Boeing Dreamlifter

The Boeing Dreamlifter, officially the 747-400 Large Cargo Freighter, is an outsized cargo aircraft converted from the Boeing 747-400 airliner. Boeing announced in October 2003 that it would move parts for the 787 Dreamliner by air, because the sections were too large for standard marine shipping containers or for the 747-400F freighter, so used 747-400 passenger aircraft were rebuilt with a bulging fuselage and a swing tail. The cargo compartment holds 65,000 cubic feet, about three times the volume of a 747-400F, and the maximum payload is 250,000 pounds. Modification work was carried out in Taiwan, the first aircraft flew on 9 September 2006, and the type received FAA type certification on 2 June 2007. Four were acquired, and they carry 787 sections between Italy, Japan and the United States; one also flew face masks to Utah in 2020.