Boeing Sends A 777X To Colorado Springs For High Elevation Tests

Boeing Sends A 777X To Colorado Springs For High Elevation Tests

• Boeing 777X conducted high-elevation tests at Colorado Springs Airport, utilizing a long runway and accurate sensors to record aircraft performance.
• Altitude is a crucial factor in aircraft performance, and higher-altitude airports require longer runways due to density altitude.
• The 777X is one of four test aircraft in the program, and its certification has faced delays, but Boeing aims to have it certified by 2025.

N779XX, operating with the callsign “Boeing 002 Heavy,” visited Colorado Springs Municipal Airport (COS) on February 13th for a high-elevation test for the Boeing 777X test program. The 777X arrived in Colorado Springs Monday morning, just before 10 am, and would later complete a test at the high-elevation airport.

The test flight began after 2 pm local time when there was a slight wind from the Southeast at 10 knots, according to the METAR published by the airport’s weather observation station at the time of the flight. The flight itself consisted of eight takeoffs and landings, remaining within the airport traffic pattern before returning to COS. Each lap around the traffic pattern at COS utilized runway 17L, which is a generous 13,500 feet in length.

At 6,187 ft in elevation above sea level, runway 17L is only 360 ft shy of the top 10 highest airports in the United States. This matters because altitude is one of several factors, including wind and temperature, that can change the performance of both engine and aircraft. Generally speaking, higher-altitude airports require a longer runway. This is because of the relationship between altitude above the sea and what is known as “density altitude,” or the thickness of the air.

For these flights, N779XX would be equipped with highly accurate sensors to record the aircraft performance. However, according to data on Flightradar24.com, N779XX’s first takeoff put the aircraft at an altitude of more than 1,000 ft by the time it reached the end of the runway. It is unclear how many days or how long N779XX will remain at COS.

The other test aircraft

N779XX is one of four other test aircraft in the Boeing 777X program. As of press time, the other test aircraft (N779XY, N779XZ, and N779XW) were all at Seattle’s Boeing Field (BFI). However, among them, N779XZ has reportedly moved in the past two years, N779XY has flown back and forth between BFI and Everett (PAE) since returning from spending August in Victorville (VCV), while N779XW has been parked since returning from Hyderabad, India, in January.

The high-altitude testing is a part of the 777X certification campaign. The certification of the 777X has faced several delays, but the company recently said that the aircraft was on track to be certified in 2025. For its part, Boeing did not respond to press inquiry.

For comparison, the A350-1000 was involved in a series of “high and warm” flight tests seven months before its respective certification. For these tests, Airbus sent an A350-1000 to Latin America, where it was flown at La Paz (LPB) airport at 13,300 ft and Cochabamba Airport (CBB) at 8,300 ft in elevation.

These flight tests take place days before the Singapore Airshow, where none of the 777X test aircraft are currently scheduled to attend. While the planemaker’s widebody product won’t be at the Singapore Airshow, Boeing will bring a mock-up display instead for prospective customers and clients.

Colorado Springs airport, for its part, is an hour and a half’s drive south of Denver International Airport (DEN). COS is a destination for Avelo Airlines, American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, Southwest Airlines, Sun Country Airlines, and United Airlines.