With Boeing's 747-8 due to undergo its first flight soon, we take a look back on the story so far...
Approaching its fourth decade in service, the 747 has grown to carry 467 passengers in three classes
Wing panels and wing spars were loaded into assembly tooling in Everett, WA late last week, marking the official commencement of assembly for Boeing's next generation 747-8 freighter.
Boeing has decided to complete final assembly and delivery of all remaining 747-400 Freighters in 2008 to completely close the -400F production line to transition the production lines for the -8F and -8I.
In the early hours of August 14th 2009, RC501 was rolled on its landing gear from the final body join station inside Building 40-22 to the final systems integration slant.
Boeing has shaken up the leadership of the 747 program with the reassignment of its top executive.
During the five-hour first flight Monday (March 23), a single GEnx-2B engine demonstrated aircraft systems and instrumentation functionality, climbing close to 40,000 feet and establishing engine performance baseline
Yesterday's announcement of a fresh delay to Boeing's 747-8 Freighter program wasn't triggered by a single large event but rather the accumulation of small issues that added up to an additional three month slip in first delivery to Cargolux to the fourth quarter of 2010.
The lower deck features a three-class configuration of first class suites, herringbone arranged business class lie-flat seats, and 10-abreast economy class.
Boeing has completed the first of three rounds of gauntlet testing on the 747-8F, marking a significant step towards the aircraft's first flight, the company confirms.
The aircraft departed the 747 line (Building 40-22) and made the quick trip over the Boeing Freeway for Paint Hangar 45-02.
Almost exactly three years to the day, Boeing has earned its second firm order for the airline configured 747-8I. Korean Airlines placed a firm order for five of the jumbo jets for delivery between 2013 and 2015.
Boeing has completed first engine runs on its 747-8 Freighter as the aircraft moves closer to its first flight early next year.
Beyond the iconic hump of the 747 and cross-section that has made the type so recognisable, Boeing's new 747-8F bears little resemblance to its -100 predecessor. At a length of 76.4m (249.8ft), the 747-8 is Boeing's longest aircraft to date, eclipsing the 777-300ER by 2.5m.