Watch: 777-9 performs precise landing in howling winds

During takeoffs and landings recently in Lubbock, Texas, intense crosswinds – around 40 knots (46 miles per hour) in the local area – pummeled the 777-9, precisely what the flight test team was looking for.

• The testing demonstrated the airplane’s capabilities in extreme conditions and followed the team’s months-long effort to prepare for and execute the weather-dependent testing.

Ready for test: To identify the right crosswind conditions, Boeing meteorologists monitor weather patterns worldwide, and support teams plan and re-plan logistics.

• “The conditions are pretty rare,” said Capt. Heather Ross, 777-9 project pilot who was at the controls during the crosswind testing. “Everything has to come together perfectly. The airplane has to be ready to go test; the crew has to be ready to go test. We have to have practiced the conditions in our simulator as a team before we're ready to go test. And then we have to get the crosswind conditions.”

Why it matters: “We're looking to establish the maximum amount of crosswind that we can find to demonstrate the airplane can safely land in these extreme conditions,” Ross said. “Those numbers are important because they are used by our customers in their own operations.”

Catch up quick: Boeing has flown the Everett-built 777-9 flight test fleet for more than 1,300 flights and 3,800 flight hours. In addition to Boeing’s own rigorous testing, certification flight testing with the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration is also underway to gather data required for certification.

777X family: The 777X family – including the 777-9, the 777-8 Freighter and the 777-8 passenger airplane – are the newest members of Boeing’s market-leading widebody family. Customers have ordered more than 520 777X airplanes.

• Boeing is working to deliver the first 777-9 in 2026.