New Boeing 747-8 Launch

lord lucan

Just a heads up that Boeing are doing a live launch of the new BOEING 747-8 this evening at 19.00. It'll be broadcast live on this website:http://www.boeing.com/newairplane/747/incredible/

More info here too:http://www.newairplane.com/

Lots of speculation on what livery she'll appear in. They're really keeping things under wraps,going so far as to shroud the Aircraft.

Qantas

Yea have been following this looking forward to it they have some nice test videos on there website.

Hogzy

Its Lufthansa i bet. They were the first airline to order the Intercontinental version and the engine paint scheme visible in the above shot matches that of Lufthansa's

iPlop

Hogzy wrote: »

Its Lufthansa i bet. They were the first airline to order the Intercontinental version and the engine paint scheme visible in the above shot matches that of Lufthansa's

This is the passenger one yes? ,I have seen the cargolux one doing the rounds a bit

iPlop

It's Lufthansa alright




http://www.flickr.com/photos/royalscottking/5438823467/

rob88

it says on their website that lufthansa are the launch customer.. also says korean air is one of the other launch customers

iPlop

rob88 wrote: »

it says on their website that lufthansa are the launch customer.. also says korean air is one of the other launch customers

I zoomed the pic a bit as it was hard to see ,it says "First Boeing 747-8 Intercontinental for Lufthansa"

Hogzy

God i'm a genius :rolleyes:




:P

iPlop

Hogzy wrote: »

God i'm a genius :rolleyes:




:P

Thanks:rolleyes:

I won't bother contributing then

Hogzy

Sink The Banana wrote: »

Thanks:rolleyes:

I won't bother contributing then

eh i was being sarcastic?

iPlop

Hogzy wrote: »

eh i was being sarcastic?

And I was just trying to show people what it was ,not trying to be a know it all.;)

Hogzy

Sink The Banana wrote: »

And I was just trying to show people what it was ,not trying to be a know it all.;)

ohhhh kayyyyy?

Jesus man take a joke :rolleyes:

lord lucan

She looks gorgeous in them colours.:)

This link has a pic from the launch:http://www.newairplane.com/

lord lucan

Steyr

Aircraft
DATE:13/02/11
SOURCE:Air Transport Intelligence news


Lufthansa discloses 747-8I configuration
By Jon Ostrower


Lufthansa plans a 386-seat configuration of its new 747-8I when it arrives in its fleet in first quarter of 2012.

The stretched jet will be configured with eight first-class, 80 business-class and 298 economy seats.

Nico Buchholz, executive vice president, Lufthansa Group fleet management, says the carrier plans a new on-board product, which altered the available space on the aircraft.

"We started with slightly above 400 [seats], but that was the old standard, things evolve," he says, "We find things which we can do to the passengers - which are positive - and this usually does cost a couple of seats."

Details of the new on-board product were not disclosed.

Positioned between the 526-seat A380 and twin configuration 306- and 345-seat A340-600, the 747-8I will occupy a space that will allow the carrier to begin partly replacing its 23 747-400s and seven -400 Combis.

Buchholz says no timeline for the fleet's retirement has been identified, though market requirements will dictate the pace of the 747-400s' exit from the fleet.

Final route selection has not yet been determined, adds Buchholz, although he says 45 of the carrier's 70 long-haul routes are candidates for the first service.

Buchholz says the new aircraft will be able to meet the carrier's requirements. "All the mission profiles we want, we can meet," he says. "And actually we have very onerous points where we look for mission profiles, sometimes routes we don't fly, but we pinpoint certain areas to find if there are any weaknesses, and then we are extremely pleased when we don't find them. And I'm still pleased."

Buchholz anticipates a performance improvement package in the years to come and says they will have no operational impact on the aircraft "except we may save a little bit of fuel", he says.

The first 747-8I is slated to fly in the "early spring" - late March or April - and is expected to be certified in the third or fourth quarter following a 600h flight test campaign.

A total of 33 747-8I aircraft have been ordered, with Lufthansa accounting for the bulk of the backlog with 20. Korean Air holds orders for five of the aircraft, along with eight slated to be configured for head of state and VIP missions.

lord lucan

A few more pics here:http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/photogalleries/businesstechnology2014200928/1.html

iPlop

lord lucan wrote: »

That is one seriously disgusting paint job ,it's so plain (no pun intended).I would prefer their blue paint job anyday.

lord lucan

Sink The Banana wrote: »

That is one seriously disgusting paint job ,it's so plain (no pun intended).I would prefer there blue paint job anyday.

I think it looks well. Hoping they move her out of the Hangar so we can see it in proper daylight.

Cosmo Kramer

Launch of the 747-8

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Y1kyLequgg

Plowman

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lord lucan

Plowman wrote: »

This post has been deleted.

