The #777XFF officially scrubbed for 2nd day in a row due to poor weather. It’s almost tradition that Boeing first flights occur in abysmal conditions, but this is the first time in memory that a flight had to be canceled due to elements. Friday with conditions not improving and the flight window closing, her first sortie was scrubbed. The day before, with cloud ceilings down to 2,000 feet, pelting rain, and winds gusting up to 29 knots, over 10,000 disappointed employees, journalists, and VIPs shivered for nearly five hours while the enormous 777-9X sat tantalizingly just off the runway, waiting for clearance to takeoff. This major milestone for the #777X airplane program begins the next critical phase of testing as we work towards certification and then delivery to customers in 2021. And the obstacles Mother Nature threw in front of its path for the first flight could easily be seen as a metaphor for Boeing and the entire program. The road to this moment has been difficult to say the least. It climbed to an altitude of 14,000 feet and turned back east where it entered looping patterns over central Washington state, beginning the first of many test flights on the arduous road to certification and eventually passenger service over the next 18 months. First flight for Boeing 777X delayed due to engine problem
