Photo: Paul Lewis- Boeing
Boeing rolled out its first Boeing 737 MAX 10 airplane last week.
MAX 10 has an overall length of 43.8m / 143 feet 8 inches, which is 66 inches longer than MAX 9., that could carry up to 188 passengers in a two-class layout, and up to 230 in a single-class layout.
Since Boeing decided to maintain almost 737 design layout, it faced with a problem of a shorter landing gear used on 737 family aircraft to handle stretched MAX 10.
Boeing engineers came out with the new, innovative solution for the airplane’s main landing gear, so that it could fit into the same size landing gear bay when retracted..
More than 95 percent of the design and 90 percent of the build of the MAX 10 is identical to previous models. The primary difference in the MAX 10 compared to other models is in the new, levered design of the main landing gear.
What makes this landing gear so unique? It has two key features that are critical for the longer design of the MAX 10: A lever that allows the landing gear to extend 241mm (9.5in) upon takeoff, and a shrinking mechanism called a “shrink link” that helps the gear retract to fit into the existing wheel well.
MAX 10 powered by GE leap engines will be making its first flights in 2020.
Boeing recorded 531 Max 10s on order, compared to 3,142 A321neos sold.