21st Century Jet - Building the Boeing 777 - Full Episode 5

PBS 5-part documentary series from 1996 on the creation of the Boeing 777. This video is out of print, so I'm making it available here for internet viewers.
I do not own or claim ownership of this copyright, so please contact me if you want this removed, rather than contacting KZbin.

[@F14-talktomegoose]

Industry needs more of Alan Mulally type individuals , he really immersed himself in the program and showed passion and commitment . Sadly that is lacking these days in corporate leadership positions

[@AviationNut]

The 777 got 180 minute ETOPS which is 3 hours. Now a 787 has a 330 minute ETOPS and the A350 has a 370 minute ETOPS meaning these planes can fly 5.5 to 6.1 hours from the nearest airport, which basically means they can fly any where in the world without restriction. That just shows how reliable jet engines have become.

[@beagle7622]

Latam, Qantas & I believe South African Airlnes operate flights of 787’s that sometimes cross the Antarctic continent to catch the prevailing winds. I live in Melbourne on the flight path from Tasmania . I have seem Latam 787’s coming in from the south onto Melbourne airport. Qantas used to operate 744’s on this route, but they are all in the Californian dessert now. Up north though SAS operate Boeing 737’s into Svalbard twice a day which is further North than McMurdo base is to the South .

[@andreizadasilvapereira5312]

The 777-300ER got its expanded ETOPS to 330 minutes.

[@majedalsaeed4388]

I spent a wonderful time watching all the episodes. I'm amazed how dedicated they were to produce a sophisticated 777. Thanks for sharing this documentary

[@officergregorystevens5765]

Well said, Majed. Happy New Year. Couldn't agree more.

[@luniaenglundt4904]

Also had to watch all 5 episodes in one day😅

[@threeparots1]

I remember watching this on PBS (KCTS9) from Vancouver back in the day. It was somehow was very interesting and quite riveting (no pun intended). Peter Coyote has the perfect narration for this.

[@OHAREAVIATION]

I love this video series so much. Was one of the first aviation documentaries I ever watched. A few years after it was made.

[@SparkplugsK-bn9ou]

Back in 1994, and even now, the Boeing 777 is and was the latest and greatest plane in Boeing's long line of commercial aircraft. Ever since the first flight, people have admired the 777's timeless elegance and sleek lines.

[@kudalkarshadab]

Not only that,this is one bloody stable airplane.

[@mikewatt8706]

747 rules

[@CinemaDemocratica]

It really is the greatest man-made moving object ever.

[@MegaWingman7]

I built those planes 😁

[@MegaWingman7]

I now run the engine development program for the new 777X

[@krflies9840]

Cheers!

[@simonbarr9476]

12:00 - "....any perceptions that the FAA is too cosy with Boeing are flawed...." Sorry but this is completely shown to be the case in reality in 2019 with the 737 MAX MCAS saga.

[@Treetopflyer777]

You wrote exactly what I came in here to write. Funny how history has shown that to be exactly the case.

[@Sir_Gugharde_Wuglis]

I guess things got laxxed over the years.

[@benjwgarner]

Considering the issues that the 787 had, and now the more serious problems with the 737 Max, I wonder if the Boeing-FAA relationship degraded at some point after the 777, or if the McDD merger/aquisition caused problems that an already lax FAA situation did not prevent.

[@chrispeterson735]

My father retired from UAL in 1991 in the DC-10, which this aircraft replaced. Even in retirement, he eagerly followed the development of the 777, and told me many times, "Son I wish I could have flown that baby..." What an outstanding documentary, an outstanding aircraft, and an outstanding group of people up there in Seattle revolutionizing the way a complex machine is made. And the 777 has gone on to be an amazingly reliable, tough airplane. Well done!

[@1diode]

I did not find cues for how Boeing got into the mess they are in today. How did Allan Mulally's inclusive and speak up operating model get corrupted? I did notice the average age of nearly everyone in the series, most people were 50+. Was too much experience lost at once?

