777

(And of course I will fly everything when some airline offers me a cockpitseat

)

CCA · Tue Mar 05, 2013 12:28 am

How this missed the cut I'm not sure......

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RayChuang · Tue Mar 05, 2013 12:31 am

At the time the 777-300ER first flew, there was a lot of skepticism over whether Boeing could make its money back on this plane, especially in light of the 9/11 attacks just two years earlier and the quite steep cost per plane for this new model.

What saved the 77W was its better-than-anticipated fuel burn (which increased its still-air range from the original 7,180 to 7,800 nautical miles still-air) and its large carrying capacity for LD3 containers. As such, the 77W became THE plane that not only replaced all the 747-100/200/300 models but also many 747-400's. As such, the 77W are common sights on many long international routes.

smeagol · Tue Mar 05, 2013 1:05 am

I am getting old. I flew tons of time of 772/772ER but the only one experience with 77W is Air Canada in 2009.

77W is my 2nd favorite aircraft (#1 is 772LR). BIG LOVE! Good luck Boeing!

CaliAtenza · Tue Mar 05, 2013 1:20 am

Ive flown EK's and Cathay's 777W, loved them both. I hated the shell seats in Y on Cathay though; so glad they decided to switch back to the regular ones. I actually found the setup in Y to be comfortable on EK and im 6 ft; i dont know what everyone is complaining about. I found the engine startup sequence to be quite LOUD, but then it roars like a muscle car!

rotating14 · Tue Mar 05, 2013 1:27 am

Quoting CCA (Reply 33):

How this missed the cut I'm not sure......

RyanairGuru · Tue Mar 05, 2013 1:43 am

Wow, it's gone fast!

This has been a truly revolutionary aircraft, one that has changed the face of long haul travel. I have to salute Boeing for creating this monstrosity!

Pause for a moment and wonder where EK would be without the 777. Sure, the 330/340 is a great aircraft too. But EK lives and dies on having minuscule CASM, something the 346 just couldn't deliver.

Turning to the noise issue some have mentioned, on startup and takeoff the 330 is noticeably quieter. There is no doubt about that. At cruise, though, I hardly notice the difference. If I stop to think about it then I do become aware that the cabin noise is higher than on an Airbus, but 5 hours into a 14 hour flight the engine pitch is far from the first thing on my mind!

flyenthu · Tue Mar 05, 2013 2:04 am

I love the 77W! I depend on those ultra-long hauls in a 77W to ferry me back and forth halfway around this planet every year. Sure it is a noise-maker, but with noise canceling headphones, it is smooth as silk. I just appreciate that the 77W has shrunk the world for me. Thank you Boeing!

RickNRoll · Tue Mar 05, 2013 2:17 am

Sometimes you get it wrong, sometimes you get it right. Boeing nailed it with this one. Let's not forget GE, though, the engine was a technological breakthrough and, IIRC, still the largest and most powerful engine hanging off a passenger jet.

L0VE2FLY · Tue Mar 05, 2013 4:23 am

Quoting CCA (Reply 33):
How this missed the cut I'm not sure......

Of course she's gorgeous, if you want to include special liveries we might as well add this stunner:

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spacecadet · Tue Mar 05, 2013 4:43 am

Funny thing is my first flight on a 777-300ER was the 300 mile trip from Tokyo to Osaka. (It was a JAL connecting flight; really a positioning flight that they take passengers on.) Only about 40 passengers on the whole plane, so we had an exit row right by the galley and there were no other passengers anywhere around us - none in our sight lines. I remember the sound of the engines being very disorienting. We'd flown 14 hours already on a 747-400, and the constant change in the whine of the engines on this short flight made it really hard to tell whether we were ascending, descending, speeding up or slowing down. It was a surreal flight. When we landed, I had no idea we were even close to the ground - it felt like we were still going up!

Next time I flew to Japan we had a 777-300ER the whole way, and it became my favored long-haul aircraft because of its roominess and relative quiet compared to a 747-400. I feel less tired and sick after getting off a 14 hour 777-300ER flight than I do after a 747-400 flight of the same length.

7BOEING7 · Tue Mar 05, 2013 5:49 am

I was always partial to this one.

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AirIndia · Tue Mar 05, 2013 5:53 am

Tributes are in line for:

Air France: First to fly

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rotating14 · Tue Mar 05, 2013 6:42 am

Quoting 7BOEING7 (Reply 43):

What ever happened to that frame?? Repainted and sold??

817Dreamliiner · Tue Mar 05, 2013 7:37 am

Quoting rotating14 (Reply 45):
What ever happened to that frame?? Repainted and sold??

Sold to JAL as JA732J

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vhqpa · Tue Mar 05, 2013 7:48 am

Quoting rotating14 (Reply 45):

Sold to (built for as a matter of fact) Japan Airlines

JA732J

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B777LRF · Tue Mar 05, 2013 8:14 am

As a passenger the 777 is not my favourite aircraft by a long shot, regardless of what variant we're talking about. The 777F, on the other hand, now that's something I can relate to.

So from my side, congratulations to Boeing for giving us the 777F.

The777Man · Tue Mar 05, 2013 10:26 am

Many congratulations to Boeing for the 777-300/ER ! It's a great aircraft and has exceed its expectations in many ways.

I prefer the shorter 777s but the 777-300/ER is a very good replacement for the 747.

Looking forward to many more flights on the 77W!

The777Man

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