On Saturday, March 28 at The Museum of Flight, crew members aboard the first Boeing 777 flight will present their recollections of the airliner's historic development program and subsequent evolution. This panel discussion includes Capt. John Cashman, 777 Project Pilot; Ken Higgins, Vice President of Flight Operations (ret.); and Jack Hessburg, 777 Chief Mechanic. Moderating the panel is Capt. Dennis O'Donoghue, Vice President of Boeing Test and Evaluation. The program is at 2 p.m. in the William M. Allen Theater, and is free with admission to the Museum.
The panelists will discuss the "Triple Seven's" development and its extraordinary 14 years in service. The program will be supported by still and video images that capture the excitement and challenge of bringing a new airplane design to market.
The Boeing 777 program was launched in October 1990 with an order from United Airlines. The plane is the first jetliner to be 100 percent digitally designed using three-dimensional computer graphics. The airplane was "pre-assembled" on the computer throughout the design process, eliminating the need for a costly, full-scale mock-up. The first 777 entered service on June 7, 1995. Since then 777s have made more than two million flights. There are currently six models of the airplane including the 777 Freighter. The Triple Seven is also the first airplane to have a rose named after it. The rose was developed by an Olympia, Wash. nursery, and is deep purple-red with a citrus-like fragrance.
