If you’re still amazed that heavier-than-air machines can fly, consider just the new record Boeing set last week for its new generation 747-8 Freighter.
That aircraft took off on a test flight from Victorville, Calif., last week weighing more than a million pounds. That 1,005,000 weight was a new record for a Boeing aircraft.
The new 747 used a new wing, new engines and a stretched fuselage to lift that huge load which consisted of the aircraft itself, full fuel tanks and a belly loaded with 3,000-pound steel plates.
The aircraft was designed to take off at a maximum weight of 975,000 pounds. Boeing tested the aircraft at 30,000 pounds more to ensure its customers the aircraft has the capability to handle the loads Boeing has advertised.
John Gillie, staff writer
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