The Boeing Co. finished up flight tests on its 747-8 freighter in style, flying a pattern that traced the figures, 7, 4 and 7 in the skies during a 17-hour journey.
Boeing awaits approval from the Federal Aviation Administration to fly the 747-8 freighter commercially. After it receives the F
AA’s OK, Boeing plans to deliver the first 747-8 freighter to Cargolux in September.
“We are in the home stretch in delivering this airplane to our customers,” Elizabeth Lund, general manager of the 747 program, said in statement Wednesday.
Boeing began flight tests on its updated jumbo jet on Feb. 8, 2010. Since then, Boeing’s five 747-8 test jets have flown more than 1,200 flights and 3,400 hours to gather data for FAA certification.
The last test flight, which Boeing completed early Wednesday, lasted more than 17 hours. On that flight, the freighter traced the numbers 7, 4 and 7 across the western half of the United States.
Mark Feuerstein, 747 chief pilot, said he couldn’t claim credit for the unusual flight pattern but said the lengthy flight was designed to prove the freighter’s endurance. He noted that the freighter has been flying “cleanly” during its test flights, meaning the pilots reported few maintenance issues.
Boeing first introduced the original 747 jumbo jet more than 40 years ago. The revamped 747-8 is 18 feet, 4 inches longer than the 747-400 freighter. As a result of the stretch, the 747-8 freighter can carry 16 percent more cargo than the 747-400.
“My team and I had the pleasure of spending hundreds of hours in these airplanes,” Feuerstein said. “It flies like a 747, but one from the 21st century.”
The company has 76 orders for its 747-8 freighter. Boeing is flight-testing a passenger version of the 747-8, called the Intercontinental, which it hopes to deliver by the end of 2011.
“We’re continuing full court press on the Intercontinental,” Feuerstein said.
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