[@EAGSAviationYT]

McDonnell safety cultures which later corrupted MD that merged with Boeing in '97

[@MichaelRoma91]

154 BOOM! 154 BAM! 154 BANG!

[@marvin19966]

mike roma this is the comment i was looking for

[@davidellis4031]

Thanks for posting these videos - don't think I've ever seen such a comprehensive account of the development of an airplane. I've always considered the 777 a bit of a boring plane, with just 2 engines and a single deck, but when interesting includes minor foibles like crashing and fiery death boring isn't the worst thing!

[@mrkongsimr]

And it's turned out to be a great plane .

[@jwc3104]

Mr. Alan Mulally eventually became the CEO of Boeing. Then he came to the rescue of the troubled Ford Motor Company in 2006, successfully turned the company around.

[@albertharry9802]

Thanks so much for these uploads. I have thoroughly enjoyed each of these.

[@get_emld]

25 years later and United are still flying these same 777s.

[@royceguan7205]

Pretty sure even United’s first 777 is still flying today.

[@tiadaid]

@@royceguan7205 Indeed - Boeing 777 line no. 2-5, which were delivered to United, is still with them although they were stored during the pandemic (and grounding of the Pratt & Whitney 777s).

[@Junk65]

I work on these 777’s at a major airport in the US. Have been since they first came out. 777-100’s then and now 777-300er . I was on the flight for United Airlines employees from SFO to BOEING to SFO just before the put it in service for paying customers. 26 years later and I still hate changing those center main landing gear tires/ brakes. It’s a big and beautiful airplane ✈️.

[@limeyosu2000]

Love the 777 flown on her many times back to the uk. Sad thing is all the effort and teamwork that was put into this Plane does not seem to have been put into the 737 max! All about money now and cutting corners!

[@alfredemerson1139]

Now the FAA is all over everything on the 737Max. We lost so many good people that took the knowledge with them. The Management had no idea how deep it went, so they stopped the build to ask the membership “what needs changing” #1 finding is the disconnect between Management and how the plan is built.

[@12345fowler]

Alan Mullaly seems to be so a nice guy. Hope he can take CEO position at Boeing now. If he does it would be a chance for Boeing to clean itself up a little bit.

[@tiadaid]

They could have given him the CEO position in the 2000s, but they gave it to an outsider. He went to Ford, and actually helped Ford weather the storm brought on by the Global Economic Crisis in 2008. Because of him, Ford was the only US carmaker that was not bailed out by the government.

[@chavitavb]

lol this comment aged nicely haha.

[@southjerseysound7340]

The 777 is still one of the best planes in the air.I know the 380 gets a lot of hype but I still prefer the 777 and even more so when compared to other Airbus planes.The only plus to the A380 over the 777 for me is you know its not going to be full ;)

[@AviationNut]

The 777 is a very successful aircraft boeing sold almost 1500 of them and still have over 300 on order, plus the new 777X is coming out sometime between 2018 and 2020 which already has 150 orders from Emirates alone, plus another 150 from other airlines. All together up until now there is 306 orders for the new 777X and that's before the plane is even built, when it starts building that's when the orders are really gone start rolling in. Airlines love the 777, if you would ask any airline which is their favorite plane i guarantee most will say it's the 777. The 777 actually killed the A340 which is a nice plane and is one of my favorites from the Airbus family, but 4 engines mean more fuel burn and more maintenance, that's why airlines prefer to go with the 777 then the A340 and that's why Airbus had to shut down production of the A340 because a lot of airlines switched their orders to the 777. Unfortunately the 747-8 intercontinental is not doing well also because airlines prefer the smaller 777 and A350 which are cheaper to operate. Okay i'll shut up now. LOL

[@bowserfaust3132]

Note the critical rubber duckie at 3:02! I remember building components for the "iron bird", as it was called, at Plant 2 in Seattle. Kept us busy in Aerospace Division at the time.

[@colinatlantic]

Bowser Faust what was the duck there for

[@Astronetics]

​@@colinatlantic Important test load analysis work. Just duck stuff.

[@AviationNut]

Wow 24 feet deflection on the wing, that is just amazing that you can bend the wings up as high as a two story house before they fail.

