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…
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.
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.
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.
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).
