First Boeing 747-8F

On the evening of November the 17th, Boeing moved the first 747-8F from the paint hanger in Everett, Washington.

Boeing says the aircraft is painted with an oversized number 8 on the background of the tail and 747-8 featured on the belly of the aircraft. The first flight of the 747-8F is scheduled for early 2010, with Cargolux being the launch customer and is scheduled to take delivery of the first 747-8F during the fourth quarter of 2010.


The Boeing 747 has been a very popular plane and is the worlds most recognizable aircraft. Boeing claims that design of the 747-8F will be quieter, more economical and more environmentally friendly than all previous versions of the 747 and has the economic benefit of similar training and interchangeable parts.

For the 747-8 family of aircraft, Boeing has given the wing an extensive overhaul that will improve the lift over drag and also the engine, This will incorporate all the newest techology that is going into the 787 project, This will allow the airplane to fly further and in a more efficient manner than preceding 747’s.

The passenger version of the 747-8 is called the Intercontinental (747-8I), It will be capable of carrying up to 450 passengers in 3-class configuration over 8,000 nautical miles (14,816 km) at 0.86 Mach, The Intercontinental is not expected to be on the flightline for quite some time yet unfortunately.

Silver arrow GP.

German car giant Mercedes-Benz have taken over Brawn GP. What does this mean for McLarens future for there engine supplier? Well at the moment Mercedes will supply McLaren with engines until at least 2015 and possibly longer and the team will continue with their current livery under the name of Vodafone McLaren Mercedes.

Mercedes parent company Daimler AG will take a 75.1 percent stake of Brawn GP, With Ross Brawn remaining as team principal.

Mercedes have'nt yet announced their drivers for 2010, Rubens Barrichello has already left Brawn for Williams, while speculation continues with the current world champion Jenson Button could be switching to McLaren to partner Lewis Hamilton.

Brawn GP has accomplished a lot in the 2009 season which included a deal with Mercedes to supply engines, winning both the constructors' and drivers' world championships, and now accepting this offer with Daimler which will secure the future of the team for many years ahead.

Brawn GP’s factory in the UK (in Brackley) is less than 30 miles from the Mercedes Formula One engine plant at Brixworth, which should make for an extremely efficient operation for the years ahead.

F1 2010 news.

The FIA have confirmed the new US F1 team have paid their entry fee and will be on the 2010 starting grid after speculation about the team's future in an interview with a US-based Speed TV cable network.
The US team's factory is based in Charlotte, North Carolina, They sent their entry fee in 10 days ago at a figure of close to US$440,000.

Also in Formula 1 news the new Malaysian-backed Lotus Formula One team has signed its first driver but haven't released any name yet. Italian Jarno Trulli, who drove for the now-departed Toyota team this year, has been linked in media speculation to the new Lotus team whose technical head is former Toyota technical director Mike Gascoyne.

Lotus and US F1 are just 2 of five new teams that are due to make their F1 debuts in 2010, with Toyota and BMW calling it quits.

And whats going on at McLaren? Lewis Hamilton is under contract until the end of the 2012 season and Kovalainen has been linked to a move elsewhere, but he can still retain his seat for the2010 season if the team can't conclude a deal with Kimi Raikkonen, Jenson Button or Nick Heidfeld.

No such dramas at Ferrari for 2010 though, With Kimi stepping aside to allow Fernando Alonso a drive, and of course the return of Felipe Massa which should give Ferrari some hope next year.

Qantas again..

Qantas has stood down two pilots who failed activate the landing gear on a Boeing 767 on approach Sydney's Kingsford Smith international airport from Melbourne on Monday. The plane was less than 300 meters above the ground when the onboard computer system warned the pilots with the words "too low - gear, too low - gear".
The pilots then regained altitude and circled the airport before landing shortly after, This particular warning is designed to go off when the aircraft is too close to the ground.

The president of the Australian and International Pilots Association said it is "very serious" if the enhanced warning system is activated, and the incident is being investigated, In the meantime, The pilots have been stood down.

During take off and landing, You're dealing with air traffic, slowing the aircraft down, configuration changes and changing radio frequencies, So something as simple as landing gear can get overlooked.

The safety bureau is expected to deliver a preliminary factual report in about a month.