Airline Reporter » Boeing 747-8

Photo Gallery: Lufthansa’s Future Boeing 747-8 Intercontinental Visits Germany

David Parker Brown — Wed, 21 Dec 2011 16:00:49 +0000

From December 6th to the 9th, one of Boeing 747-8 Intercontinentals, RC021, was flown to Frankfurt Germany, so that Lufthansa could complete pre-delivery testing at the Frankfurt Airport. Three Lufthansa and two Boeing pilots made the nine hour journey from Seattle to Frankfurt. The aircraft will be the fifth 747-8I that Lufthansa will take delivery of and the first delivery is expected sometime in “early 2012.”

Luckily, Lufthansa took quite a few photos of the Intercontinental’s visit and it is time to share:

HI-RES IMAGE (click for larger). Lufthansa's 5th Boeing 747-8 Intercontinental, RC021, in front of their Technik Repair facility in Frankfurt. Photo by Lufthansa.

HI-RES IMAGE (click for larger). Lufthansa's 5th Boeing 747-8 Intercontinental, RC021, inside the Technik Maintenance facility in Frankfurt. Photo by Lufthansa.

HI-RES PHOTO (click for larger). The Boeing 747-8I rocks the GEnx-2B67 engine. Photo by Lufthansa.

HI-RES IMAGE (click for larger). The Boeing 747-8 Intercontinental has one sexy backside. Photo by Lufthansa.

: HI-RES IMAGE (click for larger). Nose shot of the Boeing 747-8 Intercontinental in Frankfurt. Photo by Lufthansa.

HI-RES IMAGE (click for larger). Lufthansa's Technik facility in Frankfurt is HUGE and has a way of making large aircraft look small. Photo by Lufthansa.

HI-RES IMAGE (click for larger). The Boeing 747-8 Intercontinental on the tarmac in Frankfurt. Photo by Lufthansa.

Still No Delivery Date Set For Cargolux’s First Boeing 747-8F

David Parker Brown — Wed, 12 Oct 2011 00:15:43 +0000

Cargolux Boeing 747-8F

It has been over three weeks since Cargolux was supposed to take delivery of their first Boeing 747-8 Freighter. As of now, there is still no official date for when that delivery will occur.

During an unrelated event, Qatar Airways CEO Akbar Al Baker, who has a 35% stake in Cargolux, sta ted that he hoped Cargolux would take ownership of their first 747-8F on October 12th. That date was dependent on a Cargolux board meeting that took place on Friday, October 7th.

According to a press release issued by Cargolux, a decision was not reached during the board meeting. “Discussions over these issues will continue over the weekend. The Company will provide an update as soon as an agreement has been reached.”

As of today, there is still no date for when Cargolux will receive their first 747-8F.

At this point, Boeing is not sure if there will be a delivery celebration or a quiet departure; they are waiting to hear what Cargolux desires. “We continue to speak with Cargolux and look forward to delivering its airplanes,” Boeing spokesperson Doug Alder Jr, explained to AirlineReporter.com.

Image: moonm

Boeing to Deliver First 747-8F to Cargolux this Month

David Parker Brown — Mon, 03 Oct 2011 15:15:17 +0000

Cargolux Boeing 747-8F

Boeing was set to deliver their first 747-8F to Cargolux on September 19th, but at the last minute, the Luxembourg-based cargo company put the deal on hold and the delivery was postponed. Both Boeing and Cargolux kept quiet and rumors started about the reasoning behind this odd business maneuver. According to Qatar Airways CEO Akbar Al Baker, who has a 35% stake in Cargolux, the issues stem from the 747-8F being 2.7% less fuel efficient than advertised. Al Baker stated that the issues causing the airline to back out of accepting delivery are related to GE, who built the engines on the 747-8F, and not Boeing. At this point, Cargolux is expected to take ownership of their first 747-8F on October 12th, pending the airlines board approving during their meeting on October 7th.

During a Boeing 777 delivery event for Qatar Airways, Al Baker was asked about Cargolux and their handling of the situation. “Unfortunately, the management of Cargolux did not take the action they should have taken during the process of the aircraft acceptance,” Al-Baker stated according to Bloomberg. “As we sit on the board of Cargolux, we have full right to object if we find something is not fair as far as Cargolux is concerned.”

