Boeing Jet: Folding Wings In Design Plans For The Huge 777-9X Jetliner

The Boeing Company has amazing plans in store for its next Boeing jet. Folding wings in design plans for the huge 777-9X jetliner puts the company on track to make the world’s largest twin-engined Boeing plane by 2020.

According to CNN, the Boeing jet is so big that it absolutely had to have folding wings. The carbon-fiber composite wings, what some compare to incredibly strong plastic material, have to fold on airport taxiways in order to shorten its 235 feet, five-inch wingspan. The Boeing jet folding wings are 212 feet, eight inches across when the folding mechanism is utilized.

Those folding wings have to be baked before they can be installed on the airplane.

“An easy way to understand it is, you’re baking the material so it forms to the strength and characteristics that you want,” Boeing spokesman Scott Lefeber said.

The folding wings will not fold accidentally during flight because locking pins will prevent the wings from doing so, Boeing said.

As dBTechno reports, the 777-9X jet will use 12 percent less fuel than its competitors because of the added lift given to the airplane thanks to those massive wings. Ultimately, the Boeing jet with folding wings will be 10 percent cheaper to operate overall.

The Boeing 777-9X jet will compete with the Airbus A350.

Boeing announced on Thursday it had the basic design of the Boeing jet. Folding wings and other capabilities had been determined, and Boeing expects to begin building the jetliners in 2017. The 777X jetliners have been in the making for two years already, but the firm plans are getting people more excited about the specifics.

The Boeing jet folding wings design will have room for about 400 passengers and will give economy-class seat widths an abundance of 18 inches. The window seats will also be 15 percent larger than competitor window seats and placed at eye level for passengers.

Airlines will have the ability to choose different options for different classes when they order the Boeing jet.

The fuselage will be made of aluminum, but the engines’ fuel nozzle tips will be made via 3D printing.

The exciting concept of owning the world’s biggest twin-engine airplane has won Boeing 306 firm orders and 14 commitments.

Boeing Company stock rose 2 percent to $131.87 on the New York Stock Exchange.

Technology has redesigned the Boeing jet. Folding wings and other new features will soon be in the skies, and only time will tell what could be seen flying in the clouds over the next few decades.

[Image by Boeing]