B748 to take to the Skies any minute

[Northern Exploration]

The latest version of the venerable 747 is due to lift off shortly from Paine Field. Check the live feed at 747-8firstflight.com/.

This is a stretched version of the 747-400 with new wings, new flight deck a la 787, and new interiors similar to the 787. The freight version is the one flying today with the passenger version to follow later.

* if you missed it they will replay the takeoff from the same webcast. Projected to be about a 4 to 5 hour flight and then the landing. So somewhere between 4:30 to 6:00 PST will be the landing. They need a minimum visual flight rules for this flight so cloud cover or other weather could shorten the flight if conditions change.

You can follow the flight at boeing.flightaware.com/live/flight/BOE501.

And if you are really into multitasking or bored, there are two 787's also flying their certification test flights, BOE1 and BOE2.

[FNS]

Saw her take off at 1236PST on the webcast. A HUGE AIRCRAFT!

She does have the normal original upper deck that the earlier 747's were fitted with. I guess they just need that for the freight version. The passenger version of the 748 will have a longer upper deck than the current 747-400.

Interesting to note that FSG designated the MV NORTHERN EXPEDITION project Yard 748. She is definitely the 747-800 of BCF northern passenger liners! We'll call the QUEEN OF PRINCE RUPERT the 747-300 and the late QUEEN OF THE NORTH the 747-400. Would an Airbus A3XX be good for the QUEEN OF PORTHOLES? ;D

It's going to be fun to see the 748s doing their magnificent flights off my back yard here.

[Kahloke]

Got a treat today that a certain Ferrynut would have really enjoyed. The new 748 in Boeing House Colours (of course) did a flyover of Eagle Harbor just as we, on board M/V Tacoma, were docking tonight around 18:00. The magnificent aircraft flew right over our heads at a very low altitude. It was impressive to say the least. I wish I had brought my camera today. Isn't that always the case?

[FNS]

Apr 8, 2010 18:00:03 GMT -8 Kahloke said:

Got a treat today that a certain Ferrynut would have really enjoyed. The new 748 in Boeing House Colours (of course) did a flyover of Eagle Harbor just as we, on board M/V Tacoma, were docking tonight around 18:00. The magnificent aircraft flew right over our heads at a very low altitude. It was impressive to say the least. I wish I had brought my camera today. Isn't that always the case?

See if your cell phone can take photos. My CP can. A photo of any quality is perfectly acceptable on a forum like this. Take my hurried photo of the Lake Union visitor YAKIMA off I-5 as an example. I did have my usual DC with me just in case the CHETZY was to leave Seattle for Everett on the weekday early last week. Her trip took place on Saturday, April 3, 2010.

The plane you saw took off from KBFI 13R at 1539PDT. She flew southwest over Astoria and did some lengths over the northwest coast of Oregon before returning to KBFI 13R, touching down at 1812PDT. From Flight Aware. The version of this Boeing 748 I'm really interested in seeing is the passenger one with the longer upper deck. That would be a really fun airliner to see land and take off from the Caribbean island of Saint Maarten. Just watch all the people get blown to the water when that takes off on Runway 09 there!

Below are a couple of samples of the fun people have with huge planes on the beach of Saint Maarten:


Fun with jet blast from a B744. Just watch this happen with a B748!


A340 Takes off Saint Maarten. Watch the people get blasted.

And, just for fun, here is a cockpit view of a landing and takeoff at this island:


B744 lands at Saint Maarten.


B744 takes off Saint Maarten. See all those people lining the shore to get blasted from this plane!

There are quite a few fun videos of this airport. Some hilarious ones with beach brellas getting blasted to the water. A boat has to go out and get these! ;D

Hope to get to this place someday to see planes. Maybe we'll get to see the new Boeing 747-800 jumbos land and take off there.

[Kahloke]

Yeah, Princess Julianna Airport at St. Maarten is world-renowned for being one of THE best plane-spotting places. I troll Airliners.net regularly where there's always a lot of photos from Maho Beach right at the end the runway.

[Northern Exploration]

Apr 8, 2010 20:56:53 GMT -8 Kahloke said:

Yeah, Princess Julianna Airport at St. Maarten is world-renowned for being one of THE best plane-spotting places. I troll Airliners.net regularly where there's always a lot of photos from Maho Beach right at the end the runway.

That is the only place where you can plane spot and get your hair blow dried by jet blast all at once. But don't go if you are sporting a toupee.

YYZ (Pearson) has a spot that is somewhat controversial with a Wendy's, donut store, and gas station right near the end of a runway. When a large jet goes over, your ears can pop from the pressure wave of air. And then on certain planes you can clearly hear and feel the wake vorticies ten or so seconds after the aircraft passes. It must be incredibly stronger in St. Maarten.

The only thing that keeps YYZ from being dangerous for spotters is that there is a jet blast deflector at the end of a runway partially sheltering you from the jet blast of planes taking off.