[@RTD1947]

Working Together!!! Great slogan! That is until you are laid off because the program is over and the company doesn't need you anymore! Sad!!! One day you're building a cutting edge jet...next day...flipping hamburgers at McDonald's

[@odiesback]

Thank you so much for loading this series! - Truly enjoyed it, from the first minute to the last.

[@PatrickBijvoet]

This was truly a joy to watch. Ep 1 to 5. The birth of a wonderfull airliner. Btw, is that a bathduck left in the screen at 3:14?

[@CinemaDemocratica]

They put it on the wing as a gag -- I don't remember the exact story but it was an inside joke on the factory floor, involving a misunderstanding somehow.

[@PatrickBijvoet]

@@CinemaDemocratica Thanks 🤣

[@jangrebe3148]

I love how they put a plastic duck at the tip of the wings for the breaking test

[@chrisaddison274]

Fantastic insight to all that it takes to conceptualise and then produce an iconic aircraft. The fact that it all happened through some really tough economic weather makes it even more impressive.

[@Advection357]

Watched all 5 of these series... interesting insight into the world of aeronautic engineering... thoroughly enjoyed it thank you for the post :D

[@tagmisterb]

I watched this when it originally aired in '96 and found it fascinating. It's just as interesting now. It's a shame the DVD seems to be so scarce, I imagine the picture would look a bit better than this VHS rip.

[@anels9]

Does anyone know the registration of the united test aircraft for the etops certification flights?

[@Moss235]

Little did we know that this was the beginning of the end for the 747

[@BrandanTheBroker]

It was coming as soon as 2 engine planes could cross the Atlantic, but still sad to see it happen

[@Sir_Gugharde_Wuglis]

747-8i and 747-8f: ‘are we a joke to you.’

[@jaredjeffs]

777-9 “Am I a joke to you?”

[@aseem7w9]

@@jaredjeffs 777-9 is the replacement of the 747 replacement (777-300ER)

[@miquel440]

Boeing,s finest hour..I think their masterpiece.Probably the best plane in the world.

[@Wardog22476]

It is the best plane in the world :) I call it the "777 Jackpot" from the Casino Slot machine. "One quarter grant that one person to win billions!" Translation: One 777 from Boeing made billions" :)

[@jumpingjeffflash9946]

it's absolutely amazing what man can do. all these thousands of people to make that plane, test, fix, re-design and engineer these things. It's easy to see how safe flying is. I watched all these documentaries, this was awesome.

[@fdxdsm]

And now they are entering Cargo Service. What a spectacular Airframe!

[@CinemaDemocratica]

The launch-customer / design episode The collaborate-to-build episode The engines episode The rollout to VMU episode The ETOPS episode

[@macsrule94]

All of this testing paid off, no fatal crashes due to mechanical problems, only crash that had been was caused by Rolls Royce in London. No problems with the P&W Engines

[@Cartoonman154]

It was a blocked fuel line due to ice build up. Also, a Pratt & Whitney PW4000 exploded on an United Airlines 777.

[@HenryFalkner]

What amazes me is that after the 777 experiences, the 787 design and building process created yet another string of stuff-ups. But then Airbus has had their stuff-ups, too. Right at the beginning the A300 flew into the ground without a pilot over-ride capability.

[@nirmalsahoo68]

Boeing is my personal favorite. The Boeing aircrafts always fascinate me. It will be a huge milestone for me to be at the Everett Paine field and dream come true.

[@theTAILlor]

This was a fantastic look behind the curtains. I love flying and have traveled on a 777 once domestically. Wish I could travel more international.

[@corybrayshaw9927]

Nice to see that this aircraft is still flying!

[@JDAbelRN]

I expect after 1400 copies of 777 being built, they will last decades more. What a documentary, and a brilliant jet aircraft 777 is!

[@justincase3880]

Back in the mid 90s, I was tasked by the phone company I was with, to upgrade part of the 911 comm system at the airport Fire and Rescue team (known as the ARFF Firehouse). I witnessed the firemen watching training videos, dealing with possible fire events, for the new gigantic airplanes & engines …

[@maninthecab]

Interesting to note the 2+5+2 seat layout rather than the 3+3+3 that seems to be the norm now .