It's similar to the 747-100 livery that the first test aircraft sported. More Maroon than red though on the original.

pclancy

About time Lufthansa started looking at replacing the 744s, their interiors, seats and IFE are seriously dated and tired looking, I had a crap flight between BKK-FRA over Xmas, they really let themselves down compared to the other airlines I flew with.

Tenger

Plowman wrote: »

This post has been deleted.

Good point. I think the blue livery is very nice. Please let the red/orange be for nostalgic reasons.

I read on another site that this aircraft will be used for testing so will not actually be the first B747-8i to join the Lufthansa fleet. It will be D-ABYE. D-ABYA and D-ABYC will be delivered direct from final assembly before the photed aircraft will be reconfigured and then delivered. )

View Profile

Wonder if MOL is eyeing these up?! Boeing dont seem to have too many orders as of yet.

She's a beast though. Any shots of the flightdeck?

lord lucan

Some pics of her here after she was towed outside the Hangar.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/airlinereporter/sets/72157625916726479/

iPlop

The hump is huge on that thing ,lovely aircraft ,pity about the paint job

Hogzy

Sink The Banana wrote: »

pity about the paint job

It really is!!!
The dreamliner scheme was so fitting to any aircraft. The red just looks awful and dated.

Does anyone know why this aircraft doesnt have winlets?
I thought winlets were almost a necessity to reduce drag at the edges of the wing tips. Unless the wing tips 'curl up' at speed?

iPlop

Hogzy wrote: »

It really is!!!
The dreamliner scheme was so fitting to any aircraft. The red just looks awful and dated.

Does anyone know why this aircraft doesnt have winlets?
I thought winlets were almost a necessity to reduce drag at the edges of the wing tips. Unless the wing tips 'curl up' at speed?

It's a new type of wing that curves up with acceleration in a raked design like the 777 and 787 ,the air bleeds off the curve in a wiglet effect.They are not rigid like the 737 and 757 ,767 so they don't need winglets.

Tenger

Thanks for that image of the wing. I think the new raked wings look very clean.
Will be strange to see a jumbo without winglets after so many years of the B744!

In regard to the (garish) livery, here's what is taken from Boeing on [url]www.airlinereporter.com:[/url]
"I have to say the color choice is gorgeous. I don’t think the real beauty comes out in the photos. The paint is metallic, so up close it really sparkles. So why orange right? Directly from Boeing: “The airplane unveiled today is painted in a new Sunrise livery of red-orange that only will appear on the first 747-8 Intercontinental and is a significant departure from Boeing’s standard blue. The new color palette honors many key Boeing customers whose cultures recognize these colors as symbols of prosperity and good luck.” Either way, she is one beautiful airplane and I cannot wait to see her fly.

As of now, the first flight is scheduled for Spring 2011. Since the Boeing 747-8 Freighter has been going through so many different flight tests, the additional tests for the 747-8 Intercontinental won’t be as intensive. This aircraft (N6067E) will be painted in the Sunrise Boeing livery during flight tests. It then will be painted to the customer’s livery before delivery. Of course, there is still no word who the owner of the first aircraft will be. There were representatives from Lufthansa and Korean Air present at the ceremony. Currently Lufthansa has 20 orders for the 747-8I and Korean Air has five."

Heres some internal pics of the intended LH bird from the same website:
Lower deck:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/airlinereporter/5439145279/in/set-72157626033733956/
Upper deck:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/airlinereporter/5439751152/in/set-72157626033733956/

CaptainSkidmark

i think the paint job is nice so there :P

lord lucan

Interesting video of the 747-8F performing a brake test last month. Impressive stuff.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=am392XmYBps

Bearcat

it's hard to fathom that the original aircraft was originally designed in the 60's......today in 2011 she still looks like the queen of the skies, where as the A380 looks like an ugly pig imho.

Almaviva

What is the role of the 747 these days?
Have many sold in recent years for passenger duties? The 777 and A330/A340 seem to dominate a lot of routes that would have been 747 territory in the past. Why (to my very limited aviation knowledge) is the 747 being eclipsed by those aircraft ?

pclancy

Yeah you're right i've wondered the same. I fly a lot of long haul due to living on the bottom of the planet and in the last few years many airlines seem to have reduced their 747 fleets. Some have become quite shabby as airlines wait for their new A380s. I find the 777 much more spacious inside then a 747. I guess its down to economics, the cost per seat of running a 4 engined aircraft must be higher. I wonder does the 747 still have the best frieght capacity which makes up for other factors.

Tenger

pclancy wrote: »

Yeah you're right i've wondered the same. I fly a lot of long haul due to living on the bottom of the planet and in the last few years many airlines seem to have reduced their 747 fleets. Some have become quite shabby as airlines wait for their new A380s. I find the 777 much more spacious inside then a 747. I guess its down to economics, the cost per seat of running a 4 engined aircraft must be higher. I wonder does the 747 still have the best frieght capacity which makes up for other factors.

