THE FIRST General Electric GE90-powered Boeing 777 was expected to begin flying again around 17 July following the installation of new platform spacers in the engines.
Both GE-powered aircraft were grounded for more than seven weeks by the discovery of a fan imbalance during ground-based birdstrike tests on the 92,000lb (410kN) thrust version.
New spacers were validated in tests at Wright Patterson AFB, Ohio, and at Villaroche, France, on 7 July. Hardware was being shipped to Seattle, Washington, as Flight International went to press. The new spacers take 4h per engine to install.
Despite the test delay, Boeing and GE still hope to deliver the first GE90-powered 777 to British Airways in September. The GE90 has now completed over 13,500 endurance cycles and operated for more than 65h at thrust levels exceeding 445kN.
Pratt & Whitney held a "last bolt" ceremony on 14 July to mark the completion of the first 400kN PW4090 engine for heavier versions of the 777-200. P&W will begin tests aimed at obtaining PW4090 certification in early 1997.
Source: Flight International
