@ San Francisco, CA
January 2023
My first planespotting outing of 2023 coincided with rainy weather which forced SFO into reverse operations, providing an opportunity to photograph aircraft taking off from this point instead of landing. This Lufthansa 747 wears a retro livery (circa 1968), complete with black radome. Lufthansa operates 19 of these newer -8I (Intercontinental) models, along with eight of the older 747-400 aircraft. First flown in 2010, the 747-8 is the third generation of the 747, with a lengthened fuselage, redesigned wings, new engines, and improved efficiency. Intended to fill a niche between the Airbus A380 and the Boeing 777-300ER, demand for the 747-8I has been chiefly for the 747-8F (Freighter), which accounts for the majority of 747-8 aircraft ordered. Production of the 747 finally ended in December 2022 with the final 747-8F to be delivered to Atlas Air.