[@dmcnamara9859]

maninthecab BA tried 10 abreast in economy(in the 777) for a short time until passengers response was revolt-like and flight bookings lowered. BA was even cramming 1st class/Business Class passengers in the 777 for period of time to.

[@tiadaid]

Malaysia Airlines had a 2+5+2 layout in Economy on their 777s. I recall flying from Los Angeles to Tokyo in 2012 and was able to have the entire row of 5 seats to myself. I slept soundly across the seats!

[@EpicThe112]

Cathay pacific had them on their B777-200s around 2012 these were changed to the 3-3-3 layout and kept them to their retirement in 2019. My first flight was a B777-200 MNL-HKG

[@guyfromkk]

I still remember when my mother told me of her first time on-board the B777 (the -200ER version) back in 1999, she recalled, "what room is this?" explaining to me how big is the cabin. I finally got my first B777 flight in 2002.

[@pastorlarrypotts8289]

I really enjoyed watching the entire series. Love the phrase "working together." And they showed how they did it.

[@hamentaschen]

"These pretzels are making me thirsty!"

[@billotto602]

I've worked on Boeing aircraft since 1985. I didn't get much time to work on the 777. But typical Boeing she was a beautiful aircraft. I liked Douglas aircraft also, each had good points & bad, Boeing were & are my favorite. Screw Airbus. They're Hugo's with wings. Disposable airplanes ✈. I'm retired now & have no desire to fly anything but Boeing . One question: WHERE is episode #1 ???

[@RomanAlexander1]

Thanks for posting these marvellous videos. Absolutely fascinating. I seem to remember the BBC making a similar series. But in that one, they fitted an engine to a 747 and deliberately destroyed it in midair, to see if the other engine could still fly the plane.

[@anels9]

One of the greatest planes boeing has ever built. Wonderful documentary, i wish there were more like it. I cant wait to see the 777X carry on the classic 777 legacy for decades to come

[@zeeshanabbas9049]

Sir Alan Mulally is pure American dream. Nice and composed leader, charismatic and dashing. Simply awesome guy.

[@wilburfinnigan2142]

BOEING and TIME has proven the 777 IS the BEST plane in the world.

[@emmanuelsavage1271]

This is a series I always enjoyed watching!

[@robert33112]

Good documentary !

[@bruceghent8776]

After this monument to technical excellence was achieved, what happened to Boeing?

[@Sir_Gugharde_Wuglis]

4:58 how is 154 not an aviation meme?

[@bowserfaust3132]

Lol, @ 50:36, the "an all-girl flight"

[@terrythomas1690]

I really wish the English could pronounce The English Language Properly "!!!

[@scottirvine121]

Lol aye, I really wish Americans didn't make up their own rules and spelling and weigh and measure shit in a foreign language

[@leoandplanes]

Thanks for sharing this video really love it!

[@dadjdemitri]

Thanks so much for sharing this!

[@IAD_Flyer]

The bank officer keep on saying "predetermined account". Is that to keep the purchase price secret?

[@bowserfaust3132]

There are list prices, a la sticker prices for cars, but there are discounts for volume purchases and preferred customers. Nothing out of the ordinary. Car salesmen call a person who pays sticker price a "barefoot pilgrim." Best to be forearmed with all the data on your side.

[@macsrule94]

8:44 AM CDT? So the people at Boeing in Seattle were there at 6:44 AM???

[@sherrysnyder6410]

Absolutely. Depends on where the the airline is from and where the money is being drawn. If you are not good at being good with delivery timing, it gets harder to convince the banker on the other side of the planet to stay open for you. My guess is that they had to wait for the FAA Registry to open that day.

[@jacobjahr9573]

I would be to pocket over $100 million!

[@ghostrider-be9ek]

Take note, this is the LAST quality and safe aircraft Boeing ever engineered. Everything else since (787, 777x, 737m) is subpar in quality comparison to this.

