The above photo of prototype 777-300(367) N5014K (27507/94) was taken at Boeings Renton facilities as the aircraft was performing brake tests. The aircraft was delivered to Cathay Pacific (B-HNE) on 10/27/1998. (Michael J. Carter Collection)
In June 1995, Boeing announced the launch of the 777-300X stretch at the Paris Air Show. The -300 at 242.3 feet in length is the longest commercial airliner built to date, 11 feet longer than the 747 and just 5 feet shorter that the Lockheed C-5 Gallaxy.
The -300 was designed with the sole purpose of replacing the classic 747. The -300 can seat up to 451 passengers in a
two-class configuration or 550 passengers in an all-economy set-up. The aircraft can operate on routes of up to 5,700 nautical miles (Los Angeles-London, or San Francisco-Tokyo) while burning 30 percent less fuel than the Classic 747.
The -300 is 33-feet, 3-inches longer than the -200, with the forward stretch being 17-feet, 6-inches and the rear stretch
15-feet, 9-inches. Boeing could have stretched the aircraft even further but chose to stay with the current stretch to maintain good lift margins and minimize problems at airports.
The aft extension determined the size of the forward extension due to "center of gravity" issues. The -300 due to its lenght obviously could not rotate as steeply as the
-200 requiring more acceleration to get the same amount of lift for take-off at the same weights. One of the new features on the -300, was the electrically actuated tail skid, augmented with the body contact sensor developed for the 757-300.
Another new feature added to the -300 but not an obvious one is the ground maneuvering camera system (GMCS). The system consists of three cameras, one in each leading edge of the horizontal stabilizer and a third under the forward cargo bay just aft of the nose gear. The
-300 is the first commercial airliner to have this system, though Boeing considered developing it for the 747 back in 1968.
Assembly of the first
-300 began in March 1997 with roll-out scheduled for September. So with great fan-fare the -300 was rolled out on September 8th, with the first flight taking place on October 16th. Early in the flight test program, the aircraft was flown at speeds approaching Mach 0.96 which was acceived by putting the -300 in a series of dives. The -300 was able to operate at higher maximum cruise speeds than the -200 (Mach 0.89 compared to Mach 0.87) and was flight tested up to the edge of the transonic barrier.
The first -300 was delivered to launch customer Cathay Pacific on May 22, 1998 and has since proven itself reliable and the cost effective aircraft that Boeing advertised.
Boeing 777-300 Production List **Updated** (07/16/2005)
Boeing 777-300 Photo Gallery One
Beoing 777-300 Photo Gallery Two
