The Boeing B747-400 large cargo freighter took to the skies for the first time, initiating the flight test programme that will culminate in US federal aviation administration (FAA) certification.

The first 747-400 Large Cargo Freighter (LCF), a specially modified fleet of airplanes started a flight test program that is expected to last through the end of the year. The enormous jet - its enlarged upper fuselage can accommodate three times the cargo by volume of a standard 747-400 freighter - took off from Taiwan Taoyuan international airport.

The Boeing 747 Large Cargo Freighter Arrives in Seattle. The cavernous cargo bay of the 747-400 Large Cargo Freighter (LCF) was revealed upon its arrival at Seattles Boeing Field.

The most significant change to the airplane is the new extended upper fuselage, which boosts the cargo capacity by volume to 65,000 cubic feet, more than three times the cargo capacity of a standard 747-400 freighter. A fleet of three LCFs will ferry 787 assemblies between Nagoya, Japan, Grottaglie, Italy; Wichita, Kan. and Charleston, S.C., before flying them to the Boeing factory in Everett, Wash., for final assembly. The first two LCFs will enter service in early 2007; the third will follow later.

"It went beautifully," MacDonald said after the flight ended. In fact, the airplane handled so well, "quite often during the flight, it was easy to forget you were in an LCF rather than a regular 747-400," he said.

After completing initial flight tests in Taiwan, during which the airplane's handling characteristics will be evaluated as well as ensuring the LCF is free from flutter and excessive vibration, the airplane flew to Seattle's Boeing Field to complete the remainder of the flight test program.

A fleet of three LCFs will ferry 787 assemblies between Nagoya, Japan; Grottaglie, Italy; Wichita, Kan. and Charleston, S.C., before flying them to the Boeing factory in Everett, Wash., for final assembly. The first two LCFs will enter service in early 2007; the third will follow later.