Airbus 777

1. Airbus 777-200
2. Airbus 777 Capacity
3. Airbus 777 Capacity

The Boeing 777 Freighter (777F), which entered service earlier this year, brings efficiency to long-haul operators while offering the advanced features of the 777 family. Designed to fill the need expressed by cargo operators around the world, the 777F is an efficient, long-range, high-capacity freighter.
By Jason S. Clark, 777 Freighter Deputy Program Manager; and
Kenneth D. Kirwan, 777 Freighter Deputy Chief Project Engineer

By providing more capacity than any other twin-engine freighter, the 777F brings new levels of efficiency to the long-haul market.

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The range capability of the 777F provides significant savings for cargo operators. It enables them to take advantage of fewer stops and associated landing fees, less congestion at transfer hubs, lower cargo handling costs, and shorter cargo delivery times. The new freighter also integrates smoothly with existing cargo operations and facilitates interlining with 747 freighter fleets.

This article provides an overview of the 777F, including its heritage, freighter capabilities, range and capacity, twin-engine design, and ability to fit into existing cargo operations.

777 HERITAGE

Launched in May 2005, the 777F inherits the same basic design and flight charac­teristics of 777 passenger airplanes but is designed specifically to transport cargo. It also shares many of the 777 family’s advanced features, such as a fly-by-wire design, an advanced wing design with raked wing tips, and a state-of-the-art flight deck (see fig. 1). It is powered by the world’s most powerful commercial jet engine, the General Electric GE90-110B1.

Figure 1: 777F Flight deck
The 777F flight deck will be familiar to crews that have flown 777 passenger airplanes.

1 Triple-channel autopilot with category IIIB autoland 2 Large flat-panel liquid crystal displays, including three multi‑function displays 3 Full-time triple‑channel fly-by-wire with thrust asymmetry compensation and flight envelope protection 
4 Cursor control interface 5 Airline-modifiable electronic checklist containing all normal and non-normal checklists 
6 Integrated communications interface with full future air navigation system functionality 7 Electronic Flight Bag (optional)

UNIQUE FREIGHTER CAPABILITIES

The 777F has been specifically designed as a freighter, with additional strengthening in key structural areas, including:

• New monolithic aluminum floor beams.
• Rigid cargo barrier located in the forward section of the airplane.
• Strengthened fuselage, especially in the area of the main deck cargo door.

Other design enhancements include:

• Enhanced, lightweight cargo-handling system with built-in test equipment that continually monitors the operational health of the system.
• Modified environmental control system.
• An advanced maneuver load alleviation system that redistributes the aero­dynamic load on the wing during non-normal flight conditions, reducing the load on its outboard portion (see fig. 2). This allows the 777F to operate in a wide variety of flight environments without compromising payload capability.

The 777F also features a new super­numerary area, which includes business-class seats forward of the rigid cargo barrier, full main deck access, bunks, and a galley (see fig. 3).

The airplane’s design reflects information and feedback that Boeing gained at freighter working group meetings held with 20 air­lines and cargo operators. Boeing’s plan was to ensure that the 777F would operate with procedures and handling similar to other 777 variants. The result is a common type rating with 777 passenger airplanes and only minimal transition required and lower training costs.

Figure 2: Changes in the 777F compared to the 777-200LR
The 777F is based on the 777-200LR (Longer Range) but designed specifically to transport cargo.

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*Highest optional weight; loading restrictions apply above 750,000-lb (340,190-kg) maximum takeoff weight

Figure 3: Supernumerary area
The supernumerary area includes business-class seats forward of door 1.

RANGE AND CAPACITY

With a maximum takeoff weight of 766,000 pounds (347,450 kilograms), the 777F has a revenue payload capability of more than 226,000 pounds (102.8 metric tons). It can fly 4,880 nautical miles (9,038 kilometers) with a full payload at general cargo market densities (more than 10 pounds per cubic foot), making it the world’s longest-range twin-engine freighter (see fig. 4).

The airplane has been engineered to have essentially the same landing charac­teristics as the 777-200LR (Longer Range), despite a maximum landing weight that is nearly 17 percent heavier (575,000 pounds; 260,810 kilograms).

The 777F accommodates 27 standard pallets (96 by 125 inches; 2.5 by 3.1 meters) on the main deck. The industry-standard 10-foot-high (3-meter-high) pallets are accommodated by the large main deck cargo door. The lower cargo hold has the capacity for 10 pallets, as well as 600 cubic feet (17.0 cubic meters) of additional bulk cargo (see fig. 5).

