SECOND BOEING 747-8 FREIGHTER COMPLETES FIRST FLIGHT

KUALA LUMPUR, March 16 (Bernama) -- A second Boeing 747-8 Freighter, the RC
522, successfully completed its maiden flight on Sunday evening.

The airplane took off from Paine Field in Everett, Washington, for a
two-and-a-half-hour flight and landed at Boeing Field in Seattle.

Captain Kirk Vining was at the controls of the flight, with Rick Braun
operating as co-pilot and Joel Conard serving as systems operator.

The airplane reached an altitude of 27,000 feet (8,230m) and an airspeed of
240 knots, or about 276 miles (444 km) per hour. It took off at 3:57 pm (PDT)
and landed at 6:25pm.

"The airplane performed well on its maident flight," said Andy Hammer, test
programme manager for the 747-8, in a statement from Everett Tuesday.

"It was a good start to a demanding flight-test programme for this
airplane," he added.

This is also the second of three 747-8 Freighters being used in the
flight-test programme.

Each airplane will be used for a specific set of tests with the second
focusing on community noise, environmental control systems and extended
operation performance standards.

The airplane will begin its flight-test programme at Boeing Field before
transitioning to Palmdale, California.

-- BERNAMA