Boeing 777x Test Flight Rescheduled, by Travel Radar Correspondent Ankur Deo

January 24, 2020 (Friday) was speculated to be a highlight for Boeing in a long time as the Boeing 777x was to take to the skies for the first time (You can read more about it here). However, the series of deterrents seem to be unending, as inclement weather forced Boeing to reschedule the 777x flight; the aircraft is now anticipated to fly today (January 25, 2020) 10 a.m. local time (WA, USA).

The company called off its planned test flight on January 24, 2020 (Friday) because of windy conditions, after the aircraft stood on the end of the runway for about four hours. It is indeed quite an anticlimactic end to what was expected to be a milestone moment for the 777x. Boeing had hoped to see the aircraft take off, fly briefly, and then return to Everett test facility Airport, while gathering telemetry data to observe and analyse how the plane performed.

Weather Conditions on January 24, 2020. Data from www.timeanddate.com

However, this required wind speeds of less than 20 knots in order to avoid any risks. For any test flight (and especially, the first flight for any aircraft), close to perfect weather conditions are needed. While winds of about 20 knots might not seem much for a regular flight, they do prove as an impediment for a test flight.

A still from the live stream of the scheduled test flight on January 24, 2020

By around 1:30pm local time, unfavourable weather conditions had left little hope of a successful test flight. With wind speeds on the rise, decision was taken to table the test, and the 777x taxied back to the hanger.

As Boeing reattempts to get the aircraft in the air at 10 a.m. Everett (WA, USA) time, we will closely follow how the events unfold. Weather is forecasted at 11 Celsius (7F) with chances of scattered showers and wind speeds of upto 10 knots. While, wind might not be an issue today, whether the cloudy and drizzling conditions can shatter hopes yet again, is something we need to watch closely. Stay tuned for more updates!

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