While
we always knew that the Boeing 777 was a mammoth achievement in
aviation, a few incredible facts have been popping up today about its huge GE-90 engines
that we wanted to share (Bangalore Aviation/The Atlantic via @bill
gross):
All of the engines on the Titanic delivered
around 46,000 horsepower combined. Just one of the GE units on the 777
puts out over 111,000 horsepower. For a modern comparison, that is
equivalent to the power of 1,110 of the Mazda2 we recently tested.
The
engines are so large that they are almost the same diameter as the
fuselage of the Boeing 737.
During
takeoff, the engines are gulping about 2 MILLION cubic feet of air per
minute. To put that into perspective, the Bugatti Veyron, one of the fastest
cars in the world, takes in 45,000 cubic feet of air per minute at full speed.
According to Top Gear's speed test, that is how much air
a human breathes in four days.
Each
engine costs $24 million. For the price of one engine you could get this
beautiful Swiss home and two engines would get you three 1957 Ferrari 250
Testa Rossas, the most expensive car ever sold at auction.
The
next time you are on one of these flying powerhouses, just keep in mind what it
takes to get it in the air.
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