The latest and largest plane from the venerable Boeing stable, Boeing 747-8, conducted a successful test flight at Paine Field in Everett on Monday.
The giant plane took to the sky exactly a day before the 41st anniversary of the iconic 747’s maiden flight in 1969.
Thousands of enthusiastic Boeing production workers cheered as the massive 250-foot-long 747-8 freighter jet took to the sky. It was escorted by two chase aircraft.
Compared with the previous model 747-400s, the new plane is 18 feet longer in the fuselage, and its wingspan is 13 feet wider.
The 747-8 is smaller overall than the Airbus A380 super jumbo, with a maximum takeoff weight of 975,000 pounds compared with 1.2 million pounds for the European double-decker. But the elongation of the 747-8 fuselage stretches it more than 10 feet longer than the A380.
Boeing has booked firm orders for 108 of the jets, both cargo and passenger versions. It hopes to sell as many as 350 of them, extending production of the jumbo jet well into the 2020s.
The biggest plane Boeing ever built is listed for sale at $300 million, but airlines usually demand and get almost a 50 percent discount.
The project was delayed by a year and cost had overrun by 2 billion dollars. Making the aircraft profitable will take some efforts on the part of the American manufacturer, analysts said. Some even suggested it could never make money given the current recession and market trend for smaller aircraft.
The design of the new super freighter is 40 years old but it boasts of an aerodynamically efficient wing, updated flight-control avionics, and new GE engines derived from those designed for the 787 Dreamliner.
Boeing promises that the 747-8 freighter will have 16 percent more cargo capacity, 17 percent lower fuel costs and 16 percent lower overall operating costs than the -400.
In a few days, the first test 747-8 is scheduled to fly to Moses Lake where it will stay for about a month until it achieves initial airworthiness. Two more test planes will then join the program.