Boeing
Boeing's newest airliner took the sky for the first time on Friday. The Boeing 737 Max took off from the company's Renton, Washington factory for a two-and-a-half hour maiden flight before landing at Boeing Field near Seattle.
The first completed 737 Max 8 airliner rolled out of the assembly facility in Renton last month and was presented at a ceremony in front of several thousand Boeing employees.
The prototype took off for its inaugural flight with Boeing's flight operations vice president and chief test pilot, Craig Bomben, and Captain Ed Wilson at the controls.
Over the years, the 737 family has become the best-selling airliner in the history of commercial aviation, with more than 13,000 aircraft sold since 1965. It is arguably Boeing's bread-and-butter model.
"We think we have a terrific product here," Boeing 737 Max program general manager Keith Leverkuhn said following the flight. "We think it's going to be the preferred aircraft in the market."
Here's a closer the at the history of the Boeing 737 and the 4th generation Max.
Since its introduction in 1967, Boeing's 737 has helped revolutionize short- to medium-range air travel. Upon its debut, the original 737 was dubbed the "baby Boeing."WikipediaThe 737 offered airlines a capable and reliable aircraft at a much lower price than Boeing's larger and more expensive 707 and 727 models — perfect for short routes between cities.AP
In the late 1970s, Boeing developed a generation of 737 jets called the "Classic Series." These jets offered more range and seating capacity. In addition, the Classic Series was offered with the new CFM56 turbofan engines, which provided greatly improved fuel economy and power.Flickr/Aero Icarus
In 1997, Boeing introduced a further upgraded series of 737 called the "737 Next Generation."AP
Equipped with updated avionics, a full-glass cockpit, and fuel-saving winglets, these are the 737s we see in service today.Flickr/redlegsfan21
See the rest of the story at Business Insider
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