NIGERIA MASTERWEB DAILY NEWS

*Boeing to Test-Fly B747-8F Serie in Nigeria

By Lateef Lawal

The Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) has partnered with Boeing, a major aircraft producing company to test-fly its latest product, the 747-800 series in Nigeria. The Boeing representative, Mr. Jerry Robinson, who met with the Managing Director of FAAN, Mr. Richard Aisuebeogun, in Lagos said, “it’s the latest evolutionary variant of the Boeing 747 product from our factory in Seattle, USA”.

Robinson said that Boeing was willing to partner with FAAN towards developing the aviation industry, adding “Boeing is looking for airports that has facilities to test-fly the airplane”. He noted that the standard of facilities at both the Murtala Muhammed International Airport(MMIA), Lagos and Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport(NAIA), Abuja met the requirements for the operation of the aircraft. Robinson continued that the runway and taxiway at both airports were adequate for the operation of the new 747-800 series.

Mr. Aisuebeogun expressed his delight at working with Boeing as a partner, and noted that FAAN and Boeing had common denominator, which was the desire to foster safety both in the air and on the ground. Boeing according to him, was sourcing for airports that has the capability to accommodate all the needs of the new airplane, which is 250 feet, 2 inches long, a difference of 18 feet, 4 inches longer than the 747-400 freighters. ( Continues below..... )

Nigeria is one of the few countries in Africa to be targeted for the test flight, because a lot of airlines targeted by Boeing ply the route. The technical committee set up by FAAN and NCAA, have already confirmed that the two airports, MMIA and NAIA, has the capacity to accommodate the airplane.

The Boeing 747-8 Freighter successfully took to the sky for the first time Monday, 8 February, 2010. With 747 Chief Pilot Mark Feuerstein and Capt. Tom Imrich in the flight deck, the newest member of the 747 family took off at 12:39 p.m. local time from Paine Field in Everett and landed at Paine Field at 4:18 p.m. According to Feuerstein: "It was a real privilege to be at the controls of this great airplane on its first flight, representing the thousands of folks who made today possible. The airplane performed as expected and handled just like a 747-400."

This flight was the first of more than 1,600 flight hours in the test program for the newest member of the Boeing freighter family. The airplane followed a route over Western Washington, where it underwent tests for basic handling qualities and engine performance. The airplane reached a cruising altitude of 17,000 feet (5,181 m) and speed of up to 230 knots, about 264 miles (426 km) per hour. ( Continues below..... )

Powered by four General Electric GEnx-2B engines, the 747-8 Freighter will transition its testing program to Moses Lake, Washington, and Palmdale, California, where the other two test airplanes will join it in the coming month. 747-8 Freighter is the new, high-capacity 747 that will give cargo operators the lowest operating costs and best economics of any freighter.

The airplane 250 feet, 2 inches (76.3 m) long, is 18 feet, 4 inches (5.6 m) longer than the 747-400 Freighter. The stretch provides customers with 16 percent more cargo volume compared with its predecessor. This translates to an additional four main-deck pallets and three lower-hold pallets.

Boeing launched the airplane on 14 November, 2005 with firm orders for eighteen 747-8 Freighters: 10 from Cargolux of Luxembourg and eight from Nippon Cargo Airlines of Japan. All told, Boeing has secured 108 orders for the 747-8, of which 76 are orders for the new freighter.

Lateef Lawal (NigerianAviationNews)

View @ http://www.nigeriamasterweb.com/Disclaimer.html

*Tags: Nigerians, FAAN, Abuja, Lagos, Africa, Masterweb