Figure 4: Longest-range twin-engine freighter
The 777F can fly 4,880 nautical miles (9,038 kilometers) with a full payload at general cargo market densities, opening up new nonstop markets to cargo operators.

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Figure 5: 777F Flexible cargo configurations
The ability to accommodate 27 standard pallets on the main deck, combined with a versatile lower hold, gives the 777F a capacity never before available on a twin-engine freighter.

Airbus 777-200

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THE UNIQUE ECONOMICS OF THE 777F

The 777 family has an established history of twin-engine efficiency, with lower fuel consumption, maintenance costs, and operating costs.

The 777F extends these advantages to cargo operators, giving them the lowest trip cost of any large freighter, as well as excellent ton-mile economics. The freighter is expected to offer a 17 to 28 percent fuel-per-ton advantage to other freighters. The 777F has range, payload, and operating economics superior to any existing airplane freighter.

Its fuel economy also provides environmental benefits because lower fuel consumption means lower carbon emissions. The 777F also meets London-Heathrow noise standards (QC2) for maximum accessibility to noise‑sensitive airports.

The high commonality of 777F airplane systems — such as flight controls, hydraulics, and landing gear — with 777 passenger airplane systems takes advan­tage of existing maintenance infrastructure (i.e., parts, ground support equipment, task cards, training) at the airline operator.

COMPLEMENTS EXISTING BOEING FREIGHTERS

The 777F has been designed to integrate smoothly with existing cargo operations and facilitate interlining with 747 freighter fleets. Cargo operators can easily transfer 10-foot-high pallets between the two models via the large main deck cargo door.

SUMMARY

The 777F is Boeing’s response to strong demand from cargo operators around the world for an efficient, long-range, and high-capacity freighter. By providing more capacity than any other twin-engine freighter, the 777F brings new levels of efficiency to long-haul markets. At the same time, its similarity to previous 777 models and ability to facilitate direct-transfer shipments with 747 freighter fleets make it easy to integrate into an operator’s fleet.

For more information, please contact Jason Clark at jason.s.clark@boeing.com or Ken Kirwan at kenneth.d.kirwan@boeing.com.

TravelSkillsNews and Tips For Your TripsBladed tail. Three wheels. No winglets. Slanted cockpit windows. It’s a B777, right? (Image: Wikimedia Commons)

Pilots, planespotters and aviation buffs can quickly recognize nearly every aircraft type from the ground or in the air.

But it’s not so easy for the rest of us. To help TravelSkills readers confidently recognize what they see overhead or out on the runway, we offer a series of posts dedicated to planespotting.

The Boeing 777, 767 and the Airbus A330, three of the most-used, two-engine widebody jets flying around out there look VERY similar to the untrained eye. But there are differences that help make them easy to distinguish.

First let’s look at the largest of the three, the Boeing 777. It’s most distinguishing feature is its size…it’s a big one— significantly larger than the 767 or A330. Its engines alone are enormous- some are as wide as the fuselage on a 737!

Huge engine. Slanted cockpit window. No winglet. It’s a Boeing 777! (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

Depending on configuration, the 777 carries around 375 passengers. Smaller 767s and A330s fall in the 250 passenger range.

Airbus 777 Capacity

But relative size is not always easy to determine when the plane is alone on a runway or in the air, so you must look for other features.

The distinguishing flat or bladed tail of the Boeing 777 (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

Another most distinguishing feature of a B777 is its flattened or bladed tail– which is quite different from the conical shapes found on the back end of a 767 or A330.

Winglets? Yes. Square-bottomed cockpit window? Check! Conical tail. Yep! Two wheeled landing gear? Yes! That’s an Airbus A330 (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

Plus, B777s don’t have winglets, while all A330s and some 767s do.

Airbus 777 Capacity

You can also look at the outer edge of the cockpit windows. On Boeing jets, the windows have a sharp diagonal corner while Airbus windows are more square along the bottom edge.

Two wheels. Check! Conical tail. Check! Slanted cockpit window. Check! It’s a 767! (Photo: Boeing)

And finally, look at the wheels– each of the main landing gears on a big Boeing 777 have three sets of wheels, while A330’s and B767s only have two.

Boeing cockpit windows slant up at outer, lower edge (Photo: Chris McGinnis)Lower, outer edge of Airbus windows are square, not slanted up like Boeing windows. (Photo: Chris McGinnis)

I must admit that spotting these three widebodies is tough…even for me, and even after writing this post.

Please share your planespotting tips or advice in the comments below! How do YOU tell the difference between a 777, 767 or A330? Please leave your tips or comments below.

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And don’t miss the TravelSkills Planespotting quiz— 10,000+ readers have taken it! Why not you?

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