Boeing delivers the last 747, the plane that democratizes flying

Boeing is set to officially say goodbye to its original jumbo jet, the 747, as it makes the last commercial delivery of the plane that democratizes flying and serving US presidents.

Thousands of current and former employees will gather Tuesday afternoon at Boeing’s plant in Everett, Washington, in the Northwestern United States for a final farewell ceremony that parallels the delivery of cargo by air. fly Boeing 747-8 plane to Atlas Air.

The current fleet of planes is expected to fly for many more decades, but discontinuing production of the 747 more than 50 years after the plane’s first flight, Boeing is closing a chapter in civil aviation history.

The aircraft’s size, range and efficiency “helps middle class Michel Merluzeau, director of defense and aerospace analysis at consulting firm AIR, said.

“It opened up the world,” Merluzeau said.

Boeing built a total of 1,574 747s. But the jet has over time been eclipsed by newer models that fly more efficiently and burn less fuel.

Commercial airlines in the United States have not flown 747s since 2017.

The biggest jet in decades

The origins of the 747 go back to the 1960s, a time when aviation was growing and airports were becoming increasingly busy.

At the urging of Pan American Airways, Boeing began planning a jet that could carry significantly more passengers.

Initially, engineers conceived the idea of ​​a plane with two fuselages, but abandoned that idea due to concerns about evacuating passengers from the second floor.

Instead of making the plane taller, the 747 was made wider, says Boeing historian Michael Lombardi, of the first jetliner designed with two aisles.

“This plane will always be recognized as the queen of the sky,” Lombardi said at a recent press conference with journalists.

The 747 was powered by four engines and was conceived from the outset as an aircraft that would also carry cargo.

But that command required other adjustments, including the need to raise the cockpit above the nose, resulting in the 747’s iconic “hump”.

The 747 remained the largest airliner until the arrival of the Airbus 380 in the 2000s.

During the 1980s and 1990s, Merluzeau said, the 747 was “really the workhorse of the industry,” with countless trips between destinations like New York, Paris and London.

But the arrival of later generations of long-haul jets such as the Boeing 787 Dreamliner and Airbus 350, which were more fuel efficient than the 747, reworked transcontinental travel, allowing for nonstop trips between more places and reduce the dominance of centers.

The newer planes “have changed the way we fly, from point to point,” says Lombardi.

heavy transport

Although Boeing has improved the 747 over and over again, “there are limits to what you can do compared to other options,” says Merluzeau.

For the final version of the jet, the 747-8, launched in 2005, Boeing sold 48 passenger planes and 107 cargo planes.

While Boeing has announced it will cease production of the 747 in 2020, the legacy fleet is expected to fly for many more decades, especially in the freight sector.

“The 747 is truly unique in terms of its utility of transporting large industrial components, such as marine engines and larger oilfield equipment,” said Merluzeau.

The aircraft of US presidents since 1990, the 747 is also expected to continue on official duty at the White House for the foreseeable future, with two Air Force Ones currently being modified to replace the aircraft. jet is currently in operation.

© 2023 AFP