Boeing’s Biggest Bird Leaves the Nest

February 8th, 2010 admin

EVERETT, Washington — Boeing’s biggest commercial airplane took off for the first time today, one day short of the 41st anniversary of the maiden flight of the first 747. The 747-8 , airframe No. RC501, taxied onto runway 34L at Paine Field, then sped down the runway and into the air at 12:39 p.m. It quickly vanished in low clouds as Boeing employees cheered. The flight window opened at 10 a.m. but fog delayed the takeoff for more than two hours. Mark Feuerstein, Boeing’s chief pilot of 747 programs, and co-pilot Tom Imrich have a four-hour flight planned before returning to Paine Field before dark. They’re flying a huge plane that is 250 feet long. That’s 18 feet longer than the current 747. The wings are a new design and stretch 224 feet 7 inches tip to tip. That’s 13 feet wider than the…


Originally posted on Wired

 
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