Fifth Boeing 747-8F enters flight-test program

A year after the Boeing 747-8 Freighter took to the sky for its first flight, the fifth 747-8F to enter the test program successfully completed its first flight on February 3rd.

The aircraft took off from Paine Field in Everett, Washington for a three-and-a-half-hour flight before returning to Paine Field.

The flight included a standard two-and-a-half-hour "B1" flight profile, which Boeing conducts on all production aircraft prior to delivery, plus an hour of engineering testing woven into the profile.

This is the fifth 747-8 Freighter to enter into the flight-test program. Each is used for a specific set of tests, with this latest aircraft focusing on functionality and reliability testing.