If you thought the look of Boeing’s newly-designed Seahawks 747-8 Freighter was cool, you have to check out the plane’s flight pattern today.
The jumbo jet, which Boeing unveiled Wednesday, just took off on its first flight ever with the new design from Boeing Field south of downtown Seattle. It will fly under the call sign “BOE12” for three hours and 20 minutes, but won’t leave the state of Washington.
How is that possible? Well, check out the planned flight path:
In an ode to the 12thMan — the nickname given to the Seahawks fan base — Boeing will fly in a “12” pattern over eastern Washington before heading back to Seattle. You can follow the flight live here.
The new-look 747-8 Freighter actually first took off this morning from Paine Field and landed at Boeing Field 13 minutes later. Here’s the Seahawks love they had going on at Paine Field:
The 12th Man is out in force at Paine Field… 300 feet tall covering nearly 2.5 acres! @seahawks @snocounty #WAaero pic.twitter.com/S90rN3gITS
— Aerospace Futures (@AerospaceFuture) January 27, 2014
Now that's a big 12! #WeAre12 #goHawks @boeingairplanes #7478F #KPAE pic.twitter.com/X8C1zQAyZy
— Future of Flight (@futureofflight) January 31, 2014
Starbucks’ 12-cent coffee campaign was cool and Microsoft’s on-campus decorations were neat, but it’s safe to say Boeing just might have the most Seahawks passion of any company yet.
Check out more photos of the Seahawks 747 Freighter here.
Update, 3:05 P.M.
We’ve been hearing a few people complain that Boeing is “wasting fuel,” by flying the 747-8 Freighter today in the “12” pattern. We reached out to Boeing to see if the company had a response, and here’s what they sent:
This is a Boeing owned airplane that is already being used in test flight. We are sponsors of the Seahawks and have partnered with them for many years for community projects. We’re proud to show our support of the team and their fans across the Northwest.
Update, 5:55 P.M.
BOE12 completed its trip and landed at Paine Field at 4:43 p.m. Thursday. Here’s a look at its flight path: