When the latest model of the venerable 747 takes off for the first time today, you can watch it, listen to it and track it - all live.
The first 747-8 Freighter is slated to take off from Paine Field in Everett, Washington today at 10 Pacific Time. I don’t know the route of flight, but tail number H/B748/R is set to return to Paine four hours later at 2:12 P.M. The 747-8 is the 15th model of venerable 747 jumbojet and will initially come in a freighter configuration with an InterContinental passenger liner (up to 467 seats) due in several years.
This is first 747-8 Freighter to fly. credit: John Dodge
The 787’s first flight planned route Dec. 15 was to eastern Washington, but foul weather forced it west to the skies over the Strait of San Juan de Fuca. The weather in Everett is comparatively good at the moment: mid-40s, cloudy with some clearing during the next six hours.
Boeing is providing a live webcast and even a link for tracking the flight at Flightaware.com. The flight number is “BOE501.” All the data is is pre-entered for tracking the flight so just click on the Flightaware link at Boeing 747 first flight’s web page. Boeing’s 747-8 site also has some nifty pre-recorded videos.
Unofficially, you can listen to the flight’s air to ground chatter which is monitored via scanner by Dennis Eckert of Snohomish, Wash. For that, click on interceptradio.com.
Where will I be when first flight happens? I’ll be in Washington, but the other one, fighting my way to Baltimore-Washington Airport to beat a path out of snowed-in D.C. area. Hopefully, I’ll catch it live with mobile broadband.
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