Video: Wild Boeing 747-8 Takeoff

I fly into PAE about once a month for business. This may be the friendliest, best spotting location in the world for watching heavies. This was shot near the parking lot of the Future of Flight & Boeing Tour building which is right across 16R from the 747/777/787 factory. Unlike nearly every airport where power tripping security guards or police harass photographers and spotters, Boeing and Paine security actually encourage photographers to take pictures. The DreamLifter also parks and unloads 787 parts a few feet from this location. One time a security guard stopped and called me over to his car. I thought 'oh boy here we go', he's going to harass me or tell me to stay away from the fence. Instead he said 'ya know, you can go up stairs and stand on the roof deck of the Future of Flight building to get an unobstructed view of the runway and DreamLifter Ops Center'.

Tex Johnston would be proud :-)

I wonder if the Captain told the FO: "Hold my beer, and watch this"

Give me break, a lightly loaded 747 with four big engines turning. The risk is minimal.
You guys are all turning into a bunch of flying club sissy's. Your all so friggin scared of you lawyers and govt weinies you take all the fun out. You need to sit on the roof and take pictures and let the real men fly .

Cargolux have had this up on their videos for over a week

WOW

I happened to be there that day and watched this. My first thought was something was seriously wrong, but it was exciting to watch!

Just shows what the "Big Bird" can do!!! Tex did, what most would think would be impossible but the guy pulled it off...almost got fired over it...but he proved what the airplane could do! What better "venue" than over Lake Washington, in Seattle at "Seafair"!!! Brilliant!! I would have rolled right with him! God speed Tex. Because of you...possibilities are endless!! Thank you, Tex Johnston.

tex was 3000 feet above , not 30 , this looked risky to me , but it makes for an awesome video for sure !

Yish, Settle down folks

A - More than likely a Planned Event and well briefed before takeoff.
B - Light loaded 747-8, going to Seatac a whole 50 miles or so south, so more than likely very minimum fuel in the tanks.

Ive flown the sim on light loads and I can tell you this plane accelerates in a hurry light loaded, I could be at departure alt before I hit the end of the runway. I bet he was well above 3 engine min control speed when he did this, and held it down before rotate.

Its normal for most to wave goodbye

he/she dropped their phone

Any maneuver like this when low and slow is "unwise" in my view, and if Cargolux have it up on their website I am surprised that they condone the event.

WTH? were they texting????

I love to see the capabilities of these beasts on display, but in this instance the aircraft was not the pilot's, he/she did not have permission to do this, and a lot of people on the ground may have been jeopardized had something gone wrong.

It looked impressive, but I must say that I am not impressed by pilot judgement...

Remember Independance Day. Maybe his bit of paper was upside down to and he just turned it back!!??
Good stuff. It certainly kept the snappers happy!

Cheers

JetMack...my response is up here. Sorry everybody.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bnBr3enzW1I

Don"t think that was on his resume Jet Mac but with that barrel-roll , he sold a lot of 707's for Boeing.

Amazing.

awesome

http://youtu.be/Ra_khhzuFlE

Since there seemed to be a crowd of people with cameras this action appears to be planned.

Stupid and unsafe stunt. The pilot should be reprimanded for this stunt.

The next "maneuver" for Capt. Hoot will most likely
be a roll, followed by a 'tail' dragging in chains!

I believe most takeoffs, without any SID specifying other instructions, require a 'runway heading' at least to the field boundary. It's often part of the tower's takeoff verbiage..."XYZ123, cleared for takeoff, maintain runway heading, contact..."

I guess the corollary to a "safe landing" (any that you can walk away from) is a "safe takeoff" is any that you can land from? LOL!

More cowboys at the stick that we don't need.

Looked very close to a stall to me.

Idiotic... don't try this at home...

I live in the vicinity of Paine Field....... Commercial and private planes take off and land all the time with protocol in place that doesn't include 'clowning around'. It looks like a (dangerous) photo op for the pilot and company. Seems odd that "someone" was at that end of the runway to 'catch' a photo of a 747 lifting off -- which is usually a rather boring event. Do you know how many people would have been killed/injured had this bird crashed being in a major urban area? Really a stupid stunt......knuckle dragging on the part of the pilot and the company for posting it so proudly............

They were about .2 Seconds away from a stall and a loss of $360 Million...Stupid

that's just nuts

Pretty ballsy if you ask me.

Wasn't a Cathay Pacific pilot fired a few years ago for doing a similar low-flying stunt??

would not wish to fly with that jocky.stuff that mate