One of the loudest rumors about this deal was that Qatar Airways was holding Cargolux’s 747-8F hostage for a better compensation deal on their 787 Dreamliners. However, Al Baker clearly stated that the Cargolux 747-8F delay has nothing to do with compensation for the 787 Dreamliner. “The issue really with this aircraft has nothing to do with Boeing. It has to do with an issue that we had with the engine manufacturer,” Al Baker said according to the Seattle PI. “This issue has been resolved” subject to board approval.

GE has already announced that they are working on a Performance Improvement Package (PIP) for the the GEnx-2B engine found on the 747-8. The package is not slated to be ready until mid-2013.

Even with all the issues that Qatar and Cargolux have recently had with Boeing, according to ArabianBusiness.com, Al-Baker described his relationship with Boeing as strong, “despite a few hiccups along the way.” At this point, it is not certain what the delivery celebration will entail and Boeing is waiting until after the October 7th board meeting to announce any plans.

Image: ImperfectSense

Video: Boeing 747-8 Freighter Completes Ultimate Rejected Take Off

David Parker Brown — Sat, 07 May 2011 11:00:27 +0000

The new Boeing 747-8F is one majestic aircraft. Along with all the majesticness (yes I just made that a word) comes a lot of weight. The 747-8F can take off weighing nearly one million pounds and for the flight tests, Boeing needs to make sure the aircraft can successfully complete an aborted take off, fully loaded.

The Ultimate Rejected Takeoff (yes that is official terminology) is not made easy. First they loaded up the aircraft to about 975,000 pounds. Then they made sure the brakes were as worn as possible — not something that would happen during normal maintenance.

Once the aircraft got above 200mph, the Boeing test pilot, Captain Kirk Vining, slammed on the brakes. During a normal aborted take off, the pilot would also use thrust reversers, but not for this test. All that energy (and it is a lot) went directly to the brakes.

The 747-8F was able to stop about 700 feet sooner than Boeing was expecting. However, stopping is just half the battle. As you can see in the video, once the aircraft is stopped, the brakes were glowing red. Even though a fire crew was on the scene, they let the brakes sit for five minutes to see how the 747-8F would react.

This video shows a worst case scenario. Even if you have experienced a rejected take off as a passenger, it most likely wasn’t this violent. This just goes to show that aircraft can handle a lot and are extremely safe.

For more information and a second video, check out Boeing’s website.

Updated: Boeing’s First 747-8 Intercontinental Unveiled During Roll Out (with more photos)

David Parker Brown — Sun, 13 Feb 2011 20:50:08 +0000

The first Boeing 747-8 Intercontinental caught outside in the natural light after being pulled out of the factory.

Hot damn! That was a big shocker. I was wondering what the livery of the first Boeing 747-8 Intercontinental would look like and I wasn’t guessing orange. I thought maybe the standard livery, the light livery, Lufthansa’s colors, Boeing Business Jet or possibly even Air Force One. I think the choice surprised everyone. Boeing is calling it the “Sunrise Livery.” Kudos to Boeing for being able to keep this cat in the bag for so long.

The event today was quite the scene. Great speakers, music and lighting. Although, the smoke and lights made photography a little tricky.

I have to say the color choice is gorgeous. I don’t think the real beauty comes out in the photos. The paint is metallic, so up close it really sparkles. So why orange right? Directly from Boeing: “The airplane unveiled today is painted in a new Sunrise livery of red-orange that only will appear on the first 747-8 Intercontinental and is a significant departure from Boeing’s standard blue. The new color palette honors many key Boeing customers whose cultures recognize these colors as symbols of prosperity and good luck.” Either way, she is one beautiful airplane and I cannot wait to see her fly.

As of now, the first flight is scheduled for Spring 2011. Since the Boeing 747-8 Freighter has been going through so many different flight tests, the additional tests for the 747-8 Intercontinental won’t be as intensive. This aircraft (N6067E) will be painted in the Sunrise Boeing livery during flight tests. It then will be painted to the customer’s livery before delivery. Of course, there is still no word who the owner of the first aircraft will be. There were representatives from Lufthansa and Korean Air present at the ceremony. Currently Lufthansa has 20 orders for the 747-8I and Korean Air has five.

UPDATE 5:00pm:
Just got to watch as the first 747-8I was pulled out of the factory and parked at the fuel dock. It was very nice seeing it in the natural light and I think these photos better represent what the aircraft looks like in person. During the event people were talking about the livering having red and that was difficult to see. Outside, you could clearly see the red and orange on the body and near-neon orange of the tail. It is one long plane and beautiful plane. Boeing just tweeted one from the ground that looks great and I added seven more photos…

CHECK OUT ALL 29 PHOTOS FROM THE BOEING 747-8 INTERCONTINENTAL UNVEILING AND GOING OUTSIDE!

Photos: Factory Floor Tour of the Boeing 747-8

David Parker Brown — Sat, 12 Feb 2011 21:22:22 +0000

This is the first Boeing 747-8 Intercontinental that will carry paying passengers. The plane will be going to Lufthansa.

Tomorrow is the big day when Boeing will reveal their first Boeing 747-8 Intercontinental to the world. While we wait, some invited guests got an opportunity to tour the factory floor and the Boeing 747-8I\747-8F production line.

When first walking in, a Boeing 747-8F for Atlas Air was front and center. We were toured around to where the tail and horizontal stabilizers are made and where the wings start their lives. It was interesting going from one stop to the next seeing seeing all the individual parts, then getting to where they are start to put together to form a plane.

One of the biggest treats was getting an inside look at all three levels of the front of a Boeing 747-8 Intercontinental, which is still in pieces (photo of the upper deck). It was impressive seeing how long the inside of the upper deck will be — can’t wait to fly on it.

For now, I am just doing a quick post, since currently at the Boeing Customer Experience Center. More photos to come throughout the weekend.

CHECK OUT ALL 45 PHOTOS FROM TODAY’S BOEING FACTORY TOUR

Photos and Video From Paine Field (KPAE)

David Parker Brown — Fri, 12 Nov 2010 12:00:01 +0000

Head to the Future of Flight to get a close look of a Dreamlifter (N249BA) and four Boeing 787 Dreamliners.

Yesterday was a very nice day in Seattle for it being almost the middle of November. Figured it might be a good day to head back to Paine Field (KPAE) and take a look at what is going on. As always, there were a few nice surprises.

The biggest is one of the Dreamlifters (N249BA) is parked just feet away from the Future of Flight (photo). The DreamLifter is sitting right next to four Boeing 787 Dreamliners. Rumors are the Dreamlifter will be parked there until the end of the month and the Dreamliners should be there at least through the winter.

The 787′s and now the Dreamlifter are hanging out next to the Future of Flight due to Boeing’s turf getting pretty full. I don’t think I have ever seen so many new airplanes at Paine Field (photo). One of the new liveries seen out on the ramp is AirBridgeCargo’s on a Boeing 747-8F (photo). To date have seen Boeing’s “lite” livery, Cargolux, Cathay Pacific, Korean Air, British Airways (partly) and AirBridgeCargo on the Boeing 747-8 Freighter to date.

During my visit a brand new, not even fully painted, Air France Boeing 777-300 (F-GZNH) took off (photo – video). I have seen quite a few Boeing 777′s take off, but it never gets old. One of my reasons for heading to Paine was to check out the Eva Air Boeing 777-300′s. I have been covering their issues with Koito seats and they have been moved from the tower (photo1 -photo2) and one had a test flight today. I am working on an update on their story to share soon.

MORE:
* 40 Photos of Paine Field (KPAE) from yesterday
* Video of Air France (F-GZNH) Boeing 777-300ER taking off from Paine Field

BOEING VIDEO: Putting together the Boeing 747-8 Intercontinental

David Parker Brown — Thu, 21 Oct 2010 11:00:27 +0000

I can’t dance. But the Boeing 747-8 Intercontinental sure can. this video shows three major parts of the new 747-8I fuselage pieces being put together to form what looks like a real (cool) plane.Take a look at the video and check out their website for more information.

Boeing 747-8 Delivery Pushed to Mid-2011

David Parker Brown — Thu, 30 Sep 2010 15:27:05 +0000

Boeing 747-8F during taxi tests at Paine Field.

