Boeing unveiled the 747-8 Intercontinental, its biggest airliner ever, yesterday, and with the glamor of the event behind it, the company faces the ongoing — and difficult — job of certifying two new aircraft and delivering the long-delayed 747-8 and 787 Dreamliner to anxious customers.
The two airlines with orders for the 747-8, Lufthansa and Korean Air, were in Seattle for the unveiling along with private customers for the business jet version.
(picture above) The new wing of the 747-8 includes fly-by-wire outboard ailerons. The spoilers on top of the wing are also controlled with fly-by-wire. The red, white and orange airplane unveiled on Sunday was a business jet version for an undisclosed customer. Though a representative of Kuwait Airways at the event did confirm that the small nation does have a 747-8 Intercontinental on order for “head-of-state transporation.”
The chevron shapes on both the nacelle and exhaust nozzle reduce the noise of the engines by 30 percent over the older 747 models.
Inside the cockpit of a 747-8I business jet. There is still some wiring left to do. The new flight deck will include the latest in avionics, but retains the familiar feel for current 747 pilots. Boeing says only three days of transition training will be needed for a 747-400 pilot to transfer over to the 747-8.
This is where most of us will not be sitting when we fly on a 747-8I. Interior options far more fancy than this can push the price of a private 747-8I over the $200 million mark.
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