777: Transcendent. 787: Toy

There are a few types of people in the world: those who are strong, those who are intelligent, and those who who believe Boeing’s 787 is a better aircraft than the 777.

Let’s cut to the chase: the 787 is a toy. And the 777 is humanity’s magnum opus.

The 777 is significant. It is iconic. It conveys a sense of strength and wonder with its notable length and sizable girth (3-4-3 economy seating). It was the first aircraft Boeing developed entirely with computer-aided design (CAD), and their first plane that didn’t require an expensive full-sized physical mockup. Beautiful and cost-conscious.

The 787 on the other hand is flimsy, its wings arching on takeoff in manner that can only be discerned as flaccid.

It was several years behind schedule. Suppliers from around the world rallied behind the airframe, building wings and fuselage sections abroad and delivering them on Boeing’s Dreamlifter to the Everett factory for final assembly - except they didn’t even line up. Everything required rework. The first airframes off the line were so overweight airlines didn’t want them. A globalization debacle. And what is that nose?

And those windows: toyishly large and completely unrefined. They make the airplane look akin to a toddler’s Fischer-Price plaything. They are but one issue among many that point to a common theme: the 787 was designed to look futuristic but didn’t quite hit the mark. It will age terribly.

On the other hand, the 777 is timeless. It has aged gracefully and will continue to do so, its light brown cockpit a fine whiskey contrasting the 787’s grey sludge interior.

And the 787’s GEnx and Trent 1000 engines? Fuel efficient, perhaps. But the 777’s GE90-115B transcends, sucking air through its 135” diameter fan blades and delivering 115,000 lbs of thrust each.

The 777 is bold and powerful. Incomparable and stunning. A sistine chapel.

A tantalizing pleasure.

A substitute for pornography.