You know the folks over at Boeing have to hate the “d” word right about now. That word, of course being “delay.” The Boeing 787 and 747-8 programs have been taking turns announcing new delays. Since the 787 team announced the last delay, it was inevitably the 747-8′s turn.

Delays look bad and they cost money, but they occur for good reason. Even though the new Boeing 747-8 might look very similar to the Boeing 747-400, there are a lot of changes and of course Boeing wants to make sure the aircraft is fully prepared before first delivery.

The most recently 747-8 Freighter delivery is caused from low-frequency vibration in certain flight conditions and an aileron actuator not performing correctly. These won’t require any structural changes, but it will delay certification testing.

“We understand the issues encountered in flight test and are working through the solutions,” Pat Shanahan, vice president and general manager, airplane programs, for Boeing Commercial Airplanes, said in a news release. “We recognize our customers are eager to add the 747-8 Freighter to their fleets, and we understand and regret any impact this schedule change may have on their plans to begin service with the airplane.”

Although the Boeing 747-8 first delivery to Cargolux is being pushed to mid-2011, Boeing states this change should not have a material impact on their 2010 financial results. Boeing also plans to add a fifth Boeing 747-8 to their test fleet.

One a more fun note: On this day in 1968, the very first Boeing 747 was rolled out of the Boeing factory in Everett (photo).

Paine Field Photos: New British Airways Boeing 747-8F & More

David Parker Brown — Mon, 23 Aug 2010 15:33:14 +0000

New British Airways Boeing 747-8F at Paine Field

Late last night I got word from Jon Ostrower (aka FlightBlogger) that a nicely new painted Boeing 747-8 in British Airways colors was out in the open. So, this morning I headed over to Paine Field (KPAE) to check it out. I found her, but it wasn’t so easy. First she was parked a bit off from the rest of the Boeing 747-8′s and she is not in full British Airways livery. She is painted all white with a blue belly.

I was also able to check out the other Boeing 747-8′s sitting, waiting to take to the sky.

CHECK OUT ALL THE PICTURES

Update: BA has announced it is updating its fleet of Boeing 747-400F with new Boeing 747-8F’s and will be leasing them through Global Supply Systems, which is 49% owned by Atlas Air. On the press release BA states, “It has also been agreed that the new 747-8fs will be delivered in British Airways livery and incorporate the British Airways World Cargo logo.” Flight Global reports that they will be wet-leased for five years by GSS.

VIDEO and PICTURES: Cargolux Boeing 747-8 (N5573S) Takes off from Paine Field

David Parker Brown — Mon, 02 Aug 2010 20:00:03 +0000

CargoLux Boeing 747-8F taking off for a test flight at Paine Field (N5573S)

Last Tuesday a new Cargolux Boeing 747-8 took off from Paine Field to continue its test flights and unfortunately I wasn’t able to make it. Luckily two awesome guys from Portland, OR, Alex and Russell, were able to get up to Everett, WA in time to watch her fly. Russell got two amazing photos (see larger one of the one above and also a second one) and Alex was able to get a video of the Boeing 747-8 taking off.

Ten Interesting Facts about the GEnx Engines Used on the Boeing 787 Dreamliner

David Parker Brown — Thu, 08 Jul 2010 11:00:52 +0000

GE's Boeing 747-100 testbed with GEnx engine (N747GE)

A while back to celebrate the Boeing 787 Dreamliner’s test flights, I posted Ten Interesting Facts about the Rolls-Royce Trent 1000 Engines. Now that Boeing 787 ZA005 with GEnx engines are flying as well, I find it only fair to give 10 interesting facts about them:

#1 GE estimates the GEnx engines projected to be sold in the next 20 years will emit an about 77 million fewer tons of greenhouse gases than older comparable engines.

#2 The GEnx engine will remain on wing 30 percent longer and is 30% quieter than comparable engines in service today.

#3 The GEnx-1B for the Boeing 787 Dreamliner has a fan diameter of 111 inches and the GEnx-2B version for the Boeing 747-8 has a fan diameter of 105 inches.

