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International Project Features 20-ton, German Telescope on NASA 747 Aircraft New York, NY – L-3 Communications announced today that NASA's Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA), completed its first test flight following extensive aircraft modification and telescope integration at the company's L-3 Integrated Systems (L-3 IS) Waco, Texas facility. SOFIA is a Boeing 747SP extensively modified to carry a 45,000-pound (20 metric ton), 98.4-inch (2.5-meter) diameter infrared telescope assembly provided by the German Aerospace Center, DLR. SOFIA will fly at altitudes up to 45,000 feet (13.7 km) - above more than 99 percent of the Earth's water vapor -...

It was 1969 and the airplane designers having lunch in the conference room of Pan American World Airways were standing by the window overlooking New York's Park Avenue when Charles Lindbergh came over. The famous aviator was a consultant to the airline at the time and he had something to say about the 747 Joe Sutter and his team at Boeing were creating for Pan Am. " 'This is one of the great ones.' " Sutter recounted Lindbergh saying, "I mean the 747, this is an airplane that will go down in history." Thirty-eight years later, as hundreds of...

Aircastle, the only listed aircraft leasing group, yesterday announced plans to buy 38 aircraft from a Chicago-based investment group for $1.6bn, in a move which highlights the improving prospects of the cargomarket. The portfolio includes 12 Boeing 747-400 freighters, the largest commercial cargo aircraft, with UPS expected to confirm this week that it has cancelled the sole remaining order for the Airbus A380F. The proposed deal will almost double the size of Connecticut-based Aircastle, which was floated last year by Fortress, the private equity group. The company is buying the 12 cargo aircraft and 26 passenger aircraft fromGuggenheim Aviation...

1970: Heathrow welcomes first 'jumbo jet' The first jumbo jet carrying fare-paying passengers has arrived at Heathrow airport. The newly-constructed Boeing 747, Pan Am Flight Two, touched down at Heathrow at 1414GMT today - seven hours late due to technical problems. The jumbo had brought 324 passengers across the Atlantic from New York to London. But the return journey to New York did not run so smoothly. Thirty-six of the 153 passengers transferred to other flights after a faulty compressed air bottle, used to blow open the plane's door in an emergency, meant take-off was delayed for four-and-a-half hours...

SEATTLE, Jan. 18, 2007 -- The Boeing Company [NYSE: BA] today unveiled a life-size sales display of the interior for the new 747-8 Intercontinental. The two-story display showcases the dramatic interior architecture of the 747-8. The 747-8 applies interior features from the 787 Dreamliner that includes a new curved, upswept architecture giving passengers a greater feeling of space and comfort, while adding more room for personal belongings. The interior architecture is accentuated by new lighting technology that creates a perception of airy brightness and provides smooth lighting transitions to offer a more restful environment. In addition, the 747-8 integrates features...

After air traffic fell sharply following the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on the United States, the Boeing 747, that humpbacked icon of the skies, appeared to have run out of lives. snip. . . "The 747 has turned into the Energizer bunny of airplanes," said Byron Callan, an aviation analyst with Prudential Equities Securities.

Report: Lufthansa plans big 747 order Tuesday December 5, 1:38 pm ET German airline Lufthansa AG plans to order at least 20 of Boeing's new 747-8 jumbo airplanes and take options for 20 additional planes, according to a report on the Wall Street Journal Web site. The online report said the 20 firm orders, valued at $5 billion at list prices, came at the expense of Chicago-based Boeing Co. (NYSE: BA - News) rival Airbus and its competing A380 jumbo aircraft. Boeing has received orders for its new 747-8 freighter model but the Lufthansa order would be the first order...

EVERETT, Wash, Oct. 23, 2006 -- Boeing (NYSE: BA) opened and closed the swing tail for the 747-400 Large Cargo Freighter for the first time Oct. 10. The 747 LCF is currently at the Boeing Everett factory for tests on the swing tail, a major modification to the airplane that allows large pieces to be loaded and unloaded from the back of the airplane. These tests are the first time the LCF swing tail has opened. Since its first flight, the 747 LCF has accomplished 55 flight-test hours and 270 hours of ground tests. The 747 LCF will transport major...

ORLANDO, Fla., Oct. 17, 2006 -- Boeing [NYSE: BA] Business Jets today announced it has won seven orders for the Boeing 787 Dreamliner and 747-8. Undisclosed customers have ordered one 787-8, three 787-9 and three 747-8 airplanes specifically designated for the VIP market. These orders are already reflected on Boeing's Orders and Deliveries website. Boeing does not reveal the identity of private owners at the request of its customers. "Boeing has a long legacy of providing jets to the VIP market," said Steven Hill, Boeing Business Jets President. "Boeing airplanes are renowned for their high reliability, comfort and advanced technology,...

SEATTLE, Sept. 12, 2006 -- The Boeing Company [NYSE: BA] and Atlas Air Worldwide Holdings today announced the carrier has ordered 12 747-8 Freighters, making Atlas the North American launch customer for the airplane. At list prices, the order is valued at about $3.4 billion. Atlas will begin taking delivery of the airplanes in 2010 and expects all 12 aircraft to be in service by the end of 2011. "With this order, Atlas Air remains the leader in providing the capacity and operational flexibility required by our air cargo customers using the state-of-the art freighter platform," said William J. Flynn,...

