Aircraft

Boeing has released a video clip of the first flight of the 747-400 Large Cargo Freighter (LCF), which was conducted on Saturday from Taiwan's Taipei international airport (below).

The 2h 4min flight, which took off at 10:38, is the start of 250 scheduled flight test hours for the converted aircraft, which is being developed to transport composite structures of the US manufacturer’s 787.

Flight testing is expected to last to the end of the year, and will include more than 500h of ground testing at facilities in Taipei and Seattle.

After completing initial flight tests in Taiwan, which will evaluate the aircraft’s handling characteristics and eliminate flutter and excessive vibration, Boeing will fly the LCF to Seattle in mid-September to complete the remainder of the programme.

The first two LCFs will enter service in early 2007. EGAT will begin work on the third modification next year.