Boeing 747-8s at Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport |
The 747-8 is the largest airplane made in the United States. It is the longest airliner in the world. It is 18 feet longer than the 747-400 and its wing span is 13 feet wider. Its upper deck is 160 inches longer than the upper deck of the 747-400. It is ten feet longer than the Airbus A380 and the Zeppelin NT Eureka.
See the locations where I have photographed Boeing 747-8s in Google Earth.
747-8Z5 International N5020K arrived at Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport as Boeing Flight 440 at 4:29PM on October 14, 2011 after a 7-hour 12-minute flight that took it as far east as Indiana. It first flew on June 30, 2011. It will be delivered to Abu Dhabi Ameri Flight as A6-PFA. Its construction number is 37500.
Flip a switch in the cockpit, the upper deck extends rearward and the fuselage stretches for additional seating capacity.
747-830 International N6067U arrived at Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport as Boeing Flight 021 at 2:13 PM on July 23, 2011 after a 4-hour 50-minute flight that zig-zagged across the western US. It first flew on April 26, 2011. It will be delivered to Lufthansa Airlines as D-ABYE. Its construction number is 37826.
747-830I N6067U made a two-hour fifteen-minute test flight at 8:58 PM on Thursday, July 28 and a four-hour fiftyeight-minute test flight at 5:05 PM on Friday, July 29.
Plain vanilla 747-8KZF N6009F made a touch-and-go landing at Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport at 11:07 AM on Friday June 10. It will be delivered to Nippon Cargo Airlines as JA13KZ. Its construction number is 36138. N6009F is a standard Boeing test registration that has been applied to many Boeing jetliners.
The third Boeing 747-8 prototype N50217 returned to Mesa Gateway Airport for hot weather testing on Saturday, August 28, 2010. It made on etest flight on Wednesday, September 1 and departed for Air Force Plant 42 at Palmdale, California on Thursday, September 2 when the air temperature was 107 degrees F. The 747-8 is the largest airplane made in the United States.
The third Boeing 747-8 prototype N50217 made its first visit to Mesa Gateway Airport for hot weather testing on Monday, June 21, 2010.
October 14, 2011
Boeing 747-8Z5 International N5020K on approach to land on Runway 30 Right.
This photo is available a prints as large as 24 inches by 36 inches.
747-8Z5 N5020K sat on a taxiway on the east side of the airport for just an hour.
747-8Z5 N5020K back-taxied on Runway 30 Right.
The shape of things to come? Hypotheitcal full length double-deck 747.
The stretched model.
747-8Z5 N5020K took off from Runway 30 Center at 5:34, just a few minutes before sunset, on a 2-hour 32-minute flight back to Paine Field in Washington.
This photo is available a prints as large as 24 inches by 36 inches.
July 30, 2011
These pictures were taken on the morning of Saturday, July 30.
747-830I N6067U taxies out to the approach end of Runway 12 at 4:17 in the afternoon under a threatening sky. Gusty, hot wind blew across the runways and towering cumulonimbus clouds loomed overhead..
A microburst from a nearby thunderstorm kicked up a dust storm that rolled across the aiport.
The dust cloud enveloped the 747-830I as visibility approached minumums for take-off. I could feel grit in my teeth and dirt blew into my eyes. The dust blew away and then the 747-830I disappeared in a heay rain. Lightning began striking near the airport.
The 747-830I taxies back to mid-field in the rain.
Boeing 747-830 International N6067U kicks up spray as it starts rolling on a mid-field departure from Runway 30 Center into a thunderstorm at 4:33 PM.
Boeing Flight 021 returned to Boeing Field in Seattle.
N6067U is a standard Boeing test registration that has been applied to many Boeing jetliners.
737-8EH Short Field Prototype N6067U on approach to Runway 25 at the Santa Barbara Airport on March 15, 2006. It was subsequently delivered to Brazilian airline GOL TA as PR-GTA. June 10, 2011
N6009F on approach to land on Runway 30 Center. It took off from Paine Field at 7:58 AM PDT and flew down the Pacific Coast to San Diego. A planned side trip to Tucson was skipped on its way to Phoenix-Mesa Gateway. Smoke from several wildfires has produced a thick haze and reduced visibility.
N6009F lifts off from Runway 30 Center.
Boeing 747-8KZF N6009F Mesa Gateway Airport June 10 2011: You can buy prints as large as 24 inches by 36 inches or 5-ch by 7-inch greeting cards of this photograph.
The 747-8F rapidly climbed to cruising altitude and headed north to Wichita, Kansas, Miot Air Force Base, North Dakota and Alberta, Canada. It returned to Paine Field at 4:00 PM PDT.
September 2, 2010
Boeing 747-8F N50217 preparing for departure at 2:45 PM MST on September 2.
Boeing 747-8F N50217 kicked up a cloud of dust as it started rolling down Runway 30 Center at 3:04 PM.
Boeing 747-8F N50217 lifted off about 5,000 feet along the runway.
You can buy prints or greeting cards of this photograph.
At 250 feet long, the 747-8 is the longest airplane other than the Antonov An-225 Mriya.
Boeing 747-8F N50217 circled to the right and headed for W291 in the Southern California Offshore Complex before returning to Palmdale.
June 21, 2010.
N50217 made four touch and go landings and then parked on the back side of the airport. It was at Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport for eight days and was scheduled to make two flights.
You can buy framed prints and greeting cards of this photograph.
747-8 N50217 parked on the back side of the airport to test its systems in the Arizona heat.
Northrop T-38A 68-8204 based at Holloman Air Force Base took off shortly after the arrival of the 747-8.
You can buy framed prints and greeting cards of this photograph.
