747-8 First Flight

Of course you're correct. I was mindlessly repeating something I heard elsewhere.

Oops.

 

Thanks Bob.

I do love the heavies.

 

No worries - was wondering if you meant McDonnell Douglas.

 

Yep. And also remember when THOSE were 2 different companies (M-D).

 

Bob- Let me see if I can add something to the questions brought up earlier. Airbus aircraft suck. Technical details to follow if anybody actually cares except N-G.

Taz
Terry Phillips

 

Looking into the past, one could call the company Boeing McDonnell Douglas Hughes Piasecki Vertol North American General! That means that we would be Lockheed Martin Vega General Dynamics Convair Consolidated Vultee Fleet......

 

Isn't Piasecki still independent? I see their vectored thrust helicopters (in a variety of guises) at least once a year in Aviation Week.

 

Frank Piasecki sold his original company - the one that created the "Flying Banana" - to Boeing, and then started a new company. They built that unfortunate Helistat - the one with the four S-58s attached to a large helium balloon - that vibrated itself to death a number of years ago.

 

Here's an article about the Piasecki Helistat: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Piasecki_PA-97

 

interesting...

This is what I think of when I think of Piasecki

http://www.aviastar.org/foto/piasecki_cobra.jpg

 

It looks like Boeing is leasing a T-38A for chase duties now that they are flying both the 787 and 747-8 tests at the same time.

http://www.flightglobal.com/airspace/blogs/drewski2112/archive/2010/02/19/boeing-s-new-chase-plane.aspx

 

They used to fly an F-86
They were using the T-33's for duties on the 787 First Flight

 

Looks like the 747-8 went up for its second flight this afternoon.

http://flightaware.com/live/flight/BOE501