747 historical events 2010-2011 - 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 | 2010-2011

• 2010.02.06  Boeing completed taxi tests on the first 747-8 Freighter today. With Chief Pilot Mark Feuerstein at the controls, the airplane reached a top speed of approximately 90 knots (103.5 mph, 166.6 kph)."The airplane performed well," said Mo Yahyavi, 747 program vice president and general manager, Boeing Commercial Airplanes. "Based on early indications, the airplane is ready to fly." This was the last functional test planned before first flight. The first flight of the 747-8 Freighter is scheduled for Monday, Feb. 8.
  

• 2010.02.08. RC501, the first 747-8F, departed the same runway as its 747-100 predecessor on 8 February, just one day shy of the 41st anniversary of the venerable jumbo's maiden flight.The flight begins a test program for the world's most efficient freighter. With 747 Chief Pilot Mark Feuerstein and Capt. Tom Imrich in the flight deck, the newest member of the 747 family took off at 12:39 p.m. local time from Paine Field in Everett and landed at Paine Field at 4:18 p.m."It was a real privilege to be at the controls of this great airplane on its first flight, representing the thousands of folks who made today possible," said Feuerstein. "The airplane performed as expected and handled just like a 747-400."Today's flight was the first of more than 1,600 flight hours in the test program for the newest member of the 747 family. N747EX, took off from Paine Field’s Runway 34L. Chief Pilot Mark G. Feuerstein and Senior Engineering Test Pilot Captain Tom Imrich were on the flight deck. The prototype’s call sign was “Boeing 501 Experimental Heavy.” During the 3 hour, 39 minute flight, N747EX reached an altitude of 17,000 feet (5,182 meters) and a maximum speed of 230 knots (265 miles per hour/426 kilometers per hour). The prototype landed back at PAE at 4:18 p.m. PST (00:18 UTC). Mark Feuerstein said, “The airplane performed as expected and handled just like a 747-400.”
  

• 2010.02.12  "In an experiment conducted by Boeing, industry partners and the U.S. Missile Defense Agency, the Airborne LaserTestbed, a modified Boeing 747-400 Freighter, engages and destroys a boosting ballistic missile off the coast of California. It is the first time a laser weapon has engaged and destroyed an in-flight ballistic missile."
  

• 2010.02.22 N747EX During the second test flight RC501/N747EX made the first ever "747 GLS approach". This 2nd flight also happened to mark a “first” worth chronicling. Capt. Imrich flew the first GLS approach ever accomplished on a 747 of any type. GLS (Global positioning Landing System), or more accurately speaking, GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System), uses simple ground based augmentation to fine tune signals from navigation satellites – similar to GPS and other systems.
  

• 2010.03.11  Boeing has completed initial airworthiness testing on the 747-8 Freighter AT Moses lake. This milestone enables test  engineers to be on board during future flights and allows the remaining two 747-8 Freighter test airplanes to begin flight test.
  

• 2010.03.15 N50217 A second Boeing 747-8 Freighter, RC 522, successfully completed its first flight Sunday evening. The airplane took  off from Paine Field in Everett, Wash., for a two-and-a-half-hour flight and landed at Boeing Field in Seattle. Captain Kirk Vining was at the controls for the flight, with Rick Braun operating as co-pilot and Joel Conard serving as systems operator. The airplane reached an altitude of 27,000 feet (8,230 m) and an airspeed of 240 knots, or about 276 miles (444 km) per hour. It took off at 3:57 p.m. PDT and landed at 6:25 p.m. (LT)
  

• 2010.03.17 N5017Q The third Boeing 747-8 Freighter, RC 521, successfully completed its first flight on March 17. It is the final test airplane scheduled to participate in the flight-test program for the 747-8 Freighter. Piloted by Captains Paul Stemer and Keith Otsuka, with Ralph Chaffin serving as systems operator, RC 521 took off from Paine Field in Everett, Wash., completed a  two-and-a-half-hour flight and landed at Boeing Field in Seattle. The airplane reached an altitude of 30,000 feet (9,144 m) and an airspeed of 245 knots, or about 282 miles (454 km) per hour. It took off at 3:27 p.m. PDT and landed at 5:58 p.m. RC 521 has several tests scheduled in the test program, including fuel-mileage testing. The 747-8 Freighter flight-test program calls for all three airplanes to perform  approximately 3,700 hours of testing both on the ground and in the air.
  

• March 2010  Korean Airlines adds two freighters to their firmed up order.
  

• 2010.05.08  Boeing today announced it began assembly of the first 747-8 Intercontinental at the factory in Everett, Wash. Late this week, mechanics took the first step in major assembly for the new airplane by loading its wing panels and spars in the assembly tools. The spar is the internal support structure that runs through the full length of the wing.
  

