All three of Boeing’s in-development commercial aircraft are on track to meet performance guarantees and schedule timelines, according to Scott Fancher, senior vice president and general manager for airplane development.
On the 737 Max, 90 percent of the design release has been completed ahead of schedule. “This means we can move deeply into manufacturing with confidence–the engineers won’t change the design,” Fancher explained.
The initial flight envelope of the narrowbody’s CFM Leap-1B has been cleared. The engine is “doing exactly what we need it to do, maybe even a bit better,” Fancher said, thus negating recent rumors about its performance.
Wing assembly has started, as workers on May 29 loaded the initial parts of the first spars into automated spar assembly machines. The final assembly line will be ready this summer. First flight thus remains planned for 2016 and the first delivery for 2017.
On the 787-10–a stretched, shorter-range version of the Dreamliner–Fancher said a critical design review will take place this summer. He then expects 90 percent of the design release to be completed by year-end. Development of the Rolls-Royce Trent 1000-TEN engine is said to be progressing as planned.
At Boeing’s North Charleston, S.C. factory, maximizing commonality with other 787 variants has been a major focus. “Manufacturing the -10 on a line where workers don't care about what model they are building will bring better productivity,” Fancher said. The first prototype will be rolled out in 2017 and the first production aircraft will be delivered in 2018.
Meanwhile, the 777X’s “preliminary designs” have been validated and a “firm configuration” will be issued in the third quarter. “We want systems to be designed earlier in the process for better reliability,” Fancher added.
He clarified that the difference in cabin altitude between the 777X and 787 will be “negligible,” while the humidity level will be “somewhere in between” those of the 777 and the 787. The 777X’s windows will be larger than those of the 777, but not as large as those of the 787. Nevertheless, thanks to a narrower space between the inner and outer windows, the overall amount of light that enters the cabin will be greater, according to Fancher.
Boeing engineers “sculpted the frame into a larger interior,” he said, because they “understand the structural margins and know where to beef up, for a modest investment.”
The composite wing center in Everett will be completed next May. Production of the 777X will begin in 2017, Fancher said, aiming at flight-testing the first prototype in 2019. The first delivery is slated for 2020.