CHICAGO — Boeing said it expects the new 747-8, the biggest jumbo jet it has ever built, to finish required flight tests this week, putting it on schedule for certification by September.
The plane’s maiden flight was in February 2010, and five test freighters — the first variant that will enter service — have been flying around the world since then from bases in Seattle and California. Once testing is done, Boeing will submit all paperwork to the Federal Aviation Administration, said Jim Proulx, a Boeing spokesman.
“We believe it’s in support of our making our summer delivery target,” Proulx said of the FAA’s approval process, declining to estimate how long it might take.
The $319 million 747-8, which has an extended hump on top, longer wings and new engines, is two years behind schedule. The project originally suffered as engineers were diverted to work on the 787 Dreamliner, and then Boeing discovered it had to make more changes than expected to the jumbo jet as problems cropped up during testing, including flutter in the wings.
The complicated flight management computer is the last hurdle. Boeing was allowed to count only one hour toward function and reliability testing for every two flown since the start of June, while Honeywell International worked on the computer.
The 747-8 Intercontinental, the passenger version of the plane, is expected to enter service with Lufthansa at the beginning of 2012.
