Boeing 747 Large Cargo Freighter

747 Large Cargo Freighter 747 Dreamlifter
Boeing 747 LCF Dreamlifter
Role	Outsize cargo freight aircraft
Manufacturer	Boeing Commercial Airplanes Evergreen Aviation Technologies Corporation
First flight	September 9, 2006
Introduction	2007
Status	Out of production, in service
Primary user	Boeing Commercial Airplanes
Number built	4
Developed from	Boeing 747-400

The Boeing 747 Large Cargo Freighter (LCF) or Dreamlifter is a wide-body cargo aircraft. Cargo is placed in the aircraft by the world's longest cargo loader.^[1][2][3] Constructed by drastic modifications to an existing Boeing 747-400, it is used exclusively for transporting 787 aircraft parts to Boeing's assembly plants from suppliers around the world.

Development

Boeing Commercial Airplanes announced on October 13, 2003 that, due to the length of time required by land and marine shipping, air transport will be the primary method of transporting parts for the Boeing 787 Dreamliner (then known as the 7E7).^[4] Initially, three used passenger 747-400 aircraft were to be converted into an outsize configuration in order to ferry sub-assemblies from Japan and Italy to North Charleston, South Carolina and then to Washington for final assembly, but a fourth was subsequently added to the program.^[5] The Large Cargo Freighter has a bulging fuselage similar in concept to the Super Guppy and Airbus A300-600ST Beluga outsize cargo aircraft, which are also used for transporting wings and fuselage sections. It can hold three times the volume of a 747-400F freighter.^[6]

Design phase

The first conversion, which drew comment because of its ungainly shape, remained in this unpainted configuration for a time.

The LCF conversion was partially designed by Boeing's Moscow bureau and Boeing Rocketdyne with the swing tail designed in partnership with Gamesa Aeronáutica of Spain.^[7] Modifications were carried out in Taiwan by Evergreen Aviation Technologies Corporation,^[6] a joint venture of Evergreen Group's EVA Air and General Electric, ^[8] Boeing has acquired the four second-hand 747-400s; one former Air China aircraft,^[9] two former China Airlines aircraft,^[10][11] and one former Malaysia Airlines aircraft.^[12]

The first 747 Large Cargo Freighter (LCF) was rolled out of the hangar at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport on August 17, 2006.^[8] It successfully completed its first test flight on September 9, 2006 from this airport.^[13]

The 747 LCF's unusual appearance has drawn comparisons to the Oscar Mayer Wienermobile and the Hughes H-4 Hercules ("Spruce Goose").^[5] Due to its ungainly form, exacerbated by the fact that the need for immediate testing resulted in the first model remaining unpainted for some time, Boeing Commercial Airplanes president Scott Carson jokingly apologized to 747 designer Joe Sutter that he was "sorry for what we did to your plane."^[5]

Operational history

A Boeing 747 LCF Dreamlifter with its swing-tail cargo bay access open

On September 16, 2006, N747BC arrived at Boeing Field, Seattle to complete the flight test program.^[6] Swing-tail testing was done at the Boeing factory in Everett.^[14] The second airplane, N780BA, made its inaugural test flight on February 16, 2007. The third began modification in 2007.^[15] The first two LCFs entered service in 2007 to support the final assembly of the first 787 Dreamliners.^[15]

Delivery times for the 787's wings, built in Japan, will be reduced from around 30 days to just over eight hours with the 747 LCF.^[16] Evergreen International Airlines (unrelated to EVA Air or EGAT), a U.S. air freight operator based in McMinnville, Oregon, operated the LCF fleet^[5][17] until August 2010. Then Atlas Air, which was awarded a nine-year contract for the operation of the aircraft in March 2010, took over LCF operation.^[18] Evergreen has achieved a 93% on flight schedule performance with the LCF.^[19]

During flight testing in November 2006, a Cessna 172 being used for a training flight encountered the 747 LCF's wake turbulence while on approach to Boeing Field. The small aircraft "rolled almost instantly to a 90-degree right bank and descended in a nearly straight nose-down attitude", according to the NTSB report, until the instructor pilot was able to regain control at just 150 feet (46 m) of altitude.^[5][20]

Into service

The Boeing 747 Large Cargo Freighter lifts off on a flight departing from Nagoya, Japan.

