Boeing returns to their FlightAware.com canvas again -- this time to fly over every state in the lower 48 United States in a single flight! (flightaware.com) More...
Damn. According to the Google Earth file I dl'ed from FlightAware, it literally came within .98 miles of my house, laterally. Man, I wish I'd known, and I wish I wasn't in college yesterday.
the same jet flew from Washington to Charleston, SC made a flyover of the airport and then flew back to Washington on Oct. 21st, 2011. Check out www.garyeatonstudios.blogspot.com for some photos.
They passed very near my hometown of Miamisburg, OH. I was going to see if the flight was above the horizon but suddenly course lines aren't rendering for me in IE8.
Including all the states looks like it may have not been the original plan, as the scheduled flight plan would have missed Nebraska and Wyoming. WV was an oversight, but then who remembers WV. Still pretty cool.
My Guess would be so that, as an economy measure, they can sell it with the option of only running two engines on longer over water-or over anything. Given a light load on a long stage this has a real sales value.
In Feb, 2005 a British Airways 747 took off from KLAX for a flight to EGLL with only 3 engines operating. (The incident report said BA had done 3-engine passenger ops 15 times in the 5 years previous to that incident, so it was nothing new to them.) So BA should be interested in shutting down the "extra" engine to save even more money with 2 engines running.
Ask Ricky who works at Boeing. He'll probably say that certification and testing standards didn't require a flight over West Virginia pursuant to 2015 amendments which Boeing voluntarily complies with on a case by case basis. Right Ricky?
Too busy trying to figure out how to deliver all these planes all over KPAE like the land of orphaned airplanes to make sure they actually hit all 48 states.
There are some reports here-in Wichita, Kansas-that Boeing has been tempted to produce a twin engine version of the 47. (probably the -400 model). Were that so, and they could hold the current flight characteristics, it would be a welcome entry to the long range twin. Of course they already have the 777 so it must be wondered if a twin 47 would have purpose other than to carry more passengers. Certainly in high density seating on certain routes, it should find favor. (Remember that JAL specifically had 47-200 models that held over 600 passengers on commuter routes within Japan.) Plus freight carriers would be intrigued by the internal volume. Even if only used on the trans-Atlantic routes or transcontinental ones, they would be a welcome addition. I have a friend at SPEA with whom I've not spoken in a while. Perhaps I should ring them and ask what's new....CKH
From Flight Global (Since I cannot link from internal)
ETOPS rules were updated in 2007 to include four-engine aircraft starting in 2015, though Boeing opted to include it in the Intercontinental's certification ahead of the requirement.
Boeing clarified the status of ETOPS certification for the 747-8I, saying that because it was not required by the initial FAA requirements it was not completed as part of the certification trials that wrapped up on October 31. Continued flying of the test fleet will include completion of the ETOPS validation on the 747-8I in the coming days, says Boeing.
Because of overlapping certification efforts, the -8F will also be certified under ETOPS rules. The freighter did not undergo ETOPS testing because its customers did not require it for its shorter missions.
The 747-8I isn't a freighter. But the freighters can fly long trips, if the operators choose. A ferry flight across the globe for the next load would be a good example.
