Boeing 747-8 Intercontinental provedl úspěšný první let

SEATTLE, umýt.

SEATTLE, Wash. – The Boeing 747-8 Intercontinental successfully began its flight test program today, taking off from Paine Field in Everett, Wash., before more than several thousand employees, customers, suppliers and community leaders. The airplane landed four hours and 25 minutes later at Boeing Field in Seattle. The 747-8 Intercontinental’s first flight marks the beginning of a flight test program that will finish in the fourth quarter.

With 747 Chief Pilot Mark Feuerstein and Capt. Paul Stemer at the controls, the newest member of the 747 family took off at 9:59 a.m. and landed at 2:24 p.m. local time.

“What a great privilege to be at the controls of such a great airplane on its first flight,” said Feuerstein. “And what an honor to share this day with the thousands of men and women who designed and built this airplane.”

Today’s flight was the first of more than 600 flight hours in the test program for the new 747-8 Intercontinental. The airplane followed a route over Eastern Washington, where it underwent tests for basic handling and performance. The airplane reached a cruising altitude of 19,000 feet (5,791 meters), and a speed of up to 250 knots, or about 288 miles per hour (463 kilometers).

“This a great day for the 747-8 team and for all of Boeing. What an honor it is to see such a beautiful airplane fly,” said Elizabeth Lund, vice president and general manager of the 747-8 program. “I want to thank everybody who had a hand in designing, building and preparing this airplane for flight – our engineers, our manufacturing employees, our colleagues in Boeing Fabrication, our colleagues in Boeing Test & Evaluation, our external suppliers – for all their hard work.”

747-8 Intercontinental bude mít nejnižší cenu sedadel na míli ze všech velkých komerčních proudových letadel, s o 12 procent nižšími náklady než jeho předchůdce, 747-400. Letoun poskytuje o 16 procent nižší spotřebu paliva, o 16 procent méně uhlíkových emisí na cestujícího a vytváří o 30 procent menší hlukovou stopu než 747-400. 747-8 Intercontinental využívá interiérové ​​prvky z 787 Dreamliner, které zahrnují novou zakřivenou architekturu, která dává cestujícím větší pocit prostoru a pohodlí a zároveň přidává více místa pro osobní věci.

Korean Air and VIP customers have joined launch customer Lufthansa in ordering a total of 33 747-8 Intercontinentals. First delivery of the 747-8 Intercontinental is scheduled for the fourth quarter. Air China also has agreed to order five Intercontinentals, pending government approval.

The airplane is painted in a new Sunrise livery of red-orange and is a significant departure from Boeing’s standard blue. The new colors honor many key Boeing customers whose cultures recognize these colors as symbols of prosperity and good luck. The Sunrise livery only will appear on the first 747-8 Intercontinental, which is scheduled to be delivered to a VIP customer at the end of the year.

O autorovi

Avatar Lindy Hohnholzové

Linda Hohnholzová

Šéfredaktor pro eTurboNews se sídlem v eTN HQ.

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