• 2010.05.23. RC521 was transferred to Victorville, California, where it has been undergoing nautical air miles testing to evaluate the fuel performance of the four General Electric GEnx-2B engines, its primary role in the flight-test campaign.
  

• June 2010  The three Boeing 747-8s clock up 500 hours in test flying but Boeing decided a fourth was required to complete testing on time.
  

• 2010.06.07  The first Boeing 747-8 Freighter painted in customer livery emerged today from the Boeing paint hangar in Everett, Wash. The airplane sports an updated livery for launch customer Cargolux. The Luxembourg-based cargo operator has a total of 13 Boeing 747-8 Freighters on order.
  

• 2010.06.11. The US Federal Aviation Administration granted an expanded type inspection authorisation to the 747-8F, signalling the formal start to the aircraft's certification campaign.
  

• 2010.06.14. Assembly for the new airliner, 5.6m (18ft) longer than the 747-400, began with the arrival of the Section 41 forward fuselage and cockpit from Spirit AeroSystems in Wichita, Kansas. The 9.6m panels for RC001 that make up the nose and forward upper cabin and flightdeck were loaded into the assembly tool on 14 June.
  

• 2010.06.14  The initial flight worthiness testing is completed and the FAA give Boeing an expanded type inspection authorisation.
  

• 2010.06.21-26 RC522 also underwent hot weather testing at Phoenix-Mesa Gateway airport in Arizona.
  

• 2010.06.21. As of 21 June the 747-8I airframe engineering team has achieved 100% on-time design release for the previous 76 weeks using this technique. Additionally, engineering team completed
  

   100% design release on the 747-8I in the third week of June, a total of about 10,600 drawings for the new aircraft.

• 2010.07.19-25 The first 747-8 Freighter is displayed at the Farnborough Airshow.
  

• 2010.09.14  Boeing achieved another significant milestone for the first 747-8 Intercontinental Sunday night with the assembly of the airplane's forward fuselage. The 89-foot, 2-inch (27.2 meters) fuselage section, featuring the airplane's signature upper deck, was moved from the assembly tool for sealing and testing before beginning systems installation.
  

• 2010.10.15  Boeing moved closer this week toward completing assembly of the first 747-8 Intercontinental as mechanics in Everett, Wash., loaded the forward and aft fuselage sections to join with the wing and center section.
  

• 2010.11.05  Boeing has completed the power on sequence for the new 747-8 Intercontinental. This milestone enables the program to begin functional tests on the airplane.
  

• 2011.03.07  HONG KONG, Boeing and Air China today signed an agreement for the purchase of five 747-8 Intercontinental jetliners. Air China is the first Chinese carrier to contract the passenger version of the new, fuel-efficient 747-8.  
  

• 2011.03.08  EVERETT, Wash., Boeing successfully completed the first engine runs for the 747-8 Intercontinental today. The milestone marks a key step in preparing Boeing’s largest-ever passenger jet for flight test. The integrated airplane systems and engines performed as expected," said Elizabeth Lund, vice president and deputy program manager of the 747 program. "This result allows us to continue moving forward to first flight.” Engine runs began at 11:57 a.m. (PST) Tuesday and lasted approximately two hours and 45 minutes. 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 GE GEnx-2B engines. The remaining three engines were started using the cross-bleed function.
  

• 2011.03.20. The first passenger version of the Boeing 747-8, the 747-8 Intercontinental, took to the air for the first time from Paine Field in Everett, Wash about 9:58 a.m. local time. 747-8 chief pilot Mark Feuerstein and copilot Paul Stemer officially had begun flight-test program duties. The airplane touched down four hours and 25 minutes later at Boeing Field in Seattle. During the flight, it reached an altitude of 19,000 feet and a top speed of 288 miles per hour (250 knots).
  

• 2011.04.26 N6067U The second Boeing 747-8 Intercontinental, RC021, successfully made its first flight today. The airplane completes the two-airplane test fleet for the 747-8 Intercontinental.Piloted by Captains Keith Otsuka and Ron Johnston, with Ralph Chaffin serving as system operator and Greg Lichneckert as flight analyst, RC021 took off at 9:26 a.m. Pacific time from Paine Field in Everett, Wash. The airplane completed a three-hour, twenty-minute flight landing at 12:46 p.m. at Paine Field. During the flight, the airplane reached an altitude of 28,000 feet (8534 m) and airspeed of 275 knots, or about 316 miles (509 km) per hour.RC021 will be used primarily for testing the various interior systems that will be on the Intercontinental, such as heating, venting and air conditioning, smoke detection and galleys. In addition, Boeing will conduct fuel consumption and function and reliability tests on the airplane. The 747-8 Intercontinental flight-test program will perform approximately 600 hours of flight testing."
  

