This fifth part of my article series on the Boeing 747 will introduce you to the new and revamped version of the Queen of the skies. When Airbus first came up with the plan to develop a giant four-engined mega airliner with two passenger decks, Boeing came under increasing pressure to either design a similar giant or to stretch the Jumbo Jet. Since the middle of the 1990s there have been several attempts to stretch the 747 or to even extend the upper deck over the whole length of the aircraft, but neither version gained any serious customer interrest. But in November 2005 the Boeing 747-8 was officially launched in two versions: The 747-8F freighter and the 747-8i passenger mover. The designation “8" was chosen to show a connection to the Boeing 787 mid-size jet, that is currently selling like hot cake. For both versions the length is stretched to 76.4 m, thus becoming the longest civil airliner (unless you count the ukrainian Antonov 225 special freighter which has a length of approximately 89 m but exists only as a single aircraft). The interior of the passenger model will be completely upgraded and will be analogue to the Boeing 787, the stair to the upper deck will be changed to a curved one, the windows will be 8 % bigger than the current windows and the cabin lighting will be completely modernized, in order to give passengers a more comfortable feeling. The wings on both variants will be strengthened and instead of the traditional winglets the new jumbo will have raked wingtips, just like the latest versions of the Boeing 777. Many parts of the 747-8 are interchangeable with those of the 400 series and due to only slight flight deck upgrades the aircraft can be flown with the same type rating as the 747-400. The General Electric Genx, which is one of the 787 engines will be the only engine available for the 747-8. So far airline interest for the passenger 8i is relatively modest, only Lufthansa has ordered 20 aircraft and 7 additional VIP aircraft, mainly destined for the Middle East, have been sold. In contrast the freighter has as of now gained 78 orders from such names as Cargolux, Nippon Cargo Airlines, Emirates, Atlas Air and Cathay Pacific. The range of the 8i will be more than 15.000 km at a MTOW of 442.250 kgs, the MTOW of the freighter will be the same. To learn more about the Boeing 747-8 Family please visit the following link to the Boeing homepage:
http://boeing.com/commercial/747family/747-8_background.html
http://boeing.com/commercial/747family/747-8_background.html
