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!
Boeing workers assemble the top portion of the Boeing 747-8 Intercontinental. Photo by Boeing.
Boeing announced yesterday that they have started fuselage assembly of the first 747-8 Intercontinental at their factory in Everett, WA. Even though this is not the first Boeing 747-8 built, it is the first Intercontinental that will carry passengers.
The panels are part of section 41, which houses the flight deck and top portion of the top passenger compartment. The Boeing 747-8 Intercontinental already has 33 orders and is set to be delivered in late 2011.
Be sure to check out:
* Learn more about the Boeing 747-8 Intercontinental
* More photos of the plane on Randy’s blog
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!
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.
The Boeing 747-8 is a big plane and requires a heck of a lot of paint. Check out this time-lapse video from Boeing showing the process in a which the 747-8 goes through to look pretty.