Boeing Business Jets Revel In First Flyaway Of BBJ MAX Aircraft
Boeing had good reason to celebrate recently as the world-leading manufacturer of commercial and business jets saw the flyaway of its first narrow-bodied BBJ (Boeing Business Jet) MAX aircraft. As a business jet decedent of the company’s new 737 MAX family, BBJ MAX aircraft offer extended range, more fuel-efficient engines, enhanced aerodynamics, and advanced systems.
Reportedly registered as N329BJ, the BBJ MAX 8 that departed Boeing Field in Seattle April 16 landed in Georgetown, Delaware, where it’s to receive a PATS auxiliary fuel tank. Besides the BJJ MAX 8, the BJJ MAX family includes the BJJ MAX 7 and BJJ MAX 9. Broadly, the BJJ family also includes high-performance versions of Boeing’s 787 Dreamliner, 777, and 747-8 aircraft.
A Game-Changer
Aloft AeroArchitects of Delaware will reportedly install the auxiliary fuel tank, after which the aircraft’s new owner (currently undisclosed) will be able to fly the aircraft up to 6,640 nautical miles (12,297 kilometers) in a standard configuration. The BJJ MAX 8 extends the range of the BBJ 2 it’s replacing by 1,010 nautical miles (1,871 kilometers). The BJJ MAX 8 will reportedly head to Comlux in Indianapolis later this year to undergo completions work before it’s delivered next year. The first “green” deliveries of the BBJ MAX 9 and BBJ MAX 7 are set for 2020 and 2022, respectively.
In a news release, Greg Laxton, head of Boeing Business Jets, said BBJ MAX aircraft will have the ability to connect distant cities similar to a wide-bodied commercial jet. “It’s one of the reasons why this game-changing airplane outsold the competition four to one last year,” he said.
20 & Counting
Boeing reports that customers globally have placed roughly 20 orders for BBJ MAX aircraft. Since launching the family in 1996, Boeing has taken 258 orders and delivered 233 BBJ aircraft. “We are excited to see the first BBJ MAX come to life and fly through the development milestones,” Laxton said. “In the past few weeks, the airplane has achieved factory rollout, first flight, multiple certifications, and now flyway."
The BBJ MAX 8, introduced in 2014, and other BJJ MAX aircraft will be powered by new CFM International Leap-1B engines, which Boeing says “combine the efficiency of 787 engines with the high cycle durability” of current 737 aircraft. BJJ MAX aircraft will also feature MAX Advanced Technology winglets using “natural laminar flow” to reduce drag and improve range by 2.5% on long-range treks compared to blended winglets, Boeing states.
Measuring 117.8 feet (35.9 meters) across the wings, 40.3 feet (12.3 meters) high, and 129.5 feet (39.5 meters) long, the BJJ MAX 8’s cabin stretches 98.5 feet (30 meters) and offers 1,025 square feet (95.2 square meters) of space. The BBJ MAX 7’s cabin measures 85.8 (26.11 meters) long, which is 6.3 feet (1.93 nautical miles) longer than the original BJJ, while the BJJ MAX 9’s cabin measure’s 107.6 feet (32.7 meters).
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Source: Boeing
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