| Imagine you're driving at the maximum speed allowed on a major highway and you have to suddenly stop the car. In April, a fully-loaded 747-8 Freighter with worn-out brakes attempted an aborted takeoff on a California runway. The rejected takeoff or maximum brake energy test is one of the most dramatic for a new airplane. It's basically what Boeing test pilot Captain Kirk Vining had to do recently with the new 747-8 Freighter during one of the most dramatic airplane certification tests. However, instead of a 4000-pound (1815 kilograms) car, the 747-8 weighed in at close to one million pounds. "In the emergency event that we have to make a rejected takeoff at these heavy weights, it takes a long distance for the airplane to stop," says Capt. Vining. The Boeing 747-8 Intercontinental and 747-8 Freighter are the new, high-capacity 747s that offer the lowest operating costs and best economics of any large passenger or freighter airplane. Both are on track to make their first deliveries later this year after certification. To simulate the ultimate rejected takeoff (RTO), crews loaded the airplane above its maximum takeoff weight of 975000 pounds and installed a set of 100% worn-out brakes. In April, the Boeing Test & Evaluation team brought the 747-8 Freighter to a long runway in California to simulate the ultimate rejected takeoff (RTO). Crews loaded the airplane above its maximum takeoff weight of 975000 pounds (443181 kilograms) and installed a set of 100% worn-out brakes ... |
