August 5 - The new Boeing 747-8 Freighter has successfully completed its certification flight test programme, with two aircraft landing at Paine Field in Everett, Washington.
Flight test aircraft RC522 completed testing of the flight management computer (FMC), and RC523 completed function and reliability (F&R) testing. According to Elizabeth Lund, vice president & general manager of the 747 program,Boeing is in the home stretch in delivering this aircraft to its customers.
The first 747-8F is scheduled to be delivered to launch customer Cargolux in September after certification from theUS Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).
Boeing says that the 747-8F has flown more than 1,200 flights and 3,400 hours since its first flight in February 2010. During that time, the five-aircraft 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 aircraft must accrue 300 FAA-approved flight hours in its final delivery configuration.
