The first 747-8I, RC001, painted in red, orange, white and gray livery, is enroute from Boeing Field to Le Bourget Airport, site of the 2011 Paris Air Show. The aircraft, Boeing's largest, is set to touch down on French soil a few minutes after 9 AM local time, after which the assembled global media will get its first extensive look inside the updated jumbo, though Flightglobal had an opportunity to look inside the aircraft in the factory during a recent visit to Seattle.
This particular aircraft, RC003, is will eventually be registered A6-PFA for the Abu Dhabi Amiri Flight as a head of state Boeing Business Jet for the United Arab Emirates. However, Boeing repeatedly declined to identify the customer for this aircraft, per company policy, though certain marks on the aircraft disclosed the future operator. The aircraft has an empty floor interior at the moment and will be kitted out during its extended trip to a completion center later this year or early next year. The overhead bins, sidewalls and lighting systems will be identical on the airline models, though it's up to the operators as to how they'll employ them in service.
We were provided a look at the creative LED lighting schemes, including one called "Disco Wave" the explanation for which will be evident in the video above. Additionally, we got our first look at the flight deck of the 747-8, which is an evolution of the -400, but you'll be able to spot the changes in the front office.
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