Boeing

The Boeing 777-300ER (Extended Range) airplane completed its first intercontinental flight today, June 13, 2003, arriving this morning at the Le Bourget, France, airport for the 45th Paris Air Show. The non-stop, 4,475 nautical mile (8,288 kilometer) flight from Seattle took 9 hours, 25 minutes. During the flight the crew completed various tests.

Boeing Pilots Jim Metcalfe and Dennis O'Donoghue were at the controls of the newest 777. They followed the Great Circle Route -- the shortest distance between Paris and Seattle -- taking the airplane to 63 degrees north latitude. Air speed was Mach .84, which is a true air speed of approximately 490 knots (564 miles per hours, 907 kilometers per hour).