First flight of 747-8 Freighter

First flight of 747-8 Freighter 747-8 First flight Painting a jumbo jet 747-8 Boeing/Bob Schneider Weighing in at more than one million pounds, RC521, the second 747-8 Freighter, took off from Victorville, California. 747-8's one million pound takeoff By Bernard Choi The airplane starts accelerating down the runway. In the flight deck, Captain Paul Stemer feels the weight of the situation. Adrian Butler Boeing/Bob Schneider Before the flight, Boeing Flight Test pilot Capt. Paul Stemer inspects one of the tires supporting the 747-8 Freighter. "It's a lot of mass, a lot of energy. I have to stay ahead of it." It's up to Capt. Stemer to command RC521, the second 747-8 Freighter, into defying gravity and lifting more than 1 million pounds into the air. It's a feat neither he nor any Boeing Flight Test pilot before him has ever attempted. While the airplane gathers speed, 100 knots, 120, 140, now 160 knots, the amount of available runway quickly evaporates. RC521 still needs to go faster before Capt. Stemer can command the elevator to rotate the airplane, increasing the wing's angle of attack and generating lift. "With only 7,000 feet (2,133 m) of a 15,000-foot (4,572 m) runway remaining, it's obvious the margin of error is small," says Capt. Stemer.