Tag Archives: Boeing 747-8

Boeing puts the third 747-8F into testing

Copyright Photo: Joe G. Walker. Boeing 747-8KZF N5017Q (msn 36136) arrives at Seattle (King County-Boeing Field) after its first flight.

Copyright Photo: Nick Dean. Boeing 747-8KZF N5017Q (msn 36136) prepares for its first flight at Everett on March 17.

Boeing’s (Chicago, Seattle, Wichita and Charleston) third 747-8 Freighter, RC 521 (N5017Q), successfully completed its first flight on March 17. It is the final test airplane scheduled to participate in the flight-test program for the 747-8 Freighter.

Piloted by Captainsย Paul Stemerย andย Keith Otsuka, withย Ralph Chaffinย serving as systems operator, RC 521 took off from Paine Field inย Everett, WA, completed a two-and-a-half-hour flight and landed atย Boeingย Field inย Seattle. The airplane reached an altitude of 30,000 feet (9,144 m) and an airspeed of 245 knots, or about 282 miles (454 km) per hour. It took off atย 3:27 p.m. PDTย and landed atย 5:58 p.m.

RC 521 has several tests scheduled in the test program, including fuel-mileage testing. The 747-8 Freighter flight-test program calls for all three airplanes to perform approximately 3,700 hours of testing both on the ground and in the air. The first 747-8 Freighter delivery is planned for the fourth quarter of this year.

Boeing puts the second 747-8 freighter into testing

Boeingย (Chicago, Seattle, Wichita and Charleston) has placed a second 747-8 Freighter, designated internally as RC 522, successfully completed its first flight on Sunday evening (March 14). The airplane took off from Paine Field inย Everett, WA, for a two-and-a-half-hour flight and landed at King County-Boeingย Field inย Seattle.

Captainย Kirk Viningย was at the controls for the flight, withย Rick Braunย operating as co-pilot andย Joel Conardย serving as systems operator. The airplane reached an altitude of 27,000 feet (8,230 m) and an airspeed of 240 knots, or about 276 miles (444 km) per hour. It took off atย 3:57 p.m. (1557) PDTย and landed atย 6:25 p.m (1825) PDT.

Boeing 747-8 Freighter Achieves Initial Airworthiness Milestone

Boeing (Chicago, Seattle, Wichita and Charleston) has completed initial airworthiness testing on theย 747-8 Freighter. This milestone enables test engineers to be on board during future flights and allows the remaining two 747-8 Freighter test airplanes to begin flight test.

Since the first flight in early February, the program has conducted 13 flights, achieving several key accomplishments. Pilots have taken the airplane to an altitude of 30,000 feet (9,144 m) and a speed of Mach .65. The program has completed approximately 33 hours of flying. Initial stall tests and other dynamic maneuvers have been run, as well as an extensive checkout of the airplane’s systems. Five different pilots have flown the newestย Boeingย freighter.

In the weeks ahead, the 747-8 Freighter will reach an altitude of more than 43,000 feet (13,106 m) and a speed of Mach .97. Subsequent testing will push the airplane beyond expected operational conditions.

Flight testing will continue in the months ahead. All told, the 747-8 Freighter test program calls for approximately 3,700 hours of testing using three test airplanes. First delivery is planned for the fourth quarter of this year.

Boeingย has secured 108 orders for the 747-8, 76 of which are orders for the new freighter. Cargolux, NCA-Nippon Cargo Airlines, AirBridgeCargo Airlines, Atlas Air, Cathay Pacific Airways, Dubai Aerospace Enterprise, Emirates SkyCargo, Guggenheim and Korean Air all have placed orders for 747-8 Freighters.