Limosa lapponica*
Flight number234684
15 October 2022
Departure YKD Yukon Delta Alaska
Arrival Ansons Bay Tasmania
Flight time 11 days non-stop
Range 13,560 kilometres
Take-off weight 290 grams
At the same time
1,500 miles southeast of the Yukon Delta
in the world’s largest structure
operatives at Boeing’s Everett facility
cycle the length of the building to complete
the final stage in a two month assembly process.
The latest and last Boeing 747-8F**
an aircraft with a range 15,000 kilometres
just enough to get from Alaska to Tasmania
with a take-off weight of 140 tonnes
and a build cost of $350 million
will soon be ready for its first flight.
* A juvenile bar-tailed godwit [Limosa lapponica] has flown from Alaska in the US to Tasmania in Australia, covering a record 13,560kms without stopping.
The Guardian 26 October 2022
** Atlas Air is expected to get the last Boeing 747-8F before the end of the year, after which Boeing will shut down its 747 assembly line.
Simple Flying 12 October 2022