747 historical events 2006-2009 - Boeing 747 | information center

I collected all the important milestones of the mighty  BOEING 747  in the past 50+ years. I tried to do my best to recall every important moment of more than fifty-year. I hope my efforts serve your reading enjoyment.

Corrections and additions are warmly welcome at      postmaster@boeing747.net
Dates are in yyyy.mm.dd. format

747 milestones | 2006-2009

• 2006.03.06  Boeing completes 50% design release for the 747-8F.
  

• 2006.05.30 6 747-8 VIP orders.
  

• 2006.05.31 Last 747-400F order.
  

• 2006.08.17  First 747 Dreamlifter rolls out Taipei/Taiwan after vast modification programme.
  

• 2006.09.09  First flight of the Dreamlifter. The 747-400 LCF (Large Cargo Freighter) makes its first flight. Four of the jumbo freighters, designated Dreamlifters,will be built to transport the large composite structures of the 787 Dreamliner from partners around the world.
  

• 2006.09.16  Dreamlifter first landing at SEA Tacoma airport.
  

• 2006.10.10  Boeing opened and closed the swing tail for the 747-400 Large Cargo Freighter for the first time.The 747 LCF is currently at the Boeing Everett factory for tests on the swing tail, a major modification to the airplane that allows large pieces to be loaded and unloaded from the back of the airplane. These tests are the first time the LCF swing tail has opened. Since its first flight, the 747 LCF has accomplished 55 flight-test hours and 270 hours of ground tests.
  

• 2006.10.31  Boeing completes firm configuration for 747-8 Freighter.
  

• 2006.12.06  Lufthansa becomes first airline to order 747-8 Intercontinental.
  

• 2007.01.16  The 747-400 Dreamlifter delivers the first 787 Dreamliner major assemblies to Global Aeronautica in Charleston, South Carolina.
  

• 2007.03.10  Orders for Boeing 747 surpass 1500.
  

• 2007.03.15  Production of the 747-400 passenger version officially ceased on March 15, 2007. The last four -400s on order were cancelled by Philippine Airlines (which switched to the 777-300ER). The last to order the -400 was China Airlines in November 2002, with the last passenger 747-400 constructed in 2005 and delivered in April of that year.It was the 1358th 747 (MSN33737/B-18215).The last 747-400 was a -400ERF delivered on December 22, 2009, to Kalitta Air.  
  

• 2007.04.18. 1558 UTC - N780BA Dreamlifter lands at Paine Field for the first time, flight number BOE632.
  

• 2007.06.02  FAA certification granted for Dreamlifter.
  

• 2007.11.06  Boeing finalises 747-8I configuration with same 5.6m stretch as 747-8F.
  

• 2008.02.24 G-VWOW  Virgin Atlantic became the first airline in the world to operate a commercial aircraft on a biofuel blend. The Boeing 747 flew a short flight from London to Amsterdam, using a 20% biofuel/80% kerosene blend in one of its four engines. (G-VWOW VS811P flight number) using a biofuel composed of babassu oil and coconut oil. The demonstration flight, piloted by Captain Geoff Andreasen, Virgin Atlantic's Chief Boeing pilot, is due to take off from London Heathrow at 11.30am and arrive in Amsterdam at 13.30 local time. During the flight, technical advisors on board will be taking readings and recording flight data for later analysis.
  

• April 2008  Boeing acknowledges 1% weight growth on 747-8F and engineering challenges.
  

• August 2008  Work begins in Everett on the first cargo version of the Boeing 747 8.
  

• 2008.02.28  Boeing delivered 1400th 747 to GECAS for lease to AirBridgeCargo Airlines.
  

• 2008.08.08  Boeing starts major assembly of the first 747-8 Freighter.
  

• 2008.11.14  Boeing announces delays to the program, brought about by changes to the design, limited resources and a strike.
  

• 2008.12.10. One of NASA’s two Boeing 747 Shuttle Carrier Aircraft transports Space Shuttle Endeavour (OV-105) from Edwards Air Force Base in California to the Kennedy Space Center, Cape Canaveral, Florida.
  

