Tag Archives: Boeing 747-800F

Boeing 747-8 Freighter to fly to Paris Air Show on sustainable biofuel

Boeing (Chicago) will fly the new 747-8 Freighter to its international air show debut in a doubly historic fashion, flying the airplane across the Atlantic Ocean to the Paris Air Show using a renewable aviation jet fuel โ€“ the world’s first transatlantic crossing of a commercial jetliner using biologically derived fuel.

Camelina, the plant source used to create the biofuel, was grown in Montana and processed by Honeywell’s UOP. Boeing does not need to make any changes to the airplane, its engines or operating procedures prior to departure to accommodate biofuel use. Normal flight parameters are being followed and were approved in advance by the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration.

The airplane will be on static display at the Paris Air Show June 21 and 22. It is scheduled to leave the air show the evening of June 22 and fly to Cargolux headquarters at Luxembourg for a two-day visit. Cargolux is scheduled to take delivery of the first 747-8 Freighter to enter service this summer.

Boeing pilots Capt. Keith Otsuka and Capt. Rick Braun and Cargolux Capt. Sten Rossby will fly the airplane with each of the 747-8 Freighter’s four GE GEnx-2B engines powered by a blend of 15 percent camelina-based biofuel mixed with 85 percent traditional kerosene fuel (Jet-A). The airplane is scheduled to arrive at Le Bourget Airport Monday at about 5 p.m. Paris local time (15:00 GMT) after a 4,989-mile (8,029 km, 4,335 nautical mile) trip.

Copyright Photo: Nick Dean. Please click on the photo for additional information.

Boeing to have two 747-800s, one 787 and one 737-700 with the Sky Interior on display at the Paris Air Show

Boeing (Chicago) is planning to have two 747-800s, one 787 Dreamliner, one 737-700 with the Sky Interior and various military aircraft on display at the Paris Air Show later this month.

Copyright Photo: Michael B. Ing. Please click on the photo for the full details.

Boeing puts a fifth 747-800 freighter into testing

Boeing (Chicago, Seattle, Wichita and Charleston) successfully conducted the first flight of the fifth 747-8 Freighter on Thursday (February 3). The airplane, coded as RC523, took off from Paine Field (PAE) inย Everett, WA, for a 3-hour, 30-minute flight before returning to Paine Field.

The flight included a standard 2-hour, 30-minute “B1” flight profile that Boeing conducts on all production airplanes prior to delivery, plus an hour of engineering testing woven into the profile.

This is the fifth 747-8 Freighter being used in the flight-test program. Each airplane is used for a specific set of tests, with this airplane focusing on functionality and reliability testing.

The airplane will remain based at Paine Field throughout its test plan.

Boeing delays the delivery of the first Boeing 747-8F

Boeing (Chicago, Seattle, Wichita and Charleston) today announced a schedule change for the 747-8 Freighter with the first delivery now expected to be in mid-year 2011. The company also announced steps it is taking to support the new schedule, including adding a fifth airplane to the flight-test fleet.

Boeing previously indicated that, following recent flight-test discoveries, there was a high probability the first 747-8 Freighter delivery would move into 2011. According to Boeing the new delivery schedule follows a thorough assessment of the expected cumulative impact of these discoveries, which include a low-frequency vibration in certain flight conditions and an underperforming aileron actuator. While neither issue requires structural changes to the airplane, they have led to disruptions to certification testing, which the program was unable to offset within the prior schedule.

Copyright Photo: Nick Dean. Boeing 747-8R7F N5573S will become LX-VCC (msn 35807) for launch customer Cargolux Airlines International.

Atlas Air’s Global Supply Systems to operate three Boeing 747-800F freighters for British Airways

Copyright Photo: Pedro Pics. The current three Boeing 747-400F freighters are expected to replaced by the new 747-800Fs. 747-47UF (msn 29252) is pictured at the STN base.

Atlas Air Worldwide Holdings (New York-JFK) confirmed that its 49%-owned UK subsidiary, Global Supply Systems Limited (GSS) (London-Stansted), has signed a five-year wet leasing agreement with British Airways Plc to operate three Boeing 747-8 freighters on behalf of British Airways starting in 2011.

