Boeing 747-8 Freighter Approved

Great excitement surrounds the news that Boeing is approved to deliver their first Boeing 747-8 Freighter to Cargolux in September, with their latest release having just received its federal certification, allowing Boeing to move forward with this airplane series. This is the fourth model in the widebody 747 range of Boeing, and most definitely the largest of the range that needed to undergo a few changes to set it apart from previous versions, such as the Boeing 747-400.

Great excitement surrounds the news that Boeing is approved to deliver their first Boeing 747-8 Freighter to Cargolux in September, with their latest release having just received its federal certification, allowing Boeing to move forward with this airplane series. This is the fourth model in the widebody 747 range of Boeing, and most definitely the largest of the range that needed to undergo a few changes to set it apart from previous versions, such as the Boeing 747-400.

The new and improved Boeing 747-8 Freighter offers sixteen percent more space than its predecessors, and it features a redesigned wing as well as a longer fuselage. The new and improved Boeing 747-8 Freighter is eighteen feet longer than its predecessor making it a total of two hundred and fifty feet in length, and also features an additional three lower-hold pallets as well as four more main deck pallets. The struts, nose section and the nacelles were constructed by Spirit AeroSystems, which is located in Wichita.

Boeing tested the aircraft on the ground for numerous hours, ensuring that every component of the aircraft was tested according to certification standards. Once ground testing was completed, flight testing commenced, where the aircraft logged over three thousand four hundred hours. Todd Zarfos, who is the engineering vice president for the project, spoke to the media expressing his excitement in regard the certification and said that the approval was a combination of thousands of hours of hard work that has finally paid off. He also added that the forecast for Boeing’s sales estimated approximately eight hundred and twenty places to be in demand for aircraft that can accommodate four hundred passengers or more over the next twenty years, and it is estimated that of the demand number at least two hundred and fifty will be the freighters.

At present the orders for the new freighter total a hundred and fourteen, while the demand for intercontinental passenger versions of the new 747-8 comes to fifty-six. Looking at the interest in the new approved and certified freighter, Boeing is confident that their fourth generation freighter will be as successful as their previous versions.