Aircraft
First 747-8I Takes to the Air
The first passenger version of the Boeing 747-8, the 747-8 Intercon

The first passenger version of the Boeing 747-8, the 747-8 Intercontinental, took to the air for the first time today from a chilly and windy Paine Field in Everett, Wash., in front of thousands of Boeing employees, company managers and media. The largest passenger airplane ever built by Boeing took off at about 9:58 a.m. local time, in sunny conditions, and flew to the north, climbed to 5,000 feet before heading west over the Olympic Peninsula, by which time 747-8 chief pilot Mark Feuerstein and copilot Paul Stemer officially had begun flight-test program duties.

The airplane touched down four hours and 25 minutes later at Boeing Field in Seattle. During the flight, it reached an altitude of 19,000 feet and a top speed of 288 miles per hour (250 knots).