#4 The GEnx engine has 18 fan blades, which is about half as many as GE’s CF6 engine.

#5 If an airline were to replace 20 of 200-to 300-passenger aircraft with next-generation jets powered by GEnx engines, it would save nearly $37 million in fuel costs annually, based on jet fuel costs of $2.50 per gallon.

#6 The GEnx engine has one of the highest pressure ratios – 23:1 that sets the high pressure compressor apart from other engines.

#7 By using GEnx engines, that same fleet could save nearly 500 million gallons of jet fuel each year. Enough to fly more than 12 million people from New York City to London on Boeing 787 Dreamliner jets.

#8 The GEnx engine is the only choice on the Boeing 747-8 and is one of two choices on the Boeing 787.

#9 The engine has composite fan blades with titanium leading edges.

#10 The GEnx has a fan bypass ratio of 19:2, which also helps reduce noise.

Other cool stuff:
* Interactive page on the GEnx Engines
* Videos on the engine
* Video & pictures of Boeing 787 ZA005 with GEnx engines, first flight

Image: Rick Schlamp

BOEING VIDEO: Checking out the Boeing 747-8 Intercontinental

David Parker Brown — Tue, 15 Jun 2010 17:21:28 +0000

Yes, I know, this is the fourth Boeing 747 post in a row. What can I say? Interesting things are happening with the Boeing 747…it is one amazing plane.

Today, Boeing posted a new video showing the Boeing 747-8 Intercontinental being made, talks a bit about the plane and you even get to meet some of the workers. Definitely worth a watch!

PICTURES: Korean Air Boeing 747-8 (RC541)

David Parker Brown — Mon, 14 Jun 2010 20:35:59 +0000

Korean Air Cargo Boeing 747-8 Freighter (HL7609 - RC541) sitting next to Cargolux's. Took at Paine Field today.

Today, I got word from Jon Ostrower (aka FlightBlogger) that a Boeing 747-8 Freighter with a Korean Air Cargo livery should be outside at Paine Field.

So I headed up to Paine Field to take a look and sure enough, it was there!

I was just up there on Saturday taking a look at the Boeing 787 ZA005 and the Cargolux Boeing 747-8, but it was awesome seeing the Cargolux next to the Korean Cargo plane (dang UPS getting in between them).

I didn’t have my normal (and better) camera with me, so didn’t get zoomed in as I wanted, but better than nothing!

More media:
* LIVE video I took on iPhone while there (still testing this service)
* 12 other photos of the Korean Air Cargo Boeing 747-8
* Is it just me or does the Korean Air logo look a lot like Pepsi’s new logo?

Thank you Temo for letting me use your camera last minute!

Boeing Starts Assembly of the Boeing 747-8 Intercontinental

David Parker Brown — Tue, 11 May 2010 20:00:16 +0000

Computer drawing of the Boeing 747-8 Intercontinental from Boeing.com

On May 8th, Boeing announced they have started the construction of the Boeing 747-8 Intercontinental (747-8I). What the heck is the Intercontinental? It is the passenger version of the Boeing 747-8 Freighter (747-8F) that took flight back in February.

Lufthansa already has 20 orders with 20 additional options. “We are very pleased to see that the production on the 747-8 Intercontinental has begun,” said Nico Buchholz, senior vice president, Corporate Fleet of Deutsche Lufthansa AG. “We are looking forward to welcoming the aircraft in our fleet as it is a component of Lufthansa’s strategy to modernize its fleet and increase environmental stewardship. The 747-8 shows our clear commitment to customer orientation.”

The Boeing 747-8I is 18.3 feet longer than the Boeing 747-400 and can hold 51 more passengers in a three-class configuration. Visually you will be able to tell the new aircraft by the swept wings and larger upper-deck. The new version will have the next generation GEnx-2B engines and a wing design like the Boeing 747-8F, which will make the aircraft more fuel efficient. The Boeing 747-8I will incorporate some of the cool features of the Boeing 787 Dreamliner. Boeing is hoping the 747-8I will take flight by the end of the year and then deliver by late 2011.

Currently Boeing has 32 orders for the Boeing 747-8I and 76 for the Boeing 747-8F.

Check out Boeing’s image gallery and website for a sneak-peak.

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