In June 2006, the first DBL-100 cargo loader used for loading 787 parts into the 747 LCF was completed.^[21] In December 2006, Boeing announced the 747 LCF would be named Dreamlifter, a reference to the 787's name, Dreamliner. It unveiled a standard livery for the aircraft that included a logo reminiscent of the 787's Dreamliner logo.^[22]

Certification was initially planned for early 2007, but was pushed back to June 2007. The aircraft's winglets were removed to resolve excess vibration and other handling characteristics prior to final certification. In the meantime, as part of the flight test program, LCF delivered major sections of the 787 from partner sites around the world to the Boeing factory in Everett, WA for final assembly.^[23] The 747 LCF was granted FAA type certification on June 2, 2007. From its first flight in 2006 until certification in 2007, the Dreamlifter completed 437 hours of flight testing along with 639 hours of ground testing.^[24]

Of the four 747 Dreamlifters Boeing planned to acquire,^[25] three were complete and operational by June 2008,^[26] and the fourth became operational in February 2010.^[27][28]

Specifications

The 747 LCF main cargo compartment has a volume of 65,000 cubic feet (1,840 cubic meters).^[29]

Model	747 LCF	747-400
Cockpit crew	Two
Length	235 ft 2 in (71.68 m)	231 ft 10 in (70.6 m)
Wingspan	211 ft 5 in (64.4 m)
Height	70 ft 8 in (21.54 m)	63 ft 8 in (19.4 m)
Fuselage width	27 ft 6 in (8.38 m)	21 ft 4 in (6.50 m)
Spec Operating Empty Weight	180,530 kg (398,000 lb)	179,015 kg (394,660 lb)
Maximum take-off weight	364,235 kg (803,000 lb)	396,890 kg (875,000 lb)
Cruising speed	Mach 0.82 (474 kt, 878 km/h)	Mach 0.85 (491 kt, 910 km/h)
Takeoff run at MTOW	9,199 ft (2,804 m)	9,902 ft (3,018 m)
Range fully loaded	4,200 nmi (4,800 mi; 7,800 km)	7,260 nmi (8,350 mi; 13,450 km)
Max. fuel capacity	52,609 U.S. gal (199,150 l)	57,285 U.S. gal (216,850 l)
Engine models (x 4)	PW 4062	PW 4062 GE CF6-80C2B5F RR RB211-524G/H
Engine thrust (per engine)	63,300 lbf (282 kN)	PW 63,300 lbf (282 kN) GE 62,100 lbf (276 kN) RR 59,500 lbf (265 kN)

Sources: Boeing 747-400 specifications,^[30]Boeing 747 Airport Report,^[31] 747 LCF fact sheet^[16]

A wide angle photo of a 747 Dreamlifter

See also

	Aviation portal
	United States portal

Related development

• Boeing 747-400
  

Aircraft of comparable role, configuration and era

• Airbus A300-600ST Beluga
• Aero Spacelines Super Guppy
• Aero Spacelines Pregnant Guppy
• Antonov An-225
  