• 2011.06.19-20  Boeing will fly the new 747-8 Freighter to its international air show debut in a doubly historic fashion, flying the airplane across the Atlantic Ocean to the Paris Air Show using a renewable aviation jet fuel – the world's first transatlantic crossing of a commercial jetliner using biologically derived fuel. The crew will fly the airplane with each of the 747-8 Freighter's four GE GEnx-2B engines powered by a blend of 15 percent camelina-based biofuel mixed with 85 percent traditional kerosene fuel (Jet-A). The airplane took off at 2:38 p.m. Seattle time and landed at 9:30 a.m. Paris time. The 747-8 Intercontinental flew at Mach 0.85 and traveled approximately 4,400 nautical miles (8,149 km). Capt. Mark Feuerstein, Boeing chief pilot for the 747 program, was at the controls of the airplane when it landed. He was joined by co-pilots Capt. Steve Taylor, president of Boeing Business Jets; Capt. Rene Gonzalez, BBJ chief pilot; and Capt. Kirk Vining of Boeing Flight Test and Evaluation." (date and crew doubted: Capt. Keith Otsuka and Capt. Rick Braun and Cargolux Capt. Sten Rossby?)4
  

• 2011.08.03  The new Boeing 747-8 Freighter successfully completed its certification flight test program Tuesday, with two airplanes landing at Paine Field in Everett, Wash. Flight test airplane RC522 completed testing of the flight management computer (FMC) and RC523 completed function & reliability (F&R) testing. The 747-8 Freighter has flown more than 1,200 flights and 3,400 hours since its first flight Feb. 8, 2010. During that time, the five-airplane test fleet was used to gather data for more than 1,700 FAA certification requirements. Boeing tested the capabilities of these airplanes far beyond what they are expected to encounter in normal service. Tests concluded with F&R testing, a final phase in which an airplane must accrue 300 FAA-approved flight hours in its final delivery configuration.
  

• 2011.08.19  SEATTLE, Boeing received U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) certification Friday for the new 747-8 Freighter, passing two of the final landmarks on the airplane's journey to entry into service. The FAA granted Boeing an Amended Type Certificate (ATC) and an Amended Production Certificate for the 747-8 Freighter, while the EASA also granted the company an ATC for the airplane. With these certificates, the program is in the final stages of preparing to deliver the first 747-8 Freighter to launch customer Cargolux in early September.
  

• 2011.10.12  LX-VCB Boeing delivered the first 747 8 Freighter to Cargolux.  
  

• 2011.10.25  The 747-8 Intercontinental passenger version conducts tropical testing in Barbados.
  

• 2011.11.15 B-LJA  Boeing has delivered a 747-8 Freighter to Hong Kong-based Cathay Pacific Airways, making it the second freight operator worldwide to take delivery of Boeing's newest freighter.
  

• 2011.11.03 N856GT Boeing celebrated the delivery flight Thursday of the first 747-8 Freighter for Atlas Air Worldwide Holdings, Inc as the third operator of the type.
  

• 2011.12.06-09  N6067U FRANKFURT Germany, Lufthansa conducts evaluation tests with the 747-8 Intercontinental.    Boeing  and Lufthansa are fast approaching the next major milestone on the 747-8 Intercontinental program with the start of pre-delivery testing of the new airplane at Lufthansa's main operations base at Frankfurt Airport from Dec. 6 to Dec. 9. Lufthansa will conduct a number of tests to help ensure a smooth integration of the newest member of the 747 family into Lufthansa operations. Lufthansa maintenance and engineering personnel will rehearse ground-handling processes for the 747-8 Intercontinental within the airline's facilities and on its ramps at the airport.
  

• 2011.12.12 N5017Q of Nippon Cargo Airlines Flown to Yakutsk (Russia) for cold weather trials.
  

• 2011.12.14  The 747-8 Intercontinental passenger version receives type certification from the FAA.
  

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747-8F and 8I test program numbers as of January 2012.

Cummulative Flight Time by Aircraft    

Aircraft | Flight Time | Number of Test Flights |

RC501/N747EX 868.60 354  

RC521/N5017Q 696.12 235  

RC522/N50217 722.57 254  

RC503/N5573S 420.10 230  

RC523/N6009F 583.13 156  

RC001/N6067E 574.20 200  

RC021/N6067U 319.75 84  

RC003/N5020K 199.10 31  

Total 4,383.57 flight hours by 1,544 individual flights.