Test crew flies Boeing 747-8 to Pittsburgh for sandwich

AOLNews ^ | June 25, 2011 | Kate Auletta

[Daffynition]

The Seattle-based flight crew testing out Boeing's 747-8 decided to take the new jet for a spin...to Pittsburgh for some sandwiches.

It all went down on Wednesday, when flight test director Paul Shank handed out Pittsburgh's famous Primanti Brothers menus while in Seattle.

Roughly 8 hours and 2,500 miles later, the flight crew landed in Pittsburgh to nosh on some sandwiches, the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reports.

Staffers from the Pittsburgh-based Atlantic Aviation picked up the sandwiches, and the crew was back en route to Seattle an hour later.

Shank told the paper: "Everybody loved it. They were all like, 'Who would have thought to put fries and cole slaw on a sandwich?' It was comfort food for me, something that reminded me of home."

[Daffynition]

[Daffynition]

'Burg ping-a-roo.

[CitizenM]

Ahhhhh, memories. What a “sammich” - nothin’ like it. I know the crew found that every bite made the ‘Burg a perfect destination for the first flight.

[Daffynition]

At one time in my life, I would have traveled 3K miles for a particular sammie. [*a roast beef special* at Elsie’s at Harvard Sq. in Cambridge ...alas, Elsie’s is no longer there] Somewhere along the way, I found some common sense.

[Portcall24]

In the ‘60s my college classmates would drive from Eugene, OR to CA state line and back to buy a case of Coors. I never cared for it that much.

[Conservative Vermont Vet]

Another very poorly written story by AOL (is Kate one of Huff&PuffPost's so called Journ-0-Lists?) which is confoozing and no doubt missing some details.

First of all, it's only about 2,100 miles (air distance) between Seattle and Pittsburgh and secondly, unless this flight went via the North Pole, there is no way it would have taken them 8 hours to cover that distance.

That said, I also once enjoyed one of these fantastic sandwiches many years ago and still remember it well.

[tanknetter]

First of all, it's only about 2,100 miles (air distance) between Seattle and Pittsburgh and secondly, unless this flight went via the North Pole, there is no way it would have taken them 8 hours to cover that distance.

True. Since this is the first 747-8 (passenger type, the cargo variant has been flying for a while) aircraft very early in it's testing I think we can assume that there was 3-4 hours of prep work prior to wheels up.

That, OR they were conducting a range/endurance test and flew circuits around the Midwest for several hours on their way to Pittsburgh.

[Daffynition]

I don’t know how accurately commercial planes fly *as-a-crow* with direct routes. I’ll find out.

[cc2k]

From the article:

---

Roughly 8 hours and 2,500 miles later, the flight crew landed in Pittsburgh to nosh on some sandwiches, the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reports.

---

Did they forget to retract the landing gear? 2,500 miles / 8 hours = 312.5 mph. That seems really slow for a 747.

[kaboom]

Roughly 8 hours and 2,500 miles later...

Beginning when the menus were handed out in Seattle, not from when they took off.

[bvw]

It’s a test flight. That means that they had to circle Pikes Peak seven times, and the St. Louis Arch three times. Standard FAA protocol.

[stefanbatory]

they also had to put it thru a series of tests to ensure proper doping of the fabric on the wings upper and lower surfaces per CFR 14:121:87g

[bvw]

Doping! Oh man that brings back memories of when my friends and I restored an old Taylorcraft. Coat after coat after coat, a layer of silver coat, then sand off to smooth and repeat. The factory that sold the dope is now a upscale lawyer’s office, and the one airport we used a giant mall.

[stefanbatory]

thanks to those arab jackazzes on 9-11, I never got to put my A&P to use...

[Daffynition]

Reporter: What kind of plane is it?
Johnny: Oh, it's a big pretty white plane with red stripes, curtains in the windows and wheels and it looks like a big Tylenol.

[OrioleFan]

In 1979, I was working in Lynchburg, VA (B&W NPGD). I had an interview in Denver with Martin Marietta Data Systems (ended up taking the job). The Interview was on a Thursday and I was flying back thru DC on Friday. When I got to the interview, I met a friend of mine (who worked with me B&W and took a job with MM too). He changed his return flight so we could go back together and compare notes. Across the street from the airport (Stapleton) in Denver, was a package liquor store. I told my buddy, I was headed to a party when I got back, and had a large cooler in my car in DC. We both bought a case of Coors, and checked them as baggage (they were wrapped for flight). When we walked into the party with 2 cases of Coors, everyone said, “You guys have been interviewing!”

I’ve been to Primanti Bros. in Pittsburgh several times. Great sandwiches!

[cc2k]

kaboom wrote:

Beginning when the menus were handed out in Seattle, not from when they took off.

Re-reading the article, I think you are probably correct. That explains it.

Although, it was a test flight, so some extra flight time to check out the fires in AZ or circle Pikes peak or play Limbo in St. Louis could be in there, too. Well, I'm not sure about the Limbo in St. Louis part. The FAA probably frowns on that.

[martin_fierro]

	It's a 'Burgh >> PING << Thing.™
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And you thought there weren't any direct flights to PIT anymore.

[rightwingintelligentsia]

How many calories are in that baby?

[NCC-1701]

Boeing should just go ahead and extend the upper deck hump all the way to the tail fin. That would up the passenger load by around 250. Plus it would look kinda neat. Ceartainly more stylish that the A380. That thing looks like a pregnant whale. Doesn’t have any great lines. Just your basic bloated, over-stuffed jet.