[@triple7marc]

What about the 737NG? That’s one of the safest and most popular aircraft in the world. And how are the 787 and 777X subpar? Both have had some issues but that doesn’t mean they’re crap. The 737 MAX design isn’t bad, it was just rushed and Boeing’s quality control has gone downhill. That isn’t unique to the type (apart from the MCAS issue).

[@ghostrider-be9ek]

@@triple7marc wow, so why did the product supervisors from the factory, refuse to fly on these then? Are you a bot?

[@triple7marc]

@@ghostrider-be9ek Refuse to fly on what? Which airplane are you talking about, and why did you ignore my question. Yes I’m a bot. 🤖🤖🤖 I’m also being paid a million dollars by Boeing to defend their planes in comment sections. Paid shill here.

[@ghostrider-be9ek]

@@triple7marc the boeing internal supervisors refuse to fly in the 787, are you really this dumb to not be privy to common knowledge in the industry? stop commenting if you are not from the industry and have no clue and one does not get paid millions to be handling information, its pennies per word

[@triple7marc]

@@ghostrider-be9ek The 787 has flown safely for 13 years 🤣 yeah there were some issues when it was first launched but the safety statistics speak for themselves. “Everyone who disagrees with me is a paid shill.”

[@Kalkaekie]

Fantastic videos showing the 777 program !! Really enjoyed them !!

[@godfreyharvest]

great video! thank you so much for the upload.

[@sebastianmartinezsantos5289]

11:47 Who would have thought that over the years it would become true. I have confidence in the Boeing team's ability to recover.

[@cdc3415]

Thank you so much for sharing these wonderful episodes.

[@Junk65]

Yes we still call this 777 Bigfoot on the line . 6 tires on each foot.

[@asifshishir2094]

excellent documentary, just amazing! and now my most favorite person is Alan Mullaly ;-)

[@ilc-nl3yy]

United pays cash? No plane payments?

[@Sanginius23]

when Boeing peaked

[@theskyline1425]

11:33 I think that was a foreshadow of what would happen with the 737 Max because of that 'cozy' relationship

[@brombrombromley]

I really don't want to 154.

[@scottirvine121]

So slow and bits of paper and confirmation of confirmation blah blah, I wonder if this process is a fraction of the time in the modern world. No laser printers, email but an ink stamp 😂 ah the 90s!

[@jillbourgeois1467]

thankyou this was amazing

[@The_ZeroLine]

Imagine 419 people jump down the slide in front of you, but you can’t do it. Humiliating.

[@F14-talktomegoose]

39:52 he didn't seem real happy to sign off, kinda like signing for a traffic ticket , bit of a let down for those involved I would have thought ( disregarding the applause)

[@IANinALTONA]

11:43 - that did not age well...

[@brianwong6195]

24:31 The supplier built the component to Boeing requirements, explained how they would demonstrate meeting them and passed those tests. How can you pass the blame to the supplier here? Sounds like a lack of honesty and ownership of messing up.

[@theandyshow2167]

See this has problems. That’s why people died.

[@triple7marc]

?

[@Trump145]

I enjoyed all 5 episodes

[@blueskys8814]

I really like the 777 I flew to India from Chicago in one very nice airplane. *****

[@MiturBinEsderty]

Original 777 done in 5 years 777x a decade Boeing is in trouble. I think it the quality of the employees. Those old grey white men in this video would be replaced by blue haired trans lesbian poc. For diversity rather than who is the best for the job.’

[@mikewatte4478]

The oxygen masks only last a few minutes

[@christainmarks106]

The Etops part of this segment didn’t age well. The part where they say the FAA was accused of being too cozy with Boeing. That accusation will resurface with 737 Max disasters.

