World Record-Holding 777 Is Back Home Again

World Record-Holding 777 Is Back Home Again

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Story Published: Nov 17, 2005 at 2:44 PM PDT

Story Updated: Aug 31, 2006 at 2:08 AM PDT

By Michelle Esteban

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SEATTLE - After making history, Boeing's newest 777 is home again at Boeing Field.

The world knows her as the 777 Worldliner. But her crew knows her as "Blue Baby 2."

"The factory guys say when you put power on them for the first time is when the airplane gets its personality," saud Suzanna Darcy-Hennemann.

"Blue Baby 2" was the second baby off the line -- and she's one big baby, weighing in at 766,000 pounds.

And that's not her only bragging right.

Last week, Blue Baby 2 and eight pilots, including Chief Pilot Suzanna Darcy-Hennemann and Captain John Cashman, made history. They flew nonstop from Hong Kong to London. It's a Guinness Book World Record for a nonstop commercial flight.

"Once we hit the first jet stream, coming over the Pacific you could feel the airplane settle down into the jet stream and to me it was like a very fine Thoroughbred with its nose into the wind dashing for home," said Darcy-Hennemann.

She told me it was a flawless flight -- all 22 hours and 42 minutes of it. Bad weather stayed below them, with a constant tailwind behind them.

"After a certain amount of flying --23 hours -- you're happy to have it over with. At the same time, it was a great experience and you didn't want that to end," says Captain Cashman.

Blue Baby 2 is quite a bird. Tired pilots can go upstairs (yes, upstairs) to rest, while the next crew takes the controls. Double crews are a must for ultra long-range flights.

"Even though it's a long time in the air, it's less total travel time to get where they want to go," says Cashman.

The 777 Worldliner is all about luxury. First class and the business section come equipped with private entertainment centers and 15-inch monitors. And if you really miss home, all you have to do is look up. Fiber optic stars in the ceiling are configured to the same stars you'd see at home in Seattle.

The crew says this 777 is better than anything Airbus has and will help Boeing sell more planes than their European arch-rival.

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