Boeing is keeping pace with its aggressive rollout and test flight schedule, taking the slightly stretched 737 MAX 9 for its first flight on Tuesday morning under the command of Boeing Production Test Pilot Christine Walsh, who is also the Deputy Chief Pilot for the 737 MAX program. N7379E departed Renton, Washington, just under an hour after Boeing’s scheduled 10 a.m. departure for a scheduled two-hour test flight ending at Seattle’s Boeing Field.
This first 737 MAX 9 rolled off the production line with great fanfare early last month, the same week that the MAX 8 received its FAA certification. The Boeing 787-10 took its first flight two weeks ago. Boeing has committed to three siblings in the 737 MAX family (MAX 7, MAX 8, and MAX 9) with a possibly of adding the super-stretched MAX 10X. The MAX 9 is stretched for three more rows of seats than the MAX 8. In order to accommodate another three rows over the MAX 9, the MAX 10X is reported to require a fairly significant landing gear redesign, but would accommodate up to 230 passengers. The original 737, which first flew 50 years ago, had a maximum seating capacity of only 130.
Image Credit: Boeing and FlightAware
