EVERETT — The Boeing Co.’s freshly painted first 747-8 Freighter rolled out of the hangar in Everett on Tuesday night.
It’s another step toward the revamped jumbo jet’s first flight, set for early 2010.
Boeing painted its new 747-8 in a “light” livery, which the freighter will wear throughout the flight test program. The white paint scheme has blue accents. And the freighter has an oversized “8” on its tail as well as “747-8” on its belly.
The light livery saves Boeing both time and expense compared to the full, more elaborate, Boeing livery. The full Boeing Commercial Airplane livery takes about 10 days to put on a 747, said Tim Bader, spokesman for the program. But the “light” scheme takes about half the time.
The first 747-8 Freighter will be refurbished and repainted after Boeing wraps up the flight test program and receives flight worthiness certification from the Federal Aviation Administration.
But Boeing still has several tests, including engine run tests and taxiing, before the first 747-8 takes to the skies. Altogether, Boeing will have three 747-8 Freighters in its flight test program. One of those will be painted in the full Boeing livery.
Both the second and third flight test 747-8s are in the final assembly position in the Everett. The fourth 747-8 was loaded into the final body join position late last week.
Boeing plans to deliver the first 747-8 cargo plane to Cargolux in the third quarter of 2010. The company has booked 78 orders for its new 747-8 Freighter. And the company has logged 27 orders for the passenger version of the 747-8, which will be delivered in the fourth quarter of 2011.
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