• 2008.12.30 ZK-NBS of Air New Zealand successfully completed a 2 hours test flight from Auckland using a 50/50 mixture of jatropha oil -derived biofuel and Jet A1 in one of the four Rolls-Royce RB211 engines of ZK-NBS 747-400. The engine was then removed to be scrutinised and studied to identify any differences between the Jatropha blend and regular Jet A1. No effects to performances were found. The two-hour Air New Zealand test flight included more than a dozen key performance tests, including a full-powered take-off, switching off the biofuel engine fuel pump at 25,000 feet to check fuel lubricity, engine performance checks at 35,000 feet, a ‘windmill’ start at 26,000 feet and starter-assisted relight at 18,000 feet, and a simulated missed approach and go-around at 8,000 feet to test performance under maximum thrust.
  

• February 2009  Lufthansa was the sole customer signed up for the passenger version, the Boeing 747 8 Intercontinental. Boeing reassessed the project.
  

• October 2009  The first flight of the Boeing 747 8 Intercontinental is delayed until early 2010.
  

• 2009.03.23 N747GE GENx-2B engine maiden flight on a 747 Classic testbed at VCV, CA, lasted 5 hours.
  

• 2009.04.27  The Boeing Company has passed a major milestone in the design of the 747-8 Intercontinental, completing 25 percent of the design releases for the new passenger airplane. This means a quarter of the information needed to build parts and tools for assembly has been completed and released for fabrication or procurement.
  

• 2009.05.04  N552BA the last ever 747-400 built rolled out Everett FAL , Boeing has finally - and quietly - delivered the last of the original 747 family off the line, a -400ER Freighter (MSN 37304) The General Electric CF6-80C2-powered aircraft, which is the 1,419th 747 to be built, was officially delivered on 10 November to Kuwaiti freighter cargo start-up LoadAir, along with its sister-ship. the hand-over of the last original 747 marks the end of a chapter in Boeing's Jumbo Jet story, which began 40 years ago with the delivery of 747-100 N733PA to Pan Am on 12 December 1969.
  

• 2009.05.16  maiden flight of the last ever built dash 400.
  

• 2009.05.19  Boeing has achieved another significant milestone for the first 747-8 Freighter by completing assembly of the airplane's forward fuselage. The 89-foot, 2-inch (27.2 m) fuselage section, featuring the airplane's signature upper deck, was moved from the final assembly installation tool for sealing and testing before beginning systems installation.
  

• 2009.06.29  Boeing has completed another milestone in the assembly of its first 747-8 Freighter by joining the wing to the fuselage. Workers attached the 40-foot (12 m) fuselage section to the center wing box in the final assembly bay at the factory in Everett, Wash. The wing and center section are now being prepared for final body join, when the assembly will be connected to the forward and aft fuselage sections.
  

• 2009.07.21  Boeing took a major step closer  this week toward completing the assembly of the first 747-8 Freighter as mechanics at the factory in Everett, Wash. loaded the forward and aft fuselage sections to join with the wing and center section.
  

• 2009.09.02  Boeing continues to make progress on the assembly of the 747-8 Freighter, as mechanics completed the installation of the new GEnx-2B engines on airplane No. 1 in final assembly at the factory in Everett, Wash.
  

• 2009.11.10  last 400 official delivery to LoadAir Cargo of Kuwait. The plane later transferred to Kalitta.  
  

• 2009.11.12 N747EX First 747-8 Freighter rolls out of the factory.
  

• 2009.11.18 N747EX Boeing moved the first 747-8  Freighter out of the paint hangar in  Everett, Wash., Tuesday night  sporting a special "light" livery. Painted white with blue accents, the  747-8 Freighter unveiled a new twist on the Boeing Commercial Airplanes livery. It features an oversized "8" on the background of the tail as well  as "747-8" on the belly. at 6:20 PM N747EX is towed out of the  paint hangar to stall F5 at the fuel  dock.
  

• 2009.12.04  Korean Airlines orders five Boeing 747 8 Intercontinentals becoming the second customer for the passenger liner.  
  

• 2009.12.09  Boeing successfully completed the first engine runs for the 747-8 Freighter. The milestone marks another step in the 747 program's steady progress in preparing for flight test."We are very pleased with the engines' performance during this test," said Mo Yahyavi, vice president and general manager of the 747 program. "The engines and all the systems performed as expected."Engine runs began slightly before 10 a.m. (PST) Tuesday. During initial engine runs, the engines are started and operated at various power settings to ensure all systems perform as expected. The engine run test began with the auxiliary power system providing power to start the first of four General Electric GEnx-2B engines. The remaining three engines were started using the cross-bleed function.