Engines
GE9X Takes Flight on 747 Testbed
First flight from Victorville, California, lasts more than four hours
GE Aviation's Boeing 747 testbed takes off with a GE9X attached to the inner pylon of its left wing from Victorville, California. (Photo: GE Aviation)
GE Aviation's Boeing 747 testbed takes off with a GE9X attached to the inner pylon of its left wing from Victorville, California. (Photo: GE Aviation)

The GE9X engine lifted off on March 13 under one of the the wings of GE Aviation’s 747 flying testbed for its first flight test from Victorville, California, the engine company announced Wednesday. The engine destined to power the new Boeing 777X took to the air at around 10:40 a.m. local time and flew for more than four hours. The aircraft and engine completed the entire test card and validated the operational and functional characteristics that will allow the test campaign to progress in subsequent flights.