The Boeing 737 MAX 9 completed its first flight on April 13, 2017, in the skies above Puget Sound. The test program achieved the milestone on schedule, beginning a comprehensive flight-test program leading to certification and delivery.
The airplane completed a successful 2 hour, 42-minute flight, taking off from Renton Field in Renton, Washington, at 10:52am local time and landing at 1:34pm at Seattle’s Boeing Field.
Piloted by Boeing Test and Evaluation Captains Christine Walsh and Ed Wilson, the aircraft performed tests on flight controls, systems and handling qualities. The MAX 9 will now undergo comprehensive flight testing before customer deliveries begin in 2018.
The MAX 9 is the second member of Boeing’s industry 737 MAX family, with a maximum capacity of 220 passengers and a range of 3,515 nautical miles.
“The 737 MAX team continues to fire on all cylinders,” said Keith Leverkuhn, vice president and general manager, 737 MAX program, Boeing Commercial Airplanes. “Each new milestone we meet builds knowledge and experience that gets leveraged to keep the program moving forward on track.”
The MAX 8 and 9 will be followed in 2019 by the smaller MAX 7 and higher capacity MAX 200, while studies and customer discussions continue on further growth of the aircraft family.
Watch a video of the first flight here.
Edited by Michael Jones
