Thu, Aug 04, 2011
Newest Member Of The 747 Family On Track For Certification,
Delivery
The new Boeing 747-8 freighter successfully completed its
certification flight test program Tuesday, with two airplanes
landing at Paine Field in Everett, WA. Flight test airplane RC522
completed testing of the flight management computer (FMC) and RC523
completed function & reliability (F&R) testing.
Boeing Photo
"This is such a great day for the new
747-8 and for all the employees who played a part in designing,
building and testing this incredible, game-changing airplane," said
Elizabeth Lund, Boeing vice president and general manager, 747
program. "We are in the home stretch in delivering this airplane to
our customers."
The first 747-8 Freighter is scheduled to be delivered to launch
customer Cargolux in September after certification from the FAA.
The 747-8 freighter has flown more than 1,200 flights and 3,400
hours since its first flight Feb. 8, 2010. During that time, the
five-airplane test fleet was used to gather data for more than
1,700 FAA certification requirements. Boeing tested the
capabilities of these airplanes far beyond what they are expected
to encounter in normal service. Tests concluded with F&R
testing, a final phase in which an airplane must accrue 300
FAA-approved flight hours in its final delivery
configuration.
"My team and I had the pleasure of spending hundreds of hours in
these airplanes," said 747 Chief Pilot Mark Feuerstein. "We can
truly say this airplane is a joy to fly, and our customers are
going to love it. It flies like a 747, but one from the 21st
century."
The 747-8 Freighter is the new high-capacity 747 that will give
cargo operators the lowest operating costs and best economics of
any freighter airplane while providing enhanced environmental
performance. It is 18 feet and 4 inches (5.6 m) longer than the
747-400 Freighter. The stretch provides customers with 16 percent
more revenue cargo volume compared to its predecessor. That
translates to four additional main-deck pallets and three
additional lower-hold pallets. The 747-8 Freighters will be powered
with GE's GEnx-2B engines.
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