Boeing Co, the largest aircraft manufacturer, said it will develop a longer-range of its 747 aircraft that would also be about 20 percent quieter on takeoff.
The new 416-seat plane, called 747-400X Quiet Longer Range, would be able to fly 14,790 non-stop, allowing flights from Singapore to reach US cities such as Denver and Minneapolis. The current version, the 747-400, has a range of 13,455.
Production and test flights of the new 747-400XQLR could be done in 2003, with the plane ready to go into service in early 2004, said Gary Lesser, communications manager of the 747 program, at Singapore's Asian Aerospace show.
It's the second time Boeing has extended the plane's range since 2000. The Chicago-based planemaker is trying to keep the 747 competitive as rival Airbus SAS develops the A380, which would enter service in 2006 and seat about 550. Boeing also needs to help its customers meet stricter noise requirements, particularly in Europe. Airlines there pay penalties if noise exceeds certain limits. Boeing said the newest 747s would be about as quiet as the A380.
The new version could use engines from Rolls-Royce Plc, General Electric Co or Pratt & Whitney, a unit of United Technologies Corp.
Taiwan’s Lee Chia-hao (李佳豪) on Sunday won a silver medal at the All England Open Badminton Championships in Birmingham, England, a career best. Lee, 25, took silver in the final of the men’s singles against world No. 1 Shi Yuqi (石宇奇) of China, who won 21-17, 21-19 in a tough match that lasted 51 minutes. After the match, the Taiwanese player, who ranks No. 22 in the world, said it felt unreal to be challenging an opponent of Shi’s caliber. “I had to be in peak form, and constantly switch my rhythm and tactics in order to score points effectively,” he said. Lee got
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