Boeing's Sci-Fi Foldable Wing Design for New 777s Gets Go-Ahead
- FAA says novel 777-wing design required ‘special conditions’
- New versions of plane aimed at being most efficient twin-jet
This article is for subscribers only.
U.S. regulators have approved a Buck Rogers makeover of Boeing Co.’s revamped 777 jetliner that will allow the tips of its massive wings to fold upward after landing so the plane can park at existing airport gates.
The new wings, the largest ever created by the Chicago-based planemaker, are taking shape as Boeing builds the first of its 777X jetliners in a factory north of Seattle. They will be the most distinctive-feature for the hulking jets, the first twin-engine models built to haul more than 400 travelers.