After 53 years and more than 1,570 planes, the last Boeing 747 rolled off the assembly line in Washington state Tuesday evening, on its way to serve as a cargo plane.
The once-groundbreaking jumbo jet, with the distinctive second-floor bulge, is perhaps the most notable and popular plane Boeing has ever built. It was even big enough to be used to ferry the Space Shuttle from landing strips in California to its launch site in Florida. And it is set to launch a new type of spacecraft by Virgin Orbit as soon as next week, after carrying it aloft under its wing.
The 747 was once the choice of the rich and glamorous, and even royalty
Joined: Apr 2001 Posts: 119,117PanzerMeyer
Pro-Consul of Florida
PanzerMeyer
Pro-Consul of Florida
King Crimson - SimHQ's Top Poster
Joined: Apr 2001
Posts: 119,117
Miami, FL USA
The 747 is so old that Earth Wind & Fire mentioned it one of their songs!
“Whoever fights monsters should see to it that in the process he does not become a monster. And if you gaze long enough into an abyss, the abyss will gaze back into you.”
The 747 is so old that Earth Wind & Fire mentioned it one of their songs!
Sure enough. Was thinking Steve Miller Band too, but that was a 707.
EW&F's "Let's Groove" (1981). SMB's "Jet Airliner" (1977...but written by someone else in 1973).
A 747 always makes me think of protecting Air Force One in Jane's USAF.
The rusty wire that holds the cork that keeps the anger in Gives way and suddenly it’s day again The sun is in the east Even though the day is done Two suns in the sunset, hmph Could be the human race is run
Me neither. Wife did once (Pan Am) in '84 on a HS trip to Europe (Germany, France, England, etc.). She gave me a post card of a 747 that I still have.
The rusty wire that holds the cork that keeps the anger in Gives way and suddenly it’s day again The sun is in the east Even though the day is done Two suns in the sunset, hmph Could be the human race is run
I've flown in one at least twice that I can remember, and it was pretty comfortable, even in coach. I flew it to and from Japan, so it was a long flight, and nice to have the space.
Large airliners seem to be losing appeal these days, where efficiency and smaller airport access are becoming more important. Per passenger, the larger planes are probably pretty efficient, but you need to have a lot of people going to the same place, and an airport that can handle it. I think now, it's more efficient to just fly directly to the smaller airports than using a hub method.
Ken Cartwright
No single drop of rain feels it is responsible for the flood.
I did Chicago to Tokyo in one and I don't think I could have stayed sane in any other commercial aircraft on a flight that long. Even the cheap seats had legroom.
I have a couple of friends who fly the 747-400, and they love it. Certainly a real pilot’s airplane, that flies very well for its size. Always nice to see them being thrown around, such as here, on the old checkerboard approach into Kai Tak:
In all my years I've never seen the like. It has to be more than a hundred sea miles and he brings us up on his tail. That's seamanship, Mr. Pullings. My God, that's seamanship!