Under this long-term aircraft, crew, maintenance and insurance (ACMI) outsourcing contract, GSS will provide a turnkey solution for British Airwaysโ€™ cargo division, British Airways World Cargo (BAWC). GSS will lease the 747-8F aircraft that it will operate for BAWC from AAWWโ€™s Atlas Air unit, which expects to take delivery of the aircraft from Boeing in early 2011.

Boeing appropriately reports a net profit of $787 in the 2Q

Boeing (Chicago, Seattle, Wichita and Charleston) reported a second quarter net profit of $787 million, down from $998 million in the same quarter a year ago.

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Copyright Photo: Nick Dean. While the 787 Dreamliner captures most of the headlines, the new 747-8 continues to move ahead too. Third test aircraft, 747-8KZF N5017Q (msn 36136) is pictured on the ramp at Everett (Paine Field).

Boeing 747-8 Freighter Receives Expanded Type Inspection Authorization

Boeing (Chicago, Seattle, Wichita and Charleston) received expanded type inspection authorization (TIA) from the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) for the 747-8 Freighter on June 11. This authorization clears the way for FAA personnel to participate in test flights and collect required data.

With the issuance of TIA, the 747 program is beginning expanded certification testing. During this phase of testing, the extremes of the flight envelope are explored. Testing conditions include operations in hot and cold weather as well as takeoffs and landings at high-altitude airports. In addition, over-speed conditions, hard landings and engine-out conditions are tested.

The entire flight-test program calls for a total of about 3,700 hours of ground and air testing. The first 747-8 Freighter delivery is planned for the fourth quarter of this year. The first customer is Cargolux.

Copyright Photo: Nick Dean. The third 747-8F test aircraft, Boeing 747-8KZF N5017Q (msn 36136) is seen at Everett (Paine Field).

Cargolux to introduce a new livery with the first Boeing 747-8F

Copyright Photo: Boeing. Boeing 747-8R7F N55725 (msn 35806) will become LX-VCB on delivery.

Cargolux Airlines International (Luxembourg) is introducing a new livery with the delivery of the first new Boeing 747-8F. The cargo airline is the launch customer for the new type. The first Boeing 747-8 Freighter painted in Cargolux’s livery emerged from the Boeing paint hangar inย Everett, WA on June 7. ย The cargo operator has a total of 13 Boeing 747-8 Freighters on order.

Boeing delivered the last Cargolux 747-400 Freighter with a unique transition paint scheme featuring fading stripes. The new livery on Cargolux’s 747-8 Freighter is an evolution from the current design and marks the start into a new era for the company.

“The design stands for continuity and commitment while confirming the fundamental principles that made Cargolux successful. The red, white and blue stripes symbolize the company’s roots inย Luxembourg, its hub and home base,” said Ulrich Ogiermann, CEOย of Cargolux. The new livery features a distinctive new red tail and an additional logo on the belly further promotes the brand.

Boeing will deliver the first 747-8 Freighter to Cargolux in the fourth quarter of this year.

Boeing 747-8KZF N5017Q begins testing in Southern California

Boeing (Chicago, Seattle, Wichita and Charleston) has placed the second Boeing 747-8 Freighter, RC521, the pictured 747-8KZF N5017Q (msn 36136), landed in Palmdale, CA yesterday (April 19), marking the beginning of a planned transition of 747-8 Freighter testing to Southern California. The more than four-hour flight from Boeing Field in Seattle included testing on avionics and cruise performance.

The airplane will be stationed in Palmdale for the majority of its scheduled flight-test program. The crew will conduct several tests on the airplane with fuel-mileage and engine-performance testing as key focus areas.

A contingent of employees has been stationed at Palmdale for the testing, including flight-test engineers and the support personnel who prepare the airplane for each day’s flights. In the coming weeks, the two other 747-8 airplanes in the flight-test fleet will join RC521 in Southern California.

The entire flight-test program calls for the three airplanes to perform a total of about 3,700 hours of ground and air testing. The first 747-8 Freighter delivery to Cargolux is planned for the fourth quarter of this year.

Copyright Photo: Joe G. Walker. N5017Q is pictured at Seattle (Boeing Field-King County) prior to the departure to Palmdale.