Boeing just flew its first COVID-19 airlift mission with a huge private jet instead of the massive oversized cargo plane Trump touted
Boeing
Boeing flew its first flew in the COVID-19 airlift on Saturday to deliver masks to New Hampshire.
The manufacturer donated a company private jet based on a 737 airliner to fly from China with over 540,000 masks onboard.
The three Boeing 747-400LCF Dreamlifter cargo planes have not yet performed a mission despite their donation to the government being announced by President Donald Trump on March 27.
Another Boeing jet, the ecoDemonstrator, will be joining the airlift, the aerospace giant announced.
Boeing has officially joined the multi-national airlift mobilized in response to the continued spread of COVID-19.
The American aerospace manufacturer announced on Saturday that it flew its first flight as a member on Saturday, flying medical masks from China to New Hampshire.
For this special flight, Boeing used a jet from its own corporate fleet, a Boeing Business Jet modeled on the 737-700 airliner, also known as a BBJ 1. The jet primarily flies around Boeing executives.
Working in conjunction with the DEKA Research and Development Corporation and its founder Dean Kamen, over 500,000 masks were flown on the private jet, with Boeing donating the cost.
Boeing also announced that in addition to the BBJ 1, another jet would be added to the company's contribution to the airlift, a Boeing 777-200 ecoDemonstrator that was created to test new technologies to make air travel more efficient.
Take a look at Boeing's first flight as a COVID-19 airlift participator.
The Boeing private jet arrived in Manchester, New Hampshire on Saturday after flying from China to pick up medical face masks.
Boeing
The company said 540,000 masks were flown on the aircraft, facilitated by Kamen and later purchased by New Hampshire to be distributed to healthcare workers.
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Source: Boeing
The aircraft used was a Boeing Business Jet 1, based on the 737-700 airliner. It's not a cargo plane so boxes had to be loaded and off-loaded one by one.
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Source: Boeing
Here's the shipment being loaded onto the four-year-old BBJ in China.
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Source: Planespotters.net
Each box carried around 2,000 masks meaning that around 270 boxes would have to be flown by the jet.
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Unlike the airliner it's based on, a BBJ features a luxurious low-density interior. Most refer to it as a flying apartment or hotel suite.
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Here's an example of what a BBJ may look like on the inside.
Silver Air
The aircraft is so large that most feature private bedrooms.
Silver Air
Read More: Peek inside a Boeing 737 private jet that can sit 28 passengers and has a private bedroom onboard
The low-density interior of the aircraft, however, typically lowers its overall weight and allows for more cargo to be carried and for it to be flown longer distances.
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Boeing CEO Dave Calhoun and New Hampshire Governor Chris Sununu were on hand to greet the arrival of the shipment.
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Source: Boeing
"Another life-saving delivery of PPE has arrived in New Hampshire," Governor Chris Sununu said. "The state will deliver these masks to the greatest areas of need across New Hampshire so those on the frontline have the necessary resources to fight COVID-19."
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Source: Boeing
The mission, however, was not operated using the plane that Boeing had donated for use by the US government back in March...
Reuters/Jonathan Ernst
The Boeing 747-400LCF Dreamlifter.
Thiago B Trevisan / Shutterstock.com
Boeing donated three of the oversized cargo planes intended to fly COVID-19 related supply missions with President Donald Trump making the announcement on March 27.
Robert Sorbo/Reuters
When asked why the Dreamlifter hadn't flown a mission in the airlift, Boeing responded in an email to Business Insider: "We continue to look for ways to support additional airlift transport missions, including those supported by the Boeing Dreamlifter and Boeing ecoDemonstrator. Boeing is coordinating closely with US government officials on how best to assist areas in most need."
Fernando Salazar/Wichita Eagle/Tribune News Service
Boeing also announced that it would be utilizing another aircraft for COVID-19 missions, the ecoDemonstrator.
Boeing
Source: Boeing
The ecoDemonstator aircraft test new technologies to make aircraft more efficient and lower their carbon footprint.
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Source: Boeing
One ecoDemonstrator platform is a Boeing 777-200 aircraft, a long-range wide-body jet used by countless airlines and cargo carriers that's been proven to carry copious amounts of freight.
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Boeing hasn't said when it will debut in the airlift but every aircraft in the COVID-19 airlift helps to aid the transport or life-saving cargo, especially as cargo carriers have been pushed to the limit with a backload of fright to be flown.
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