First flight by the Wright brothers. The first transatlantic journey. The development of the jet engine. The debut of the Boeing 747.
Few events in the history of commercial aviation have had as significant an impact as Boeing's jumbo jet:
It took to the skies for the first time in 1969 and was put into service with Pan Am, a now-defunct American airline, the following year.
The double-decker, the first wide-body passenger aircraft and a symbol of the heyday of travel, opened up new routes, continents, and economic opportunities for the airline industry. It also permitted airlines to provide levels of luxury that were unmatched at the time.
The "queen of the skies" has ruled for more than 50 years, but now her era is over.
In Everett, Washington, Boeing closed a production line that had been in operation since 1967 this week by rolling the final double-decker out of the building.
N863GT is the tail number of the 747-8 Freighter, which will be delivered to cargo airline Atlas Air in early 2023. It is the 1,574th 747 produced by Boeing.
The next-to-last 747, tail number N861GT, was delivered to Atlas Air in October as well.
In June, when touring the Boeing facility, we got the opportunity to observe the airframe being assembled.
Kim Smith, Boeing's vice president and general manager of the 747 and 767 programs, said in a statement: "For more than half a century, tens of thousands of committed Boeing people have created and manufactured this amazing plane that has truly transformed the world."
The fact that this aircraft will keep traveling the world for many years to come makes us proud, Smith continued.
The 747 remains the best aircraft for freight carriers, although recently, its usefulness for passenger airlines has declined.
The plane has four engines, making operations more expensive than that of narrow-body aircraft like the Boeing 777 or 787.
Due to this, numerous airlines decommissioned their 747 fleets between 2010 and 2020, with some plans being sped up by the COVID-19 epidemic.
In 2017, both Delta Air Lines and United Airlines decommissioned their 747 aircraft.
In 2017, Korean Air received the final 747-passenger aircraft built by Boeing.
Air China, Korean Air, and Lufthansa continue to operate passenger variants of the aircraft.
Air Force One is one of two 747-200 military variants, the VC-25A.
It is anticipated that the U.S. government will get two replacement VC-25Bs, based on the 747-8, in 2026 or 2027.
The longest commercial aircraft currently in service is the Boeing 747-8, measuring 250 feet and 2 inches.
According to Boeing, the Freighter's cargo payload is 133.1 tonnes, which is equivalent to 10,699 solid gold bars or, if desired, almost 19 million golf balls.
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