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747 8 first fligh
The clouds lifted, the sun shone through and Boeing’s newest, largest plane took off at 12:39 p.m. Monday. It remains to be seen whether enough 747-8 aircraft sell for the program to make a profit.
Here’s a photo gallery.
The 747-8 has new wings and engines. It also is more than 18 feet longer than the 747-400, and can carry 30 more tons of cargo (154 tons altogether), although its range, 4,390 nautical miles, is 55 nautical miles shorter.
“It’s a great step up,” Thomas Crabtree, Boeing regional marketing director, airline revenue analysis — cargo, said Monday.
The range isn’t a big issue for cargo customers, Crabtree said.
“Cargo doesn’t care if it stops for gas,” he said, noting that many cargo routes have stops built in anyway.
Boeing has 108 orders for the 747-8: 76 for the freighter and 32 for the 747-8 Intercontinental passenger version.
read full article: Boeing 747-8 Freighter takes off on first flight
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