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Boeing Co. could twist the knife into struggling European rival Airbus next week. The U.S. planemaker is set to dominate Britain's Farnborough air show with a stream of new orders for its 787 Dreamliner and other jets, which are already outselling its main competitor four-to-one. The timing could not be worse for Airbus, whose five-year reign as the world's leading commercial jet builder looks likely to end after slow sales of its delayed A380 superjumbo and indecision over its mid-sized A350. "Boeing's spent the last few Farnborough and Paris airshows getting away from the whole...

TEHRAN, July 09 (ISNA)-Iran has successfully overhauled five 747 Bowings. This is while before this, Iranian airlines had to send their planes to foreign companies, but today Iran has gained the ability to carryout this service with much lower expenses. "Of course we can not deny the negative effects of the placed airplane part sanctions, but we have removed many of the obstacles through the aid of airlines," said the executing company's manager.

ST. LOUIS, June 26, 2006 -- A Boeing-led [NYSE: BA] industry team and the U.S. Missile Defense Agency (MDA) took a major step toward demonstrating the capability of the Airborne Laser (ABL) by successfully firing surrogate lasers from inside the aircraft. During recent ground tests at Boeing facilities in Wichita, Kan., the team placed the lasers in the ABL aircraft, a modified Boeing 747-400F, and fired them repeatedly into a measuring device called a range simulator. The tests verified that the ABL team properly aligned the optical beam train, a series of optical components, steering and deformable mirrors, and sensors...

Boeing considers lengthening 747-8I By Andrew Doyle in London Boeing is studying the possibility of lengthening its 747-8 Intercontinental passenger aircraft in response to requests from some airlines for additional capacity. Interest is coming primarily from Asian carriers that are also evaluating the Airbus A380, which nominally seats 555 passengers in three classes, compared with 450 for the 747-8I, say industry sources. Commenting on the potential for increasing the -8I’s capacity, Boeing says: “We are having detailed discussions in terms of both the aircraft and the potential business deal, with a lot of the large global operators around the world...

Dusseldorf, Germany - European plane-maker Airbus has suffered a setback in sales of the cargo version of its giant A380 plane, with the airline Emirates dropping two from its order, a German magazine said on Friday. In Paris, Airbus confirmed the Dubai-based airline had cancelled orders for two such A380F jets, but said Emirates had ordered two passenger versions of the huge double-deck aircraft instead. Airbus said this meant Emirates, the biggest customer for the huge jet, would still be buying 45 of the new planes. The magazine, Wirtschaftswoche, quoted the European manager of Emirates, Keith Longstaff, as saying...

The longer range and more fuel-efficient 747-8 may just be what airlines such as Qantas are looking for BOEING'S newest version of its 747 is turning heads at Qantas as the airline searches for solutions to reduce fuel costs while increasing the range capability of its fleet. Qantas had been examining the Boeing 777-200LR, which can fly from London to Sydney with a payload of 250 passengers, but the return journey requires a fuel stop in Singapore for at least half the year because of headwinds. According to Qantas sources, the 777 has been dropped from consideration. Also on...

I was in 3C on Flight 735 and saw everything that happend....and it was A LOT scarier to all of us in first than the news is reporting. Situation started after meal was served and "Chronicles of Narnia had been on for about an hour (never will watch that movie without thinking about this flight). An hispanic man walked up to first, kind of shuffling with a hanging head and a slack expression. I looked up when he walked by, thought he looked weird but not weird enough to worry about. I went back to the movie and the next...

A California woman is going ahead with the construction of a house made of elements from a 747 Jumbo jet. Francie Rehwald wanted her house to look "feminine", have curves and be eco-friendly. Her architect's answer was: "Let's use a 747!" The wing of the Boeing jet will be used for the roof, its nose as a meditation temple while its trademark "bulge" will serve as a loft.

The first of the superfreighters that will ferry pieces of the 787 across the globe is now nearing completion in Taiwan. These previously unpublished company photos convey the magnitude of the modification work involved in transforming the used 747s into oversized delivery vehicles. Evergreen Aviation Technologies is modifying the planes in a 3-acre maintenance hangar at Taipei's Chiang Kai-Shek International Airport. .......... That spurred Adam Pilarski, an analyst with Avitas, to quip that Boeing's new superfreighter fleet is "designed in Russia and built in China."

JOHANNESBURG, South Africa -- Although The Boeing Co. has yet to announce a customer for the passenger version of its planned 747-8, two key airlines in Europe and Asia are seriously considering the plane. Lufthansa and Singapore Airlines both operate older 747-400s, and the newer model would make a good fit in their respective long-haul fleets, executives of both airlines said in interviews. The two airlines also are considering Boeing's 787, although the chief executive of Lufthansa said he is most interested in the 787-10, a stretch version that Boeing only recently said it will develop. Chew Choon Seng, chief...