Well straight away with 4 engines you have double the upkeep over a twin.
Modern twins have range/power almost equal to quads like the B747. The old Virgin Atlantic slogan of "4 engines 4 longhaul" rings a bit hollow these days.

I think the A340 has actually stopped being produced, Airbus can still make more but orders have stopped. (The same production line makes A330/A340) The A340 was designed as a long range variant of the A330. Modern A330's have improved range and the B772 (I believe) outperforms the A340. Both of these have impacted A340 sales.

ETOPS was another reason to favour quads but ETOPS has been extended quite a bit over time so the impact is less than it was when the B767/A300 first operated over the North Atlantic.



In the case of the B747-8i, Boeing have brought out a new version of an old design that doesn't offer a lot more than an existing Boeing design. I read on Airliners.net that the B773 offers a similar range to the B747-8i with only 40-50 less seats. Anyone who wants more seats that the B773 may as well go for the A380. BA are the largest operator of the B744, they have decided to replace their fleet (approx 50 units) with a mix of B773 and A380.

I think the upgrade to partially a pride thing. The B747 is such an iconic aircraft, it would be a PR disappointment for Boeing to end the design. In addition Boeing had to offer an upgrade of the B744 to stop all Airbus taking customers from them. Boeing claimed the market for aircraft larger than the B744 was not viable, they had to make an offering that cut into the Airbus target market.

pclancy

I wonder what is Boeings motive for pouring money into the 748 when one of their own products (777) is better suitedfor most airlines needs? Seems like a strange business case to reengineer and redevelop an old uneconomical airframe.

lord lucan

First 748 in customer colours pictured below. Due to enter service with LH early next year.

Tenger

And here is the cargo version:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/microvolt/6108397042/in/photostream/

L1011

pclancy wrote: »

I wonder what is Boeings motive for pouring money into the 748 when one of their own products (777) is better suitedfor most airlines needs? Seems like a strange business case to reengineer and redevelop an old uneconomical airframe.

Pride is a surreal thing.

Turbulent Bill

pclancy wrote: »

I wonder what is Boeings motive for pouring money into the 748 when one of their own products (777) is better suitedfor most airlines needs? Seems like a strange business case to reengineer and redevelop an old uneconomical airframe.

I think the aviation industry is getting like the car industry, with more diversification and niche products. Companies like BMW probably have twice as many model types as a decade ago, many built on common platforms.

Boeing could put a minimal engineering effort (relatively speaking) into the 748, pitch it as an easy transition for existing 744 customers and still get some niche sales.

I don't think sentiment comes into it - Boeing would can the Jumbo if it wasn't making money.

donkey balls

My aul crowd use to operate one of the biggest fleets of B747F we then changed to DC10/MD11 as they are more fuel effiecent although we lost six main positions using the Douglas,The company has started to buy B777F to replace the MD11 eventually on the long haul routes we were also the launch customer for the A380F but due to the set backs with production the company withdrew the order from Airbus and has a option for some A330F to replace the A300F.

Fishtits

lord lucan wrote: »

First 748 in customer colours pictured below. Due to enter service with LH early next year.

I don't think that's a 748.

I'm not involved in the industry anymore so I don't follow this in any detail but I had the notion from various conversations/e-mails etc that the 748 had only found freight buyers?

Edited to add, I've just run a search of the reg of the pictured a/c, its a 744.

lord lucan

AFAIK they've given it the reg of LH's first 744,hence why it shows up as a 744.

Plowman

This post has been deleted.

cuterob

of course it's the 748..look at the feckin length of it!

Zonda999

http://www.airlinereporter.com/tag/boeing-747-8/

Thought this was nice to see, well the pictures of it were anyway!:)


Some size of a jet!


plenty more pictures of it here

Bearcat

Beautiful, they need to sort the trim tank re flutter

ohigg84

Shes beautiful! Is she longer than a 777-300 now?

Delancey

I'm very surprised it doesn't have ' winglets ' fitted ?

cuterob

ohigg84 wrote: »

Shes beautiful! Is she longer than a 777-300 now?

i think the 744 always was longer than the 773? I could be wrong but it is longer now than the a346 which held the honour of being the longest commercial jet

Delancey wrote: »

I'm very surprised it doesn't have ' winglets ' fitted ?

I think the wings are new raked wings which don't need winglets

Turbine

Delancey wrote: »

I'm very surprised it doesn't have ' winglets ' fitted ?

It has raked wingtips like the 777, which have the same effect as winglets. I think the reason winglets are used on some aircraft is because achieving the performance benefits using raked wingtips can mean having to extend the wing span to a point where the bending forces become too great. Winglets have a third of the bending force of a raked wingtip, so at that point it makes sense just to use winglets.