The historic 747, dubbed the ‘Queen of the Skies,’ revolutionized air travel. Marked by its distinctively recognizable hump, this iconic airplane is a symbol of great engineering, innovation and often noted as an outstanding work of architecture.

The Boeing 747-8 is the largest variant of the 747 and Boeing’s largest aircraft. After introducing the B747-400, Boeing considered larger 747 versions as alternatives to the proposed double-deck Airbus A3XX, later developed as the Airbus A380. The first 747-8F Freighter performed its maiden flight on February 2010, and the passenger 747-8I Intercontinental followed suit on March 2011. The cargo version was first delivered in October 2011 and the airliner began commercial service in June 2012.

The two 747-8 variants feature a fuselage stretch of 5.6 m (18.3 ft) over the 747-400, bringing the total length to 76.5 m (250 ft 2 in).

The Freighter version has a shorter upper deck and can haul 140 t (308,000 lbs) over 4,120 nm (7,630 km). The Intercontinental version can carry 467 passengers in a typical three-class configuration over 7,790 nm (14,430 km).

Systems

Flight Patterns

Instructor’s Corner