Boeing 747-8 Freighter takes first flight

The interior of a Boeing 747 cargo plane

The Boeing 747-8 Freighter took to the sky for the first time today (February 9). The flight marks the start of a test programme for what Boeing describes as “the world’s most efficient freighter”.

With 747 chief pilot Mark Feuerstein and Captain Tom Imrich in the flight deck, the newest member of the 747 family took off at 12:39 pm local time from Paine Field in Everett, USA before more than 5000 employees, customers, suppliers and community leaders and landed at Paine Field at 4:18 pm.

Today’s flight was the first of more than 1600 flight hours in the test programme for the aircraft.

The airplane followed a route over Western Washington, where it underwent tests for basic handling qualities and engine performance. It reached a cruising altitude of 17,000 feet (5,181 m) and a speed of up to 230 knots, or about 264 miles (426 km) per hour.

Boeing’s new freighter is 250 feet, 2 inches (76.3 m) long, which is 18 feet, 4 inches (5.6 m) longer than the 747-400 freighter. The stretch provides customers with 16% more revenue cargo volume compared with its predecessor. That translates to an additional four main-deck pallets and three lower-hold pallets.

The plane manufacturer has firm orders for eighteen 747-8 freighters: 10 from Cargolux of Luxembourg and eight from Nippon Cargo Airlines of Japan. In addition, Dubai Aerospace Enterprise and Emirates SkyCargo have ordered the 747-8 freighter, amongst others.

FBE Aerospace analyst Saj Ahmad commented that Boeing had set its sights on monopolising the large freighter market with the new model.

“The 747-8F will serve a niche market, but without competition. The A330F will always be pressurised by the bigger, more capable 777F.”

Advertisement

FEATURED COMMENT Please click here to comment on this article