The day started out pretty foggy today and the first flight of the Boeing 747-8 was delayed for a few hours. It was well worth the wait, because when she took the air, the sun was out and the sky was blue. The Boeing 747-8 was surprisingly quiet on take off and the chase planes made much more noise.
The Boeing 747-8 is scheduled to be in the air until 4:22pm, when it will land back at Paine Field (and I will be there to take video/pictures).
I will be on the Future of Flight Strato Deck taking pictures and video of the event. Check back on this blog for all the updates, pictures and video of this morning’s first flight.
NOTE: Some people have asked if they can use my pictures and video — yes please. I just ask you give credit and link back to my blog!
UPDATE 9:10am: It is mighty foggy right now. Just watched a Emirates Boeing 777 take off and it disappeared instantly into the clouds. Hopefully it burns off soon. Boeing employees are starting to gather along the runway. Posting a few foggy pictures to my Flickr.
UPDATE 10:30am: The first flight has been delayed due to weather.
UPDATE 10:50am: Been change to no definite flight time due to weather. We now just sit and wait. While waiting I uploaded a few more pictures to Flickr.
UPDATE 11:15am: Hearing the Boeing 747-8 could take off as early as noon. Also hearing 2pm. Stay tuned, I am not leaving!
UPDATE 11:50am: Told Boeing 747-8 flight flight should be happening with-in an hour. Starting to see blue in the sky.
UPDATE 12:43pm: She took off and looked wonderful! Great job to Boeing all of the people that made the first flight possible. Working to get photos and video up soon.
UPDATE 3:30pm: The Boeing 747-8 is still set to land at 4:22pm at KPAE.
Today, the Boeing 747-8 is completing it taxi tests. I was able to get a few videos of the airplane in action. The video above is the Boeing 747-8 doing 60kt tests with no problems. Below are other videos I shot today:
There has been so much excitement about seeing the first Boeing 787 take off and even the second. Now it is time for the third Dreamliner to get some attention. This morning I was invited to see the third Boeing 787 Dreamliner up close and personal. Besides Boeing staff and a few guest airlines, this was the first time outsiders have been allowed to see what’s so special on the inside. Boeing has never invited media on a test plane like this before and they made it clear that this was a still a testbed and wasn’t the final product.
Passengers are able to tint the windows using the button below them. This is a middle level tint.
It was exciting walking up the stairs of the third Dreamliner. The first thing I noticed when walking in was space. Yes, many of the seats were missing, but it seemed tall and roomy. I was quick to move over to the windows and try the electronic dimmers. Instead of shades, you are able to push a button and dim the window from clear to very dark. This is something that will likely entertain children (and aviation nerds) for a few hours on a flight. Getting up to see the flight deck was awesome. The display screens were much larger than I thought and the heads up display was an exciting addition. They even had a 787 Dreamliner emblem on the ceiling, which was a nice touch.
Notice how little room the overhead bins take. The white lighting can be programmed with different color options.
This Boeing 787 test plane only had a few economy seats for us to preview, no Business or First class ones. Boeing will provide a catalog of seats for airlines to choose from. Airlines must choose out of the Boeing catalog for economy seats, but do not for Business Class.
Most of the plane was lit in white, although the front had a nice blue glow to it. Boeing will suggest to airlines that they have the lights on blue when passengers load, since studies show it gives the feeling of space . They also suggest airlines go brighter for meal services, since food looks better when well lit (not sure if peanuts do though).
In the front and rear of the aircraft are crew bunk areas. The bunk areas are located above in the ceiling and have some narrow stairs to get access. They make me think of summer camp, but they at least provide an area away from the passengers where the crew can rest.
It was amazing being able to get so close to this Dreamliner. She looked great in her Boeing "light" livery.
One surprisingly neat part of the Boeing 787 was the lavatories. If you wave your hand in front of the sensor, they will flush and the seat will close. They also have a very spacious feel with the ability to customize the lighting.
The Dreamliner is an amazing aircraft. Even non-aviation nerds should feel a stark difference flying on this aircraft versus others. I think most people were impressed even with this pre-production model. I can’t wait to see her fully decked out.
ZA001 Boeing 787 Dreamliner during taxi tests on 12/12/09
This morning I have the wonderful opportunity to check out the inside of the Boeing 787 Dreamliner. There will be a few of us there on Twitter putting up live pictures. To follow live check out #787cabin and @AirlineReporter. I will update my blog as the day goes along. If you have been curious about Twitter, this is your excuse to dive in 🙂 — you don’t need an account to watch.
