Boeing Uses Sawyer Airport to Test New Plane

The most well-known brand of jet liner in the world has a new model coming out within the next year.

And the company making it put it through some tests in the U.P. this afternoon.

Boeing has made the 747 jumbo jet for more than 40 years.

But they’re still introducing new models.

The newest model, the 747-8, is in testing right now.

Sawyer Airport manager Keith Kaspari says a Boeing employee originally from Houghton who’s also a Michigan Tech grad contacted the airport a few days ago to see if they could use the airport as a test site this afternoon.

Until 2007, the 747 was the world’s biggest airliner.

The 747–8 model being tested is similar in size to Air Force One, the President’s personal plane.

Deliveries of the 747–8 are expected to start within the next 12 months.

The plane is on its way to San Jose, California for other, similar tests there.