Third Boeing 747-8 Freighter, final plane in flight-test program, makes first flight

Third Boeing 747-8 Freighter makes first flight

EVERETT, Wash. — The third and final Boeing 747-8 Freighter to take part in the new jet’s flight test program flies for the first time.

Boeing Co. says the plane took off from Everett’s Paine Field on Wednesday afternoon for a two-and-a-half-hour flight before landing at Boeing Field in Seattle. The huge plane reached an altitude of 30,000 feet and flew at about 280 miles per hour.

At 250 feet long, the jumbo jet is the biggest plane Boeing has ever built. The first plane in the test program made its initial flight on Feb. 8. After the three jets complete about 3,700 hours of testing, Boeing plans to deliver the first 747-8 Freighter late this year.