Boeing's biggest plane takes to the skies | Business

KOMO reporter Denise Whitaker sent in this video of the biggest jumbojet Boeing has ever built making its inaugural fight at Paine Field Monday afternoon.

As the sun peeked through the clouds over the airport, the massive 747-8 lifted off just after 12:30 with Capt. Mark Feuerstein, 747 chief pilot, and Capt. Tom Imrich, senior 747 test pilot, at the controls. Fog and low clouds earlier in the morning delayed the scheduled liftoff by over two hours.

The 747-8 is 250 feet long, which is 18 feet longer than current jumbo 747s. This version is a cargo freighter, although Boeing also plans a passenger version of the plane that could carry 467 people.

The company says the big jet performed well on taxi tests on Saturday and reached a top speed of about 103.5 mph.

The new 747-8 has new wings, engines and technology to make it more fuel-efficient, quieter, and have lower emissions than current 747-400 models. Boeing lists 76 orders for the freighter and 32 for the 747-8 passenger jet, with the vast majority from international customers.