The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
The Spokesman-Review Newspaper The Spokesman-Review
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883
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Boeing’s largest passenger jet lifts off

A Boeing 747-8 Intercontinental, Boeing's new passenger plane, is accompanied by a chase plane after taking off on its first flight, Sunday, March 20, 2011, at Paine Field in Everett, Wash. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren) (The Associated Press / Associated Press)
The Associated Press
EVERETT, Wash. — The Boeing Co.’s newest and largest passenger plane took off for the first time Sunday. The 747-8 Intercontinental painted in orange and white left Paine Field in Everett at 9:58 a.m. under mostly blue skies and cheers from a crowd of Boeing workers and others. Boeing spokesman Jim Proulx says two pilots are aboard the jumbo jet, which is expected to land at Seattle’s Boeing Field after about five hours in the air. The cargo version of the new plane has been in flight tests for about a year. The passenger version can carry up to 467 people, with a range of nearly 7,000 miles. The jet features a new wing design and upgraded flight deck. The jet is about 250 feet long with a wingspan of about 224 feet.