The Saudi Gazette The family Boeing 777 is a long-range, wide-body twin-engine jet airliner manufactured by Boeing Commercial Airplanes. It is the world's largest twinjet and is commonly referred to as the “Triple Seven”. The aircraft has seating for over 300 passengers and has a range of: 9,695 to 17,370 km ,its distinguishing features include the largest-diameter turbofan engines of any aircraft, six wheels on each main landing gear, a circular fuselage cross-section, and blade-shaped tail cone. It was designed to replace older wide-body . As Boeing's first fly-by-wire airliner, it has computer mediated controls and the first entirely computer-designed commercial aircraft. Through the 2000s, the 777 has emerged as one of its manufacturer's best-selling models. Because of rising fuel costs, airlines have acquired the type as a comparatively fuel-efficient alternative to other wide-body jets and have increasingly used the aircraft on long-haul, transoceanic routes. Direct market competitors include the Airbus A330-300, A340, and the upcoming A350. Design effort The design phase for Boeing's new twinjet was different from the company's previous commercial jetliners. For the first time, eight major airlines – All Nippon Airways, American Airlines, British Airways, Cathay Pacific Airways, Delta Air Lines, Japan Airlines, Qantas, and United Airlines – had a role in the development of the airliner.[22] By March 1990, Boeing and the eight airlines decided upon a basic design configuration: a cabin cross-section close to the 747's, capacity up to 325 passengers, flexible interiors, a glass cockpit, fly-by-wire controls, and 10 percent better seat-mile costs. Design Boeing introduced a number of advanced technologies with the 777 design, including fully digital fly-by-wire controls,[105] fully software-configurable avionics, Honeywell LCD glass cockpit flight displays,[106] and the first use of a fiber optic avionics network on a commercial airliner. Fly-by-wire In designing the 777 as its first fly-by-wire commercial aircraft, Boeing decided to retain conventional control yokes[105] rather than change to sidestick controllers as used in many fly-by-wire fighter aircraft and in many Airbus airliners.[105] Along with traditional yoke and rudder controls, the cockpit features a simplified layout that retains similarities to previous Boeing models.[110] The fly-by-wire system also incorporates flight envelope protection,[105] a system that guides pilot inputs within a computer-calculated framework of operating parameters, acting to prevent stalls and overly stressful maneuvers.[105] This system can be overridden by the pilot in command if deemed necessary.Airframe and systems The six-wheel undercarriage of a Boeing 777-300 The 777's wings feature a supercritical airfoil design that is swept back at 31.6 degrees and optimized for cruising at Mach 0.83 (revised upward after flight tests to Mach 0.84). The wings are designed with increased thickness and a longer span than previous airliners, resulting in greater payload and range, improved takeoff performance, and a higher cruising altitude. The airframe incorporates the use of composite materials, which comprise nine percent of its original structural weight. The main fuselage cross-section is circular[114] and tapers rearward into a blade-shaped tail cone. The aircraft also features the largest landing gear and the biggest tires ever used in a commercial jetliner. Each tire of a 777-300ER six-wheel main landing gear can carry a load of about 27 tons.Interior The 777 interior features curved panels, larger overhead bins, and indirect lighting. Seating options range from six abreast in first class up to 10 across in economy with 15-inch by 10-inch windows. In 2003, Boeing introduced overhead crew rests as an option on the 777. Located above the main cabin and connected via staircases, the forward flight crew rest contains two seats and two bunks, while the aft cabin crew rest features multiple bunks. __
