The Boeing 777X is a massive aircraft that has folding wings, but it can’t fly with them like that. Here’s why the wings fold up and what purpose they serve.
If you’ve ever visited an aviation museum like the San Diego Air & Space Museum, you’re probably familiar with the F4U-7 Corsair, a striking World War II-era fighter that is notable for its gull wings, which fold to save space on aircraft carriers. It’s one of the world’s most recognizable planes due to its unique wing design, but the idea of a folding wing is even older than the Corsair, patented a mere 17 years after the Wright Brothers’ first flight by a man named F.M. Osborne.
Today, there are a few modern planes with wings that fold, including the F-35C, which has folding wingtips to allow more to be stored on an aircraft carrier, and the new Boeing 777X, the first commercial plane ever to boast wings that fold. Of course, no one plans to land a 777X on an aircraft carrier, but it is a similar space-saving design to that Corsair you can see in museums.