[@AA-ks7bo]

i was thinking the exact same lmao. like boyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy that didn't age well

[@HafizBahar]

the best plane in the world next to the 787 and the 747

[@aom808]

51:24 nice pose nice pants

[@joeyjoejoe172]

jeez 6ft people face mask..what is wrong with these people🤣

[@Reitoft]

Well... Hafiz... I like the 777 a lot - but admit that A380 is an even greater travel experience... and also A340 is great... more silent than Boeing.. Haven't tried the 787 - looking forward to that :-)

[@omitchellnz76]

I disagree, Boeing all the way, but then Boeing vs Airbus is like Microsoft vs Apple, Nvdia vs AMD, Ford vs Chevy, one of those great rivalries that will go on for years and each side will develop their own supporters and fans...

[@Sovereign_Citizen_LEO]

Have you ever flown on a 777?

[@Reitoft]

Wolfpack-NZ - I like both Boeing and Airbus and honestly if it should compare to Microsoft vs Apple - I would choose Apple and hint that would be the Airbus in my opinion! :-)

[@sp769]

Morten Reitoft That's why opinions are like arseholes-everybodies got one. boeing are the rolls royce of aircraft where airbus are the toyota corollas.

[@LowBudgetKiwi]

sam phi Actually Sam, the 86 Corolla is still one of the best hooning cars around :) But yeah Boeing are the best

[@JamesFrancoSwiss]

Is that Tootsie at 45:58 ?

[@aerlial360]

+James Whitlock Hilarious. For a movie that came out in 1982 you have a great memory.

[@marspp]

11:50... well that turned out to be exactly the opposite of what’s stated here when they built the MAX. Maybe the seeds were sown in how Boeing and FAA worked on this and then they all got complacent.

[@qalba3016]

The Problem of Boeing 737 is the design of the aircraft is the same since it came to service, I hate that aircraft, she killed so many innocent lives and every time the aircraft design has flaws and especially the 737 can not even accommodate the landing gear properly, even the wings are to small to the engine size

[@marspp]

@@qalba3016 the wings and the landing gear have not killed people. How is that relevant?

[@srpacific]

@@qalba3016 what are you talking about it’s been through three distinct designs throughout its history. The only thing the same is the type rating and handling characteristics so that pilots don’t need to re-train

[@bigtaxrefund]

@ 40:11 a purchaser buys a plane of that cost and all u give them is "sugar and carbohydrates" as donuts?..im in an island of 1.5 million and we go all out with tasty well prepared food and drinks to the max..

[@hoderharris]

We now know the FAA essentially allows Boeing to use it's own engineers to certify much of what the FAA says is certifiable. That's why the 737 max had issues imo. The relationship between FAA and Boeing is to symbiotic.

[@Astronetics]

11:40 Oh really? That perception is flawed... 🤣 Who is this guy? Someone run this back to him and get an answer (if he's even alive). We sit here now knowing full well the regulatory agency was way too lax with certification hence the whole 737MAX tragic story.

[@ventasriveramaya]

As of 2022 Boeing has abandoned the working together principal

[@danmain7624]

The perception that the FAA was too cosy with Boeing ,was not only a perception after the 737max incidents ,contrary to the statement at 11:48.

[@rouser301]

This entire set of videos could've been 1 1/2 hours shorter without unnecessary footage of over-detailed executive meetings discussing things that were already shown, excessive patting of their own backs, things like scenes involving exercise sessions with workers and overly long (and boring) explanations that could've been covered in seconds instead of minutes. I found it interesting, but played it at 1.25 speed and still had to skip forward.

[@Skier10]

You must be fun at parties

[@stratus262j2]

The 777 is just another ugly piece of crap, and I'm sure those on board the Las Vegas plane that caught fire would agree. Would someone please bring back the REAL airplanes : The B-707, B-720, B-727, DC-8, DC-9, Convair 880 & 990, VC-10 and the CONCORDE !!

[@theroamingtofu9628]

+Stratus 262J BULLSHARDS, the dc-3 and the Lockheed Electra is even better!

[@maitele]

+Stratus 262J Did you... did you even watch this documentary?

[@Sir_Gugharde_Wuglis]

To each their own.

[@shane7133]

All the old bags talking about danish pastries and hydrangeas lol

[@bendover9411]

Wing test was awesome!

[@givemepizzaorgivemedeath3983]

the music for this documentary sucked. It sounded like a funeral dirge.