Free Republic

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...

Boeing Co.’s newest 747 passenger jet, the largest commercial plane it has ever built, took to the skies for the first time Sunday, marking the third maiden flight of a new Boeing commercial airplane in the past 15 months. (See video) Painted in its orange and red “sunrise” livery, the massive, four-engine 747-8 Intercontinental lifted off from Paine Field, north of Seattle, at 10 a.m. local time under partly cloudy skies and gusty northerly winds. At 250 feet long, the 747-8 is 18 feet longer than its predecessor.

– Boeing Co.'s giant 747-8 freighter — the biggest plane the company has ever built — successfully completed its first flight Monday, a year later than originally planned. The huge plane took off from Everett's Paine Field shortly after noon and returned to Paine at 4:18 p.m. PST after an approximately 3 1/2-hour flight. A crowd Boeing estimated at more than 5,000 employees, customers, suppliers and other airplane fans gathered to watch the plane take to the air. The flight came just one day short of the 41st anniversary of the first flight of the original 747 model. At 250...

No source link or pics....sorry. Just saw it myself. Big white and beautiful. Lifted off from Paine field runway 34L and departed the pattern to the north disappearing through low clouds. Two chase planes off the right wing. I counted 4 news helicopters hovering for the event. Neat-o!

Jan. 14 (Bloomberg) -- Boeing Co.’s test-program manager says the new 787 Dreamliner has exceeded his expectations in the first month of flying and he’s ready to take on the next challenge, the maiden flight of the 747-8 jumbo jet.

Lufthansa plans to buy about 20 Boeing 747-8 planes worth $5 billion at list prices, a setback to Airbus, people familiar with the order said....The 747-8 will be built using the more-efficient engines and wing design from Boeing's new 787 Dreamliner, and the plane will cost 21 percent less to operate than Airbus's A380, according to Boeing's Web site.

October 16, 2006 -- EVENDALE, OHIO -- Emirates has finalized an agreement to purchase 10 Boeing 747-8 freighters, powered by GEnx engines. The purchase agreement for the 45 GEnx engines is valued at more than $600 million (USD). Delivery is scheduled to begin in 2010. Emirates has also signed an 10-year, $300 million OnPointSM Solutions agreement for the maintenance and overhaul of the GEnx fleet. Emirates and General Electric have established a strong relationship and cooperation. As one of the world's fasting growing international airlines, the company operates CF6-powered Airbus A310s, CFM56-powered A340s, and GE90-powered 777-300ERs with an additional...

The Europeans are back on the offensive, writes Steve Creedy 11 Aug 06 THE battle of the superjumbos has hit new levels with European manufacturer Airbus accusing US rival Boeing of telling "big lies" about its double-decker A380. While manufacturers have always sniped at each other's usually conflicting comparisons of aircraft performance, Airbus says it is incensed at Boeing's latest attempts to sell the 747-8, the stretch version of the venerable jumbo jet. The Europeans are back on the offensive after being thrown into crisis earlier this year when production problems forced it to delay the delivery of the first...

The longer range and more fuel-efficient 747-8 may just be what airlines such as Qantas are looking for BOEING'S newest version of its 747 is turning heads at Qantas as the airline searches for solutions to reduce fuel costs while increasing the range capability of its fleet. Qantas had been examining the Boeing 777-200LR, which can fly from London to Sydney with a payload of 250 passengers, but the return journey requires a fuel stop in Singapore for at least half the year because of headwinds. According to Qantas sources, the 777 has been dropped from consideration. Also on...

JOHANNESBURG, South Africa -- Although The Boeing Co. has yet to announce a customer for the passenger version of its planned 747-8, two key airlines in Europe and Asia are seriously considering the plane. Lufthansa and Singapore Airlines both operate older 747-400s, and the newer model would make a good fit in their respective long-haul fleets, executives of both airlines said in interviews. The two airlines also are considering Boeing's 787, although the chief executive of Lufthansa said he is most interested in the 787-10, a stretch version that Boeing only recently said it will develop. Chew Choon Seng, chief...

BOEING is pitching the new version of its legendary jumbo jet to Qantas, arguing it will beat Airbus's double decker A380 on costs per seat as well as for a total trip. The passenger version of the Boeing 747-8 will be stretched by 3.6m and will be able to carry 34 more seats in a three-class configuration with 21 per cent more revenue cargo space than the existing 747-400. Due to enter service in 2010, it will boost range by 1850km, give a 16 per cent lower fuel burn and 8 per cent lower costs per seat. More importantly,...

When the father of the 747, Joe Sutter, was asked by ATW about the longevity of the model on the 30th anniversary of its entry into service, he said without so much as a second's hesitation that the "Queen of the Skies" would be around for another 30 years. A bold statement indeed when made against a backdrop of the launch of the A380 and the many failed attempts by Boeing to commit to significant upgrades since the dash 400 version rolled out in January 1988. Perhaps when Sutter made the prediction he had in mind a dramatic engine breakthrough...

The Boeing 747-8 will introduce an upgraded cockpit that borrows technology from the 777 and recently launched 787 programmes, but still shares a common pilot type-rating with the existing 747-400. Boeing vice-president 747 programmes Jeff Peace says two to four days of differences training will be necessary for 747-400 pilots to use the new aircraft’s electronic checklists, cursor controls and upgraded flight management computer. Peace says the -8’s “essentially new wing” will feature a simpler flap system with fewer parts, which should improve reliability. Double-slotted inboard and single-slotted outboard trailing-edge devices replace the 747’s current triple-slotted flaps, and raked wingtips...

DUBAI (AFP) - US manufacturer Boeing's new 747-8 jumbojet will not impact on sales of European aircraft maker Airbus' A380 giant plane, according to the head of the European aerospace and defence group EADS. "The 747-8 is more designed for the cargo market and therefore we do not anticipate that it will impact sales of the A380," Noel Forgeard, chief executive officer of EADS which has an 80-percent stake in Airbus, told local media on Tuesday. "In a passenger configuration the A380 can carry 555 passengers still more than the 747-8," he said. The 747-8 launched by Boeing in September...

-- 787 technologies to increase passenger and freighter capabilities, improve fuel efficiency, reduce noise and emissions, provide unmatched operating economics SEATTLE, Nov. 14, 2005 -- The Boeing Company [NYSE: BA] today officially launched the new Boeing 747-8 program, which includes the 747-8 Intercontinental passenger airplane and the 747-8 Freighter airplane. Cargolux, based in Luxembourg, has ordered 10 747-8 Freighters and will take delivery of the first 747-8F in third-quarter 2009. It also holds purchase rights for 10 additional airplanes. Cargolux currently operates an all-Boeing fleet of 13 747-400 freighters. Nippon Cargo Airlines, based in Japan, has ordered eight 747-8...