Boeing's ‘stretched’ jumbo 747-8 takes to the skies
21 Mar 2011
Seattle, Washington: US aerospace giant Boeing's newest and biggest jumbo jet, the 747-8 Intercontinental, made its maiden flight Sunday, taking off from the Paine Field airport near Boeing's Seattle headquarters, watched by thousands of workers and guests. Also watching the maiden flight was Joe Sutter, the chief engineer of the original 747.
Sutter, celebrates his 90th birthday on Monday, and by way of a tribute, the initials "JFS" were painted on the landing gear bay door of the first 747-8 Intercontinental.
"It makes me feel real good. The fellas are telling me I'm part of the team," he said.
The red, white and orange-liveried aircraft remained aloft for just over four hours.
Boeing's largest passenger plane, the 747-8 can carry 467 passengers in a three-class configuration and is designed for long-haul routes. It is longer and more fuel-efficient than the legendary double-decker 747 jumbo jet, and will compete with European rival Airbus's A380, the world's biggest passenger plane.
The double-deck A380 can carry 525 passengers in the same configuration.
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