
The newest sibling in Boeing’s 737 family, the MAX 9, made its first flight today from the company’s assembly plant in Renton, Wash. – 75 years after the Renton plant opened and 50 years after the first 737 took off.
The 737 MAX 9’s maiden flight began at 10:52 a.m. PT and ended a little less than three hours later, after Boeing’s test pilots put the plane through a series of test maneuvers that ranged from Washington’s Olympic Peninsula to the Spokane Indian Reservation. You can find a recap the flight on Boeing’s website.
Today’s takeoff marked the beginning of a flight test schedule that will continue for months. First deliveries of the MAX 9 are scheduled in 2018.