747-8 freighter tests shifting to Moses Lake

Two weeks after its first flight, Boeing's new 747-8 jumbo jet took off shortly after 4 p.m. Monday for Moses Lake in eastern Washington, where it will be based while completing initial airworthiness tests and then flutter testing designed to validate the strength and integrity of the airplane structure.

Moses Lake was chosen so as not to interfere with the 787 Dreamliner flight tests based at Boeing Field. During the initial airworthiness phase of testing, Boeing engineers will still monitor the flights out of Moses Lake via radio telemetry from an operations center at Boeing Field, where Boeing has built separate telemetry rooms for the 787 and 747 flight test programs.

Two more 747-8 will join the flight testing after first plane is certified for initial airworthiness.

Within a couple of months, on completion of flutter testing, the entire 747-8 flight test program will move to Palmdale, near Los Angeles, Calif.

Meanwhile, on the 787 flight test program, Boeing plans to resume flutter tests Tuesday on Dreamliner No.1 after an engine problem caused the plane's temporary grounding over the weekend.

Boeing said the plane "experienced an uncommanded loss of thrust in one of the engines" during a test flight Friday and landed at Moses Lake. After the problem was traced to "a pressure-sensing component within the engine," over the weekend mechanics replaced the parts and flew the jet back to Boeing Field Sunday for ground tests.