References

Notes

1. ^ "Explore Records: Longest cargo loader". Guinness World Records. 2011. http://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/records-5000/longest-cargo-loader/. Retrieved September 24, 2011. 
2. ^ Glenday, Craig (2009). Guinness World Records 2009. Bantam. pp. 268. ISBN 0-553-59256-4. 
3. ^ Reinhardt, Karen (July 2007). "Darn big loader". OEM Off-Highway /. http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_hb4912/is_200707/ai_n32238226/. Retrieved September 24, 2011. 
4. ^ Leach, Yvonne. "Boeing 7E7 Will Use Air Transport for Component Delivery." Boeing Commercial Airplanes, October 13, 2003. Retrieved: March 17, 2008.
5. ^ ^{a b c d e} Lunsford, J. Lynn. "Ugly in the Air: Boeing's New Plane Gets Gawks, Stares." The Wall Street Journal, January 8, 2007.
6. ^ ^{a b c} Hanson, Mary et al. "Boeing Selects EGAT for 747 Large Cargo Freighter Modifications." Boeing Commercial Airplanes, February 18, 2005. Retrieved: March 17, 2008.
7. ^ Hanson, Mary. "Boeing's 747 Large Cargo Freighter Development on Plan." Boeing, February 22, 2005.
8. ^ ^{a b} Hanson, Mary. "Boeing 747 Large Cargo Freighter Rolls Out; Prepares for First Flight." Boeing Commercial Airplanes, June 17, 2006. Retrieved: March 17, 2008.
9. ^ "Boeing N747BC (Ex B-2464) - Airfleets." Airfleets. Retrieved: March 17, 2008.
10. ^ "Boeing N780BA (Ex B-162 B-18272)." Airfleets.Retrieved: March 17, 2008.
11. ^ "Boeing N249BA (Ex B-161 B-18271)." Airfleets. Retrieved: March 17, 2008.
12. ^ Boeing N718BA (Ex 9M-MPA)." Airfleets. Retrieved: March 17, 2008.
13. ^ Hanson, Mary. "Boeing 747 Large Cargo Freighter Completes First Flight." Boeing Commercial Airplanes, September 9, 2006. Retrieved: March 17, 2008.
14. ^ "Boeing 747 Large Cargo Freighter Successfully Tests Swing Tail." Boeing Commercial Airplanes, October 23, 2006. Retrieved: March 17, 2008.
15. ^ ^{a b} Hanson, Mary. "Large Cargo Freighter Taking Shape." Boeing Commercial Airplanes, April 17, 2006. Retrieved: March 17, 2008.
16. ^ ^{a b} "Boeing 747 Dreamlifter Fact Sheet." Boeing Commercial Airplanes, April 23, 2007. Retrieved: March 17, 2008.
17. ^ Hanson, Mary et al. "Evergreen International Airlines, Inc. to Operate Boeing 747 Large Cargo Freighters." Boeing Commercial Airplanes, December 15, 2007. Retrieved: March 17, 2008.
18. ^ Ostrower, Jan. "Atlas to assume Dreamlifter control in September." Flightglobal.com, March 1, 2010. Retrieved: March 5, 2010.
19. ^ Ostrower, Jan. "Sources: Dreamlifter deal part of 747-8 compensation to Atlas."Flightglobal.com, March 5, 2010. Retrieved: September 14, 2011.
20. ^ Wallace, James. " Cessna Rattled By Extra Large 747's Wake ." Airport Business, January 12, 2011.
21. ^ Hanson, Mary. "First Cargo Loader Completed for Boeing 747 Large Cargo Freighter." Boeing Commercial Airplanes, June 12, 2006. Retrieved: March 17, 2008.
22. ^ Hanson, Mary. "Boeing Reveals Livery, Name for 747 Large Cargo Freighters." Boeing Commercial Airplanes, December 6, 2006. Retrieved: March 17, 2008.
23. ^ Wallace, James. "Boeing Can't Soothe Jitters." Settle Post-Intelligencer. Retrieved: March 17, 2008.
24. ^ Hanson, Mary. "Boeing 747 Dreamlifter Achieves FAA Certification." Boeing Commercial Airplanes, June 4, 2007. Retrieved: March 17, 2008.
25. ^ "Boeing 747 Dreamlifter Fact Sheet." Boeing. Retrieved: September 14, 2011.
26. ^ Tinseth, Randy. "Three of four." Boeing Blog Randy's Journal, June 12, 2008.
27. ^ Mecham, Michael. "Boeing Puts Last Dreamlifter In Service." Aviation Week, February 16, 2010.
28. ^ "Final Boeing 747 Dreamlifter Enters Service." Boeing, February 16, 2010.
29. ^ "Flight Test Program is under way for 747 Large Cargo Freighter." Boeing, November 2006. Retrieved: September 14, 2011.
30. ^ 747-400 "Technical Information." Boeing. Retrieved: September 14, 2011.
31. ^ "Boeing 747 Airplane Characteristics for Airport Planning." Boeing. Retrieved: September 14, 2011.

Bibliography

• Norris, Guy and Mark Wagner. Boeing 787 Dreamliner. Minneapolis, Minnesota: Zenith Press, 2009. ISBN 978-0-7603-2815-6. 

External links

• Boeing fact sheet