Boeing

The largest and newest Boeing Next-Generation 737 jetliner ever made took to the skies over Washington state today on its maiden flight.

The Boeing 737-900, which is painted in red, white and blue Boeing livery, will be delivered to launch customer Alaska Airlines in April 2001. It rolled down the runway at the Renton Municipal Airport in Renton, Wash., then took off at 10:06 a.m. PDT, flying north over Lake Washington. The airport is located adjacent to the Boeing Commercial Airplanes final assembly plant where Boeing 737s are manufactured.

Boeing Capts. Mike Carriker and Mark Feuerstein flew the airplane, west toward the Pacific Ocean, then flew south to Astoria, Ore., and back and forth over Washington State's Olympic Peninsula before landing at Boeing Field in Seattle.

At Boeing Field, the airplane was greeted by a group of employees from Boeing that included Alan Mulally, president, Boeing Commercial Airplanes Group.

"This is a fantastic airplane for Alaska Airlines," said Mulally. "It's going to allow them to fly more passengers than any other airplane in their fleet and it's got great economics, too. It's the most fuel-efficient single-aisle twinjet on the market today. We are very proud of Alaska's leadership with the development of the 737 family."

During the 2-hour 58-minute flight, Carriker and Feuerstein conducted a series of tests on the airplane's systems and structures. The two were in constant radio contact with a group of flight-test engineers waiting at Boeing Field.

The flight-test phase of the 737-900 development program began with the Thursday flight. Over the next several months, this airplane and one other 737-900 flight-test airplane are scheduled to complete an estimated 380 flight-test hours and 120 ground-test hours. The testing must be completed before the 737-900 can be certified by regulatory agencies in the U.S. and Europe.