You can buy framed prints and greeting cards of this photograph.
Giant Jet Airplanes |
||||||
| First Flight | Wing Span | Length | Wing Area (ft2) | Gross Weight (lbs) | Engines | |
| Boeing 777-9 | 2018 |
235ft 5in |
251ft 9in |
5,025 |
775,000 |
2 × 105,000 lb General Electric GE9X-105B1A |
| Scaled Composites Model 351 Stratolaunch | 2018 |
385ft |
238ft |
? |
1,300,000 |
6 × 56,750 lb Pratt & Whitney PW4056 |
| Boeing 747-8 Jumbo Jet | 2010 |
224ft,07in |
250ft,02in |
5,960 |
975,000 |
4 x 66,500 GEnx-2B67 |
| Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner | 2009 |
197ft, 03in |
206ft |
3,501 |
545,000 |
2 x 71,000 lb General Electric GEnx or Rolls-Royce Trent 1000 |
| Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner | 2009 |
197ft, 03in |
186ft |
3,501 |
502,500 |
2 x 64,000 lb General Electric GEnx or Rolls-Royce Trent 1000 |
| Airbus A380 | 2005 |
261ft,10in |
239ft,06in |
9,100 |
1,235,000 |
4 x 84,000 lb RR Trent 900 or Engine Alliance GP-7200 |
| Boeing 777-300ER | 2003 |
212ft,07in |
242ft,04in |
4,700 |
775,000 |
2 x 115,300 lb GE90-115B |
| Airbus A340-600 | 2001 |
208ft,02in |
247ft,01in |
4,729 |
811,300 |
4 x 56,000 lb RR Trent 556 |
| Boeing 777-200 | 1994 |
209ft,01in |
199ft,11in |
4,605 |
545,000 |
2 x 74,000 lb PW4074, GE90-75B, or RR Trent 875 |
| Airbus A330-300 | 1992 |
197ft,10in |
208ft,10in |
3,892 |
507,000 |
2 x 51,590 lb GE CF6-80E, PW4000, or RR Trent 700 |
| Boeing 747-400 Jumbo Jet | 1988 |
211ft,05in |
231ft,10in |
5,650 |
833,000 |
4 x 45,000 PW4062 or GE CF6-80C2B1F |
| Antonov An-225 Mryia | 1988 |
290ft,00in |
275ft,07in |
10,280 |
1,300,000 |
6 x 51,590 lb DT-18T |
| Antonov An-124 Ruslan | 1984 |
240ft,00in |
227ft,00in |
6,760 |
890,000 |
4 x 51,590 lb DT-18T |
| Tupolev 160 Blackjack | 1981 | 182ft, 09in | 177ft, 06in | 3,660 | 606,000 | 4 x 50,900 lb NK-321 |
| Lockheed C-5A Galaxy | 1968 |
222ft,08in |
247ft,10in |
6,200 |
769,000 |
4 x 50,000 lb GE TF-39 |
| Boeing 747-100 Jumbo Jet | 1968 |
195ft,08in |
231ft,04in |
5,500 |
850,000 |
4 x 50,000 lb P&W JT9D |
| Antonov An-22 Antheus | 1965 |
211ft,04in |
189ft,07in |
3,713 |
550,000 |
4 x 15,000 shp Kuznetsov NK-12MV |
| North American XB-70A Valkyrie | 1964 |
105ft,00in |
189ft,00in |
6,297 |
530,000 |
6 x 33,000,lb J-93 |
| Boeing B-52 Stratofortress | 1952 |
185ft,00in |
157ft,07in |
4,000 |
450,000 |
8 x 8,000 lb J-57 |
| Convair YB-60 | 1952 |
206ft,05in |
175ft,02in |
5,239 |
410,000 |
8 x 8,000 lb J-57 |
The former Williams Air Force Base is now known as Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport. In addition to serving as a civil airport, it is frequently visited by military aircraft taking advantage of its limited traffic. Several pilot training schools operate at the airport. Allegiant Air provides passenger service to airports around the country on a fleet of McDonnell Douglas MD-83s. An air tanker base occasionally hosts fire fighting tankers. Boeing has a test facility for hot weather tests and Advanced Training Systems Incorporated refurbushes Douglas A-4 Skyhawks.
You can buy a 2020 calendar featuring my photographs of Boeing Prototypes.
A dozen photos of Boeing Prototypes. Aircraft pictured include:
367-80 Stratoliner N70700, MASDC, Arizona, November 12, 1973,
#1 747-121 N1352B, Boeing Field, Seattle, Washington, June 18, 1973,
#2 EC-137D Airborne Warning and Control System 71-1408, Boeing Field, Seattle, Washington, June 18, 1973,
#1 757-200 F-22 Avionics Testbed N757A, Air Force Plant 42, Palmdale, California, February 13, 2006,
#1 767-200 Airborne Surveillance Testbed N767BA, Victorville, California, June 17, 2005,
#1 717-200 N717XB, Palmdale, California, September 24, 1999,
#1 737-900 Prototype N737X, Edwards Air Force Base, California, November 2, 2000,
#1 737-8EH Short Field N6067U, Santa Barbara, California, March 15, 2006,
YAL-1A Airborne Laser 01-0001, Boron, California, March 29, 2005,
#3 747-8F N50217, Mesa Gateway Airport, Arizona, June 21, 2010,
#3 787-8 N787BX, Phoenix Sky Harbor, Arizona, March 12, 2012,
#4 737-8 Max N8704Q, Phoenix Sky Harbor, Arizona, September 25, 2016.
Put a copy of the Boeing Prototypes: 2020 Calendar in your Lulu.com shopping cart for $14.95.
Send a message to Brian.