The first Boeing 717-200 powered by two BMW Rolls-Royce took to the air for the first time from Long Beach, California, last Wednesday, crossing the state to land at Boeing's Yuma, Arizona, flight test center as planned.

The latest model of the MD-95, re-named after the takeover by Boeing of McDonnell Douglas, the 717-200 is the newest member of the large and growing family of Boeing commercial airliners. It is due to be certified next year and enter service with launch customer AirTran Airlines (formerly ValuJet).

The BMW-Rolls-Royce BR715 engine, certified last month, is the latest member of the BR700 engine family to be developed since the Anglo-German partnership was formed. With a thrust of between 18,500 and 21,000 pounds and a fan diameter of 58 inches, it is larger than the 15,000-pound BR710 which powers both the world's large ultra-long-range business jets, the Gulfstream V and Global Challenger, and is to power the RAF's re-worked Nimrod MRA4 maritime patrollers.

Dr. Klaus Nittinger, chairman of the joint venture company, said that with the maiden flight of the Boeing 717 BMW Rolls-Royce had entered the most exciting chapter in its history.

By Bob Rodwell