New Boeing 747 Unveiled

The first commercial Boeing 747 was wheeled out on 30 September 1968. It grew to become one of the world’s most used commercial aircraft. Now, forty-four years later, the latest model of its generation has made its debut, to the awe of workers, investors and spectators. It is the fourth generation of the 747 series and has been named the Intercontinental. With orders already in for this magnificent aircraft, testing will be commencing shortly. Then construction, to meet the demand, will get underway.

The first commercial Boeing 747 was wheeled out on 30 September 1968. It grew to become one of the world’s most used commercial aircraft. Now, forty-four years later, the latest model of its generation has made its debut, to the awe of workers, investors and spectators. It is the fourth generation of the 747 series and has been named the Intercontinental. With orders already in for this magnificent aircraft, testing will be commencing shortly. Then construction, to meet the demand, will get underway.

The 747-8 freighter is the plane that caught the attention of the international aviation community, and a commercial liner, near to its specifications, kick-started the demand. Instead of seeing the typical blue Boeing emerge for its unveiling, a breathtaking red-orange colored aircraft made its appearance. The massive two storey aircraft has a breathtaking wingspan of two hundred and twenty-four feet and has the capacity to accommodate approximately four hundred and seventy passengers in great comfort. General Electric Company constructed the GEnx-2B67 engines that will allow the aircraft to fly at Mach 0.86 as a cruising speed. Elizabeth Lund, the 747 program manager and vice president, expressed her excitement over the new aircraft, saying: “It carries more people, it carries more cargo, it flies further, it flies faster, and I think it’s much more economical than its ever been. And I really do think it will revolutionize the industry once again.”

Economy class will feature rows of three seats at the windows and four down the middle, while business class seats will be a little more spacious with two seats at the windows and three in the middle row. Business class seats will also be able to pitch to a ninety degree angle. First class passengers will enjoy the comfort of personal pods that can be folded out into a hundred and eighty degree bed, providing passengers with some privacy due to the design of the pod. Not only will the new Intercontinental be more spacious, environmentally friendly and fuel efficient, it will also be faster than its predecessors. The average price for the Intercontinental is $317.5 million, and so far thirty